In the footage shown at CinemaCon, per THR, “a young boy is kidnapped by Hawke’s character, a creepy man with a van and black balloons. The boy is imprisoned in a basement room with nothing but a black phone. The phone appears to be broken, but he starts receiving calls. The voices on the other end of the phone are the man’s other victims, who offer tips for the boy’s survival.” Variety adds: “The supernatural is introduced via the phone calls, where the spirits of fallen children attempt to help [Mason Thames, who plays the kidnapped boy] escape, leaving clues and life hacks in his physical space.”
This is actually pretty faithful to the story that inspired the film, with a few exceptions. The kidnapper in the story does not wear a mask, and he’s also described as morbidly obese, so it’s clear that in casting Hawke and making him put on a scary mask, the film is taking some liberties with this specific character. And that’s fine. There’s a chance we’ll get to see “The Black Phone” trailer soon-ish, so keep your eyes out for that.
The film is currently set for a January 28, 2022 release.read more
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