The Black Phone writer C. Robert Cargill discusses the origins of the Grabber's mask and how it is significant in establishing the character's backstory. Having teamed up with Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson once again following the success of 2012's Sinister, the pair have adapted Joe Hill's terrifying short story for the big screen. Starring Ethan Hawke, alongside a standout young cast that includes Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw, The Black Phone reviews have been positive and the box office opening incredibly successful, raking in more than $23 million domestically in its first weekend.
The Black Phone tells the story of the mysterious Grabber (Hawke), a serial killer who kidnaps children and keeps them captive in his basement. His latest victim, Finney (Thames) discovers that a disconnected telephone on the wall is capable of contacting the spirits of the Grabber's previous victims, who ultimately aid him in his escape. What sets the Grabber apart from your standard villain, however, is his off-white mask which is made up of separate parts that piece together and features horns, an eerie toothy grin, as well as a deep frowning mouth. Each encounter between Finney and the Grabber sees Hawke's character wear the mask in a number of different variations.
During a recent interview with THR, Cargill discusses the origins of the Grabber's mask and how integral it was to the overall character. The writer reveals that the idea for the mask actually stemmed from an initial discussion with Hill about changing the villain from that of the source material, in which he was a clown. The writer discusses how Hill then shared an alternative idea that was inspired by magicians from the '30s and '40s. With regards to the interchangeable nature of the mask, Cargill reveals that this ultimately serves as a reflection of his personality, which the Grabber could then change depending on which part of his "ritual" he was in. Check out Cargill's discussion below:
In the short story, the character is a clown, and after he’d read the first draft, Joe Hill came to us with a hat-in-hand mea culpa. He was like, “This is a hard ask, but when I wrote this story, it was 20 years after [Stephen King’s] It had come out. Nobody was thinking about clowns, and I was thinking of John Wayne Gacy. So there was no real comparison at the time, but now that [2017’s] It is a big hit, people are going to feel like I’m aping my dad with another clown. So can we change that?” And we were like, “Yeah, of course we can, but to what?” And that’s when Joe said, “I have this great idea of this whole magic show act from the ‘30s and ‘40s where magicians would dress up as a magician for half the time, and then for the other half, they would dress up as the devil and do other tricks as the devil. So I thought that would be really cool.” And we were like, “Yeah, that’s rad. We love that. Let’s do that.” And that’s where Scott spun off into the mask. [...]
Yeah, and each mask is also the character that he’s playing. That’s really a thing. In the film, he’s asked if he’s the one that killed all the other boys, and he goes, “No, that was someone else.” So each mask represents a different part of the ritual for him and a different aspect of his personality. It was something that Scott had come up with because he was like, “Well, we’ve got to get him to emote in some way, and you can’t really emote behind a mask. What if he has an interchangeable mask, and depending on the mood of the ritual, he would change the bottom of the mask?” So that turned into what is now a fascinating visual representation of this character.
Praise for Hawke's performance as this terrifying villain has been a constant throughout The Black Phone reactions, with the film's younger cast also receiving considerable acclaim for their portrayals. Given the wealth of backstory that The Black Phone teases, the film's incredibly warm reception has spawned various conversations about a sequel, with some hoping to see a prequel that centers on the Grabber and his twisted motives. Derrickson recently teased the exciting possibility of a sequel to The Black Phone, revealing that he would be willing to move forward with one so long as audiences respond well to this film first.
The Grabber's mask acted as the centerpiece of The Black Phone's promotional run, given its creepy nature and its instantly memorable look, so it's certainly interesting to learn the inspirations behind the creation of this piece. Having played such a key role in the overall lore of Hawke's character, it remains to be seen what the creative team behind The Black Phone has in mind for showcasing its origins on-screen and in-universe. Perhaps its variations could even be expanded further, should Derrickson and Cargill decide to move forward with The Black Phone 2.
Source: THR