:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Ethan-Hawke-The-Black-Phone-021126-c4ac7a59dbc347328f3f1b114000e271.jpg "The Black Phone ending explained: What clues are in those ghostly calls?")
Scott Derrickson's horror hit stars Ethan Hawke as a masked, homicidal killer called the Grabber. The Black Phone ending explained: What clues are in those ghostly calls? Scott Derrickson's horror hit stars Ethan Hawke as a masked, homicidal killer called the Grabber. By Randall Colburn :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/RandallColburnauthorphotoe7e8b48d9f8645588439077e721a5f48.jpg) Randall Colburn Randall Colburn is a writer and editor at . His work has previously appeared on The A.V. Club, The Guardian, The Ringer, and many other publications. EW's editorial guidelines February 12, 2026 6:20 p.m.
Scott Derrickson's horror hit stars Ethan Hawke as a masked, homicidal killer called the Grabber.
The Black Phone ending explained: What clues are in those ghostly calls?
Scott Derrickson's horror hit stars Ethan Hawke as a masked, homicidal killer called the Grabber.
By Randall Colburn
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Randall-Colburn-author-photo-e7e8b48d9f8645588439077e721a5f48.jpg)
Randall Colburn
Randall Colburn is a writer and editor at **. His work has previously appeared on *The A.V. Club, The Guardian, The Ringer*, and many other publications.
EW's editorial guidelines
February 12, 2026 6:20 p.m. ET
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Ethan Hawke as the Grabber in 'The Black Phone'. Credit:
Universal Studios
- *The Black Phone* is a supernatural horror film about the ghosts who help a young boy escape the clutches of a masked serial killer.
- Ethan Hawke stars as the Grabber alongside Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw.
- The movie is now streaming on Netflix.
Joe Hill, the son of horror legend Stephen King, penned the original short story that inspired *The Black Phone.* His tale of a kidnapped child who receives calls from his abductor's previous victims was first published in 2004 before being collected the following year in *20th Century Ghosts *(which is well worth your time).
"I first read Joe's story when it was first published 17 or 18 years ago," *Black Phone* director Scott Derrickson told ** in 2022. "I just pulled it off a bookshelf in Los Feliz and read the first short story while I stood there. I was like: This is amazing. I didn't know that Joe Hill was Stephen King's son at that point, but I bought it. I read the stories. *The Black Phone* always stood out to me as a movie."
Derrickson's film adaptation, co-written by C. Robert Cargill, expands upon Hill's story by introducing the family of Finney (Mason Thames) and his suburban Colorado neighborhood in the 1970s. A key character in the film that you won't find in the books is his sister, Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), who has prophetic dreams that prove instrumental in saving her brother's life.
With* The Black Phone *now streaming on Netflix, let's break down the horror hit's ending, from those mysterious phone calls to Finney's ultimate fate.
Who's calling Finney on the black phone?
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Mason Thames as Finney in 'The Black Phone'.
Universal Studios
After being abducted by the Grabber (Ethan Hawke), a masked creep who kidnaps local boys using bundles of black balloons and a windowless black van, Finney finds himself locked in a cold, barren basement. A toilet, a mattress, and a black phone (apparently out of order) are all that he has to keep him company — until the phone starts ringing.
Calling him are the spirits of boys previously kidnapped by the Grabber. Though they're confused and can't recall their names, they're able to offer Finney advice on potential escape routes.
- Bruce (Tristan Pravong), a baseball player Finney meets in the film's opening scene, tells Finney about a crack in the tile of the basement floor, which Finney capitalizes on to dig a hole in the dirt beneath the floor.
- Billy (Jacob Moran), a local paperboy, reveals that he yanked a cable loose from the wall. Finney uses them to climb up to the window and yank off the grate covering it. He's still unable to escape, but the grate later proves itself useful.
- Another dead boy, Griffin (Banks Repeta), gives Finney the code to the padlock on the Grabber's front door. Finney is able to sneak past the Grabber as he sleeps and escape, but he's quickly apprehended and brought back to the basement.
- Loudmouth punk Vance (Brady Hepner) talks about a freezer on the other end of the basement wall that Finney could potentially use to escape. Finney manages to break through the wall with the lid of the toilet's tank and unscrew the back cover of the freezer, but is foiled when the door to the freezer is locked.
- Finally, Robin (Miguel Mora), Finney's friend and defender against local bullies, teaches him how to fight the Grabber. He instructs Finney to pack dirt in the receiver of the phone, then use it to attack the Grabber next time he visits him.
While none of these tips lead to Finney's successful escape, they all serve to help him later on.
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James Ransone as Max in 'The Black Phone'.
Universal Studios
When we meet Max (James Ransone), he's blitzed on uppers and excitedly sharing his own theories on the Grabber's identity and location with local detectives.
Later, we learn that Max is actually the Grabber's brother, and that the Grabber was operating under his nose the whole time.
'Black Phone 2' ending explained: How do you defeat a supernatural Grabber?
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How horror icon Tom Savini created that terrifying mask for 'The Black Phone'
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Max learns this for himself when he goes into the basement, somewhere he's not supposed to go, and discovers Finney there. His brother is at work, he says, ready to help Finney. That's when the Grabber appears behind him, splitting his head open with an ax.
The Grabber mourns the loss, saying that while Max was an idiot, he was "my idiot."**
Does the Grabber kill Finney?
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Ethan Hawke holding a bloody ax as the Grabber in 'The Black Phone'.
Universal Studios
The Grabber, incensed over the death of Max, says he's going to "take his time" with Finney. "I want this to really hurt," he says before bringing down an attack dog, Samson, to guard the door so Finney can't escape. But Finney comes out on top with the help of the killer's past victims.
First, Finney manages to trip the Grabber using the cord retrieved by Billy, causing the Grabber to tumble into the hole Finney dug on Bruce's instruction. The Grabber's feet get stuck in the window grate, which Finney placed inside the hole, and his ankle snaps. With the Grabber unable to climb out, Finney beats him with the phone and uses the cord to choke him out.
The phone rings again. "It's for you," Finney says, prompting the dead boys to taunt the Grabber before Finney snaps his neck, killing him.
To get past Samson, Finney grabs a steak from the freezer pointed out to him by Vance and tosses it to the dog. Upstairs, he unlocks the padlock on the front door using the code given to him by Griffin. Finally, he's free.
What's going on with Gwen's dreams?
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Madeleine McGraw as Gwen in 'The Black Phone'.
Universal Pictures/Everett
Throughout the film, Gwen has been having eerie dreams about the Grabber's victims. This catches the attention of the detectives working the case, who don't know what to make of her.
After Finney is abducted, she's visited in a dream by Vance, who shows her the house where Finney is being held captive — or so she's led to believe.
The next day, Gwen rides her bike around the neighborhood in search of the house she saw in her dream. She finds it and alerts the authorities, but the house turns out to be empty. It's not the one where Finney is being held. It is, however, the house where the boys' bodies are buried — and there's a freshly-dug plot for Finney.
Coincidentally, that house is right across the street from the one where Finney was being held. Outside, brother and sister are reunited.**
What happens at the end of The Black Phone?
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Madeleine McGraw and Mason Thames in 'The Black Phone'.
Universal Studios
In the final scenes of *The Black Phone*, Finney and Gwen are visited by their father, Terrence (Jeremy Davies), an alcoholic coping with his own history of violence. Having nearly lost them, he tearfully asks for their forgiveness.
The authorities, meanwhile, inform the media that the community's "long nightmare" is over. The bodies of the dead boys have been recovered, and the Grabber has been subdued.
*The Black Phone* ends with Finney returning to school, where he's whispered about in the hallways for having escaped the Grabber. With a renewed sense of confidence, he works up the courage to sit next to his crush and actually start up a conversation.**
Where can I watch The Black Phone?
*The Black Phone* is available to stream on Netflix.
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- Horror Movies
Source: "EW Horror"
Source: Horror
Published: February 13, 2026 at 01:38AM on Source: MANUEL MAG
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