Scott Derrickson’s latest horror movie, The Black Phone, has gone above and beyond expectations at the box office. The scary flick has grossed over $100 million globally, and many scare connoisseurs are itching for more. Following its mass success, Derrickson has now sparked hope in the horror community – by opening up about the possibility of a spooky sequel.
The Black Phone is a fun homage to classic ’70s horror movies that tells the story of a young boy, Finney (Mason Thames), who is suddenly kidnapped by a masked man (Ethan Hawke). In the film, we meet a number of characters, from Hawke’s mysterious villain to Finney’s clairvoyant sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw). There are also plenty of tormented young ghosts whose backstories have the potential to offer tons of cinematic content.
In an interview with TheWrap, Derrickson revealed that he isn’t opposed to revisiting the story in a follow-up film, and shared that he has been talking with Joe Hill, the author of the short story on which The Black Phone is based, “about exploring more with these characters.”
“It’s not something that is innately exciting to me, in the case of this story. I’m interested in the characters that we created, and I think there’s a tone to the movie that is unique and can be expanded upon,” Derrickson explained. “So possibly, we’ll see. You never know, but I’m certainly not closed off to the idea.”
The director went on to comment how the horror genre is a place where new franchises and ideas thrive. Derrickson compared new spooky IPs, such as A Quiet Place and the Conjuring-verse, to mainstream media, stating that horror promotes fresh stories, as opposed to the old franchises that dominate big studios’ interests.
“It seems to be the one genre that original movies will then be so successful that you get A Quiet Place that had a hugely successful sequel. That’s pretty common,” Derrickson said.
“The mainstream, big budget franchises that we have are mostly older franchises – all these things that have been around for a very long time are still the big heavyweights in the theatres.”
The Black Phone is currently out in UK and US cinemas.