For those who are into suspenseful movies, Ethan Hawke might surely be one of your favorite actors. With his outings including The Black Phone, in which he plays The Grabber, Sinister, and Predestination, the star has managed to have jaws drop in the movie theatres with his masterful suspense outings.
Directed by Scott Derrickson, best known for his Marvel Cinematic Universe film, Doctor Strange, and penned by C. Robert Cargill, The Black Phone felt like a fever dream. Interestingly, this is not the only entry on which Cargill and Hawke have worked together; besides The Black Phone, they were seen sharing credits on the 2012 entry, Sinister, as well.
To prepare you for The Black Phone 2, an intangible horror, we have come forth with a list of outings spanning across generations and coming from the imagination of some of the best directors in the Hollywood film industry, including M. Night Shyamalan (The Last Airbender).
Prisoners (2013)
Unlike The Black Phone, Prisoners does have a supernatural element lurking in the background. But what drags the two entries into the same category are the eerily yet beautifully described abductions. Prisoners revolves around two families who are desperately looking for their lost girls.
The movie tears through a single plot and has you intrigued with several subplots, constantly making you grab hold of reality. In case you are a big fan of slow-burning thrillers, this outing by Denis Villeneuve (Dune) will make you feel several emotions at the same time.
The cast includes A-listers such as Paul Dano, Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, David Dastmalchian, Viola Davis, and more such fabulous names.
Prisoners is available to stream on Apple TV.
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
Gripping you with a claustrophobic environment, 10 Cloverfield Lane is the second entry in the Cloverfield franchise. The story mostly revolves around an attack that made the atmosphere toxic for the survival of the human race and a safe bunker. Avoiding contact with the outside world, John Goodman, also known for The Conners, plays Howard, who helps Michelle, played by Mary Elizabeth-Winstead, escape after a car crash.
The buildup soon tends to make the entry an intense psychological thriller, as Michelle mostly spends her time in an underground survival bunker. However, as she soon senses hostility coming from Howard, also noticing a change in his behavior, the character is pushed to take chances with the outside world.
10 Cloverfield Lane is available to stream on Apple TV.
Sinister (2012)
While we are talking about the legendary actor Hawke, Sinister has to be on the list. This movie will have you creeped out by blood, gore, and all those things that will help you with sleepless nights. Coming from another collaboration between Hawke and Derrickson, the story revolves around a serial killer with a legacy from the 1960s.
Hawke plays a controversial true-crime writer, Ellison Oswald. As his character is on the lookout for a series of gruesome events, he uncovers some murders that can be deemed as next to impossible. With unsettling imagery, gruesome murders, Sinister creeps even more horrifyingly into your sane senses than The Black Phone.
Sinister is available to watch on Apple TV.
Split (2016)
Split is again a part of a franchise that began with the classic entry Unbreakable. Directed by Shyamalan, Split stars James McAvaoy, alongside Anya Taylor-Joy. The name itself speaks loudly of its plot, where the Scottish actor plays multiple roles revolving around the main character Dennis.
Dennis, having split personality disorder, abducts a group of girls and is finally introduced to a pure soul, Taylor-Joy’s Casey Cooke. What makes the storyline even more interesting is that you will actually connect with the emotions felt by Dennis in this antagonist-driven outing.
Split is the second entry in the Unbreakable trilogy. Beginning in 2000, the trilogy was concluded in the 2019 film Glass. The aforementioned entry united the prowess of Samuel. L Jackson as Elijah, Bruce Willis as David Dunn (both from Unbreakable), and McAvoy.
Intriguingly, Shyamalan is widely appreciated for his suspenseful outings, including Signs, The Sixth Sense, Old, Trap, and more.
Split is available to stream on Netflix.
The Devil’s Backbone (2001)
This is a periodical horror talking about a young boy, Carlos, who loses his father in the Spanish Civil War. Now that he is left all alone in the cruel world, he lands in an orphanage. Set in 1939, Carlos soon discovers haunting secrets about the Republican arrangement for orphans.
As a newcomer, Carlos has to deal with the bullies, some eerie whispers, and ominous rumors about the visitors from the otherworld. While you are already immersed in the chilling tales in a wailing environment, in The Devil’s Backbone, a grave tale peeks right through the door about the institution’s unwilling administrator, Carmen.
What makes this supernatural horror story even more intriguing is that it is directed by one of the highly appreciated fantasy directors, Guillermo del Toro. Toro has also spread his magic through Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Shape of Water, and is about to welcome you in his world of wonders through Frankenstein, starring Oscar Isaac and others.
The Devil’s Backbone is available to stream on Apple TV.
A few honorable mentions that complete this list would be The Orphanage (2007), Kiss the Girls (1997), Seven, and The Usual Suspects, both released in 1995. In case you are looking forward to enjoying The Black Phone 2, Hawke had recently shared some changes he brought to his character of The Grabber.
Talking to USA Today, Hawke mentioned that he took inspiration from Robert Englund’s Freddy Krueger from the classic horror franchise A Nightmare on the Elm Street. The actor from the Before franchise stated to the outlet.
“I thought a lot about Robert Englund. It was hard not to. The body language is so inspiring, how to communicate character through body language.”
The Black Phone 2 is set to release on October 17, 2025, with Derrickson reprising his duties as a director for the thriller entry. Netflix’s Frankenstein, which also stars Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, and Christopher Waltz, will be released on November 7, 2025.
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The Black Phone is available to stream on Peacock.
