When news broke director Scott Derrickson was leaving Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in 2020 due to creative differences, the moviegoing internet and fans of the film’s predecessor were understandably concerned. Why would such a talented director who fought so hard for the first film leave a project he was supposedly passionate about?



The answer, at least partially, is the director’s latest project reteaming him with his Sinister writer, C. Robert Cargill, The Black Phone. Does this movie pivoting the director back to horror live up to the bold shift in career direction?



In this episode of The Cinematic Schematic, we’re joined by first-time guest, Matt Donato, returning co-host, Laron Chapman, and Caleb Masters to answer that question.



Based on the Joe Hill short story of the same name and set in 1978, The Black Phone follows Finney (Mason Thames), who becomes the latest in a string of kidnapped children by a part-time magician only known as “The Grabber” (Ethan Hawke). After waking up in a stripped-down basement, Finney is haunted by the ghosts of the kidnapped children who occupied the space before him. Meanwhile, his sister Gwen(Madeleine McGraw) uses every available resource to find her brother before it’s too late.



We start with this week’s podcast discussion with the ice breaker question, “If you had no choice but to be trapped in a horror movie, what decade of horror movie would you prefer to be stuck in and why?” before jumping headfirst into our spoiler-free reviews of the films. We close out the conversation by crossing through the veil of spoilers to discuss the film’s use of ghosts, psychics, and the Derrickson/Cargill duo.



Is this the return to horror Derrickson fans have been waiting for, or do we end up wishing he’d stuck to the Strange sequel? Tune in to hear our full review and spoiler-filled analysis.



Special Guests







Matt Donato



RT-approved Los Angeles-based film critic published on IGN, SlashFilm, Nerdist, Fangoria, Polygon, Bloody Disgusting, Collider, Atom Insider, Flickering Myth, Dread Central, and Fandom



Co-Founder of Certified Forgotten