Based on the eponymous 2004 short story by Joe Hill, 2021’s *The Black Phone* marked director Scott Derrickson’s return to his genre roots following his **Doctor Strange** stint. It became one of the biggest hits of 2020s horror cinema.
The story follows suburban kids Finney (Mason Thames) and Gwen Blake (Madeleine McGraw), whose lives are irrevocably transformed by a masked, child-abducting serial killer known as the Grabber (Ethan Hawke). Soon after Gwen starts having psychic dreams about the Grabber, Finney is kidnapped by him, and his only hope for survival may be a disconnected rotary dial phone that allows him to communicate with the Grabber’s previous victims.
Financially and critically successful, *The Black Phone* prompted a recently released sequel that’s already blowing everyone away at the box office. If you’re among the many fans of Derrickson’s chilling vintage horror concoction, here are 12 other great movies you should watch next.
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### Split (2016)
*Split* stars James McAvoy as a man with dissociative identity disorder who abducts teenage girls Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy), Claire (Haley Lu Richardson), and Marcia (Jessica Sula), imprisoning them in a basement. Caught in a claustrophobic setting at the mercy of an unstable and unpredictable individual, the girls scramble to survive and break free while their captor’s 23 different personalities wrestle for control inside him.
A looming threat intensifies the tension: the man’s 24th personality lies dormant somewhere in his mind, threatening to emerge as the most violent and deranged personality of all. A critical and commercial success, *Split* saw writer-director M. Night Shyamalan find his way back into audiences’ good graces after years of mixed reception.
Although far from an accurate portrayal of mental illness, *Split* is a gripping, handsomely directed isolation thriller that occasionally delivers deep, effective horror. James McAvoy gives an incredible performance, communicating both menace and vulnerable humanity. Anya Taylor-Joy shines in a breakthrough role as well.
Like *The Black Phone*, it’s a great, unconventional showcase for its typically more restrained lead actors. Both films excavate deep reserves of horror from a taut survival struggle.
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### It (2017) & It Chapter Two (2019)
Andy Muschietti’s 2017 adaptation of *It* blasts Stephen King’s novel’s innocence-shattering tragedy into a blockbuster thrill ride while honoring the suffocating, existential terror at its core. Bill Skarsgård stars as Pennywise, the malevolent, shapeshifting entity terrorizing a group of Derry kids one year after he murders seven-year-old Georgie Denbrough.
The ensemble cast, including Jaeden Martell, Sophia Lillis, and Finn Wolfhard, perfectly captures the horror and despair of their characters’ situation. The film became the highest-grossing horror movie of all time, beating the iconic 1990 miniseries.
*It* excels as an adaptation of King’s themes, its earthy atmosphere, and signature barn-burning moments. Its late-Cold-War-era evocation of overwhelming fear and survival among small-town kids shares much in common with *The Black Phone* — as does its 2019 sequel, which, though less rounded, remains essential viewing for fans.
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### Sinister (2012)
Before *The Black Phone*, Scott Derrickson established himself as a horror A-lister with *The Exorcism of Emily Rose* and *Sinister*. Of the two, *Sinister* is a particularly noteworthy aesthetic precursor.
A gem from found-footage horror’s heyday, *Sinister* features Ethan Hawke as Ellison Oswalt, a struggling true-crime writer who discovers a box of Super 8 snuff films in his attic. Each depicts a grisly family murder, and Ellison becomes obsessed with the sprawling mystery and impending horrors invading his family life.
Derrickson cleverly plays with audience morbid curiosity, using the films within the film as bursts of context-free horror shorts. *Sinister* remains an unrelenting parade of scares, dubbed one of the scariest movies ever made. Its mood-setting laid the groundwork for *The Black Phone*.
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### Barbarian (2022)
The feature directorial debut of Zach Cregger, *Barbarian* is one of the standout indie horror successes of the 2020s. The film centers on Tess (Georgina Campbell), who arrives in Detroit for a job interview and finds her Airbnb double-booked.
She decides to spend the night despite the presence of the other occupant, Keith (Bill Skarsgård). What begins as a tentative trust quickly descends into a twisted nightmare as the house’s secrets slowly surface.
Going into *Barbarian* knowing as little as possible is best. It’s one of the most original, unpredictable, and exhilarating American horror films in years, characterized by crisp formal direction, intrigue-favoring tone, foreboding set design, and a detailed inner mythology.
Like *The Black Phone*, it exemplifies horror’s current era, blending elegance with unbridled fun and nerve-racking technique.
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### Oculus (2013)
American director Mike Flanagan has become a leading voice in neoclassical horror. His works use vintage scaremongering techniques — creepy houses, careful editing, established visual geography — but place them within deeply emotional, character-driven storytelling.
*Oculus* was Flanagan’s breakthrough studio horror film before his Netflix success. It unfolds across two timelines: in 2002, a family moves into a haunted house cursed by a mirror, and in 2013, siblings Tim Russell (Brenton Thwaites) and Kaylie (Karen Gillan) confront their haunted past.
Like *The Black Phone*, *Oculus* is taut, stylish, and deeply affecting, expertly using old-school horror tactics to amplify suspense.
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### The Strangers (2008)
Bryan Bertino’s *The Strangers* remains one of the purest and most nerve-racking horror films of the 21st century. The premise is simple yet genius: a couple (Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman) staying in a remote vacation home are terrorized by three masked strangers with inscrutable motives.
Based on a true story, the film is a tight 86-minute exercise in escalating terror, culminating in a brutal finale. The masked intruders wear stark, simple disguises—a white bag with eye holes and common doll masks—that amplify their eerie anonymity.
Bertino’s minimalist approach to pacing, mood, and home design yields a survival horror experience bursting with tension, akin to *The Black Phone*. Fans of Derrickson’s balance of momentary scares with overarching dread should not miss *The Strangers*.
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### Longlegs (2024)
Set in the 1970s like *The Black Phone*, Osgood Perkins’ *Longlegs* is a crime procedural chiller evoking classics like *The Silence of the Lambs*. The film polarized audiences but earned praise for tone and atmosphere, becoming one of the most atmospheric horror films in recent memory.
Maika Monroe stars as rookie FBI agent Lee Harker, investigating a series of murder-suicides marked by Satanic letters signed “Longlegs.” As supernatural forces emerge, Nicolas Cage’s chilling villain echoes Ethan Hawke’s sinister presence in *The Black Phone*.
Both films explore violence and senseless evil lurking beneath suburban idylls, with *Longlegs* making those themes especially literal. Cage’s scandalously wicked performance is a highlight.
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### 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, *10 Cloverfield Lane* reimagines the *Cloverfield* universe with a suspenseful standalone story. After a car accident, Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) wakes up chained in a bunker with Howard (John Goodman), who claims to have saved her from an alien attack.
As Michelle recovers and tries to escape, her tense interactions with Howard and fellow captive Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.) become fraught with dread and uncertainty.
While not outright horror, *10 Cloverfield Lane* thrives on claustrophobic suspense, making it a natural companion to *The Black Phone*. Trachtenberg’s precise direction and strong central performances, especially Goodman’s, elevate the thriller.
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### Cobweb (2023)
*Cobweb* is an underrated 2023 horror film that shares *The Black Phone*’s elegant style and child-centered perspective. Eight-year-old Peter (Woody Norman) begins hearing mysterious tapping and voices from a wall, but his overprotective parents (Lizzy Caplan and Anthony Starr) dismiss his concerns.
As Peter’s behavior becomes erratic, suspicion grows that his family is hiding something terrible. The film mines a terrifying concept: discovering, as a child, that your parents may not be trustworthy.
While not groundbreaking, *Cobweb* is emotionally persuasive with a screenplay full of curveballs and a gloomy, orange-tinged palette perfect for Halloween viewing. It fits well within the canon of child-centric horror about lost innocence, resonant with *The Black Phone*.
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### Insidious (2010)
James Wan’s *Insidious* launched a massive cultural phenomenon with its haunting story of a family struggling to save their son (Ty Simpkins), who has fallen into a mysterious coma and is trapped in a supernatural realm.
Paranormal investigator Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) must rescue him from malevolent spirits. Combining themes of endangered children and supernatural abilities, *Insidious* echoes *The Black Phone*’s family-focused horror.
While slightly different in family dynamics, it belongs to the same tradition of horror exploring deep familial anxieties. *Insidious* remains a masterclass in building paranormal dread with great filmmaking aplomb.
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### The Ring (2002)
A spiritual predecessor to *The Black Phone*’s thematic focus on phones as a source of terror, *The Ring* is an iconic supernatural horror film adapted from a 1998 Japanese original.
The story revolves around a cursed VHS tape showing a cryptic ring and disturbing footage, followed by a chilling phone call that warns victims they have seven days to live unless they pass the curse on.
Naomi Watts stars as journalist Rachel Keller, whose investigation turns into a folklore-like dread-filled quest. Directed by Gore Verbinski, *The Ring* perfectly blends mystery with pure, unsettling terror, setting the blueprint for 21st-century supernatural horror.
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### Us (2019)
Jordan Peele’s sophomore directorial effort *Us* is a densely imaginative, terrifying, and ambitious horror film. Beginning with a childhood trauma at a house of mirrors, the story fast-forwards to a family vacation terrorized by their doppelgängers.
*Us* teems with mythology, subtle details, and intriguing political subtext. But above all, it’s a tense, spine-tingling, morbidly compelling thriller filled with some of contemporary horror’s most indelible images.
Peele’s focus on family dynamics, survival, and drama makes *Us* a great companion piece for fans of *The Black Phone*. Lupita Nyong’o’s performance as an intimidating villain stands out alongside Ethan Hawke, James McAvoy, Nicolas Cage, and John Goodman in delivering unforgettable horror antagonists.
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If you loved *The Black Phone*, these films offer a rich variety of suspense, horror, and emotional storytelling that capture the essence of modern and vintage genre thrills. Happy watching!
https://www.looper.com/2007882/best-movies-like-the-black-phone/
