The Black Phone is a horror film by director Scott Derrickson and Blumhouse Productions. Based on the short story of the same тιтle by author Joe Hill (Stephen King’s son), The Black Phone is set in a small, suburban Colorado town in 1978. The serial killer known as “The Grabber” has already claimed the lives of five victims. When 13-year-old Finney Shaw awakes in a soundproof basement after being abducted, he quickly realizes he could become victim number six.

Shaw’s only chance of escape is the тιтular black rotary phone on the wall. Through it, the voices of The Grabber’s previous victims help young Finney escape the terrible fate that befell them all. The cast of the adaptation of Joe Hill’s short story The Black Phone ranges from established veterans to film to young newcomers. The cast is heavily led by its young talent, as the young victims of The Grabber work in tandem to coach Finney through their own previous escape attempts.

Ethan Hawke As The Grabber

Birthdate: November 6, 1970

Character: Ethan Hawke plays The Grabber in The Black Phone cast, a serial killer and amateur magician who is preying on a Colorado suburb. After abducting his victims through the lure of black balloons and a harmless demeanor, The Grabber isolates them in his basement, mocking them into attempted escapes before slaying them. The Grabber is disguised by a horrifying, clown-like mask that shifts to match his emotions.

Actor: Ethan Hawke is a well-established veteran of the acting world, getting his start in 1985 before moving on to his breakout role in the 1989 drama movie ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Poets Society. In 2001, he had another huge breakout role when he teamed with Denzel Washington in the cop thriller Training Day, where he received his first Oscar nomination. He received another nomination in 2014 for Boyhood. Hawks has also starred in Reality Bites, the Before trilogy, The Northman, and as the MCU character Arthur Harrow in Moon Knight.

Mason Thames As Finney Shaw

Birthdate: July 10, 2007

Character: Finney Shaw is an average 13-year-old in the cast of The Black Phone. Though he may be a tad on the shy side, Finney is a clever boy — something that will serve him well in the trials he’s about to face. When Finney finds himself as the potential sixth victim of The Grabber, he must rely on the coaching of his predecessors in order to find the strength to stand up to his captor.

Actor: Mason Thames plays Finney Shaw. Thames made his feature-film debut with The Black Phone. He has also appeared on television series such as the CW’s Walker as a young Walker (Jared Padalecki as an adult) and in Apple TV+’s NASA show, For All Mankind, as Daniel Stevens. Since The Black Phone, Thames has appeared in Incoming and Monster Summer, and in 2025, he takes on the role of Hiccup in the live-action How to Train Your Dragon and will return in The Black Phone 2.

Madeleine McGraw As Gwen Shaw

Birthdate: December 22, 2008

Character: Madeleine McGraw plays Finney Shaw’s sister, Gwen, a young girl who uses psychic abilities inherited from her mother to try and find her brother. Gwen actually dreams of the Grabber abducting Bruce, a little boy that Finney knew from before. This puts her in line for the police to interview, believing she might somehow know about the killer. However, what she does is add some supernatural aspects to the already chilling horror abduction movie.

Actor: Madeleine McGraw was only 14 when The Black Phone was released. She made her debut as a child actress in the war movie American Sniper and then picked up a recurring role in the horror series Outcast. She also had several roles where she played younger versions of major stars, including in Ant-Man and the Wasp, Pacific Rim Uprising, and The Mitchells vs. The Machines. After The Black Phone, she appeared in the series Secrets of Sulphur Springs and she will return for The Black Phone 2.

Jeremey Davies As Terrence Shaw

Birthdate: October 8, 1969

Character: Jeremy Davies plays Finney and Gwen’s abusive, alcoholic father, Terrence Shaw. However, he also has a tragic backstory himself, as his wife and his children’s mother died by suicide after she experienced several psychic dreams (a talent she pᴀssed on to their daughter). This led to him sinking more into his addictions and becoming mostly abusive to his children.

Actor: Jeremy Davies has been acting for decades, starting out in soap operas and smaller appearances in Primetime TV shows before he enjoyed his breakout role in David O. Russell’s indie film debut, Spanking the Monkey. This led to his biggest role when Steven Spielberg signed him to play a role in Saving Private Ryan as Corporal Upham. Since that time, he has taken on roles in movies like Secretary and Twister and TV shows like Hannibal, Justified, and Lost.

The Black Phone Supporting Cast & Characters

E. Roger Mitchell As Detective Wright – E. Roger Mitchell stars as Detective Wright, a detective on the case to find The Grabber. Mitchell has previously appeared in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and The Equalizer. He also had roles in TV shows like The Shield, One Tree Hill, and The Walking ᴅᴇᴀᴅ.

James Ransone As Max – James Ransone stars as Max, The Grabber’s brother. He is an eccentric man in the area who actually tries to save the children from his brother when he realizes what is going on. Ransone is known for his roles in IT Chapter Two as Eddie Kasbrak and in the Sinister franchise as the Deputy. He also appeared in The Wire as Ziggy Sobotka.

Banks Repeta As Griffin Stagg – Young Banks Repeta stars as one of the previous Grabber victims whose spirit returns to help out Finney when he is abducted. Repeta previously appeared in The Devil All the Time as Arvin and in the Stephen King adaptation The Outsider as Sam Davidson. He also appeared in Lovecraft Country and Armageddon Time and had a recurring role in Welcome to Flatch.

Tristan Pravong As Bruce – Tristan Pravong plays Bruce, another previous Grabber victim. Pravong is making his feature film debut in The Black Phone cast. Since that time, he has only appeared in Forever and a Day​​​​​​.

Miguel Cazarez Mora As Robin Arellano – Miguel Cazarez Mora stars as Robin Arellano, another previous Grabber victim. Cazarez Mora also made his film debut in this movie. He has since gone on to appear in one episode of So Help Me Todd and is set to return for The Black Phone 2.

Brady Hepner As Vance – Brady Hepner stars as Vance, a fourth previous Grabber victim. Hepner previously appeared in one episode of Chicago Fire. After The Black Phone, Hepner got roles in Resisting Roots, See/Saw, The Holdovers, and FBI: International.

The Black Phone 2 Returns Cast Members

The Black Phone 2 arrives in 2025, and somehow, Ethan Hawke returns as The Grabber. It seemed almost ᴀssured that Finney killed The Grabber in the first movie. Even if he didn’t, the police would have found the body in the basement and arrested him if he was still alive. However, one way or another, The Grabber is coming back. Since the film had supernatural elements with the ghostly children and the psychic sister, there is also a chance The Grabber could come back as a more ghostly killer.

On top of that, Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw are returning as Finney and Gwen, while Jeremy Davies is back as their dad, Terrence. One of the ghostly kids (Miguel Cazarez Mora as Robin Arellano) is also listed in the cast. The biggest addition to the cast is Demián Bichir, an actor previously nominated for an Oscar for the movie A Better Life. However, the role he is playing remains a mystery. Director Scott Derrickson also said The Black Phone 2 is a high school coming-of-age film.