One of the effects designers behind the new Blumhouse horror film The Black Phone revealed that Ethan Hawke was terrifying even during his mask fitting. The Black Phone is adapted by Sinister co-writers Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill from a 2004 short story by Horns and NOS4A2 writer Joe Hill. Derrickson, who also directed Sinister as well as 2016's Doctor Strange, helmed the film as well, overseeing a cast that includes James Ransone, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies, Mason Thames, Jacob Moran, Jordan Isaiah White, Brady Hepner, and Blumhouse stalwart Ethan Hawke, who has appeared in several of the production company's films including Sinister and The Purge.
In The Black Phone, Hawke plays The Grabber which is the nickname for a serial kidnapper who stalks the streets around the suburbs of Denver in 1978. After he abducts Finney (Thames), the young boy realizes that the phone in his makeshift prison cell can contact the spirits of the previous children that were murdered by The Grabber. Although The Grabber is terrifying in his own right, his power as a new iconic horror villain is increased substantially by the mask that he wears. Taking after Michael Myers from Halloween, the mask is a bone-white blank face, bearing horns, a sinister grin, and wide eye holes that let Hawke's performance shine through.
Today, EW ran a piece speaking with members of the team behind the creation of The Grabber's terrifying mask. The mask, which was inspired by the 1928 film The Man Who Laughs, was designed by FX maestro Tom Savini (who provided genre-defining gore effects in films including 1978's Dawn of the Dead and 1980's Friday the 13th) and built by his business partner Jason Baker. Baker was the one who attended the first fitting with Hawke, and while the actor was incredibly nice and welcoming, including bringing Baker a snack, once he put on the mask he transformed into such a terrifying presence that even the hardened horror veteran say "I know I made this but I don't like it and I want to leave." Read Baker's full quote below:
We took all the masks to Ethan's office to make sure everything fitted and he was comfortable. Ethan is so sweet and accommodating. I show up and Ethan's got, like, a soy latte and a vegan muffin for me. Then he puts the masks on, and all of a sudden things start to click, you can see gears start to turn, and I'm like, I know I made this but I don't like it and I want to leave. It's broad daylight and he's doing little maneuvers and whispering and talking. I was like: This is terrifying.
Ethan Hawke has certainly been embracing his villainous side lately. Before starring in The Black Phone, the actor appeared on the Disney+ MCU series Moon Knight as Arthur Harrow, a cult leader bent on bringing an ancient Egyptian goddess back to life. His commitment to these roles has been absolute, as the onscreen evidence shows, as he was pretty terrifying in his role as Arthur Harrow. Still, this new story reveals that his power extends even beyond the screen and make his role in The Black Phone all the more spine-tingling.
The Black Phone likely won't hit number 1, as it's premiering alongside the new Elvis biopic. It's likewise competing with huge blockbuster holdovers like Jurassic World Dominion, Lightyear, and Top Gun: Maverick. However, if Hawke's performances can manage to capture audiences as well as he did with Baker, the actor may have yet another Blumhouse hit on his hands.
Source: EW