The Black Phone vs. Doctor Strange: Scott Derrickson on the Big Differences

After making Sinister and Deliver Us From Evil, Scott Derrickson made the leap to big, big budget filmmaking for Marvel’s Doctor Strange. After that, it was back to lower budget horror films for The Black Phone. It sounds like a bit of filmmaking whiplash there, right? According to Derrickson, it was in a sense, but no matter the budget, there is one similarity that all of his films share. The Black Phone takes place in a small town in Denver in the 1970s where kids are disappearing. The culprit is dubbed “The Grabber” and eventually, Mason Thames’ Finney becomes his next target. The Grabber locks Finney in a soundproof basement, seemingly cutting him off from everyone who can help him, but little does The Grabber know, Finney has a very tenacious sister (Madeleine McGraw) and he’s also got the ability to communicate with The Grabber’s past victims using a disconnected phone on the wall. In celebration of The Black Phone’s debut, I got the chance to chat with Derrickson about his experience