‘The Black Phone 2’: Discover the real story of the serial killers who inspired the film

by

Watch the trailer for ‘The Black Telephone 2’

Trailer for ‘The Black Phone 2’, showing in Brazil on October 16th. Credit: Universal Pictures/Disclosure

Sequel to the 2022 hit, The Black Phone 2 premiered in Brazilian cinemas last Thursday, 16th. The new supernatural horror of Scott Derricksonwho also directed the first film, brings Finney (Mason Thames) e Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) dealing with the return of The Taker (Ethan Hawke), who makes new victims at a camp.

Adaptation of the short story of the same name by Joe Hillson of Stephen King, The Black Phone may not be a true crimebut its main villain was created using elements from two of the serial killers most famous in pop culture.

In Hill’s original story, The Taker is not a thin, tall magician like Ethan Hawke’s character. The text, in fact, describes him as a fat clown, characteristics that immediately refer to John Wayne Gacy, serial killer who became known as the Killer Clown after it was discovered that he abused and killed 33 boys between 1972 and 1978.

Gacy hid his murderous identity behind his work as a clown, becoming known in some regions as a party entertainer. He was also well-liked among members of his community, which was located on the outskirts of Chicago. His neighbors knew him as a charitable and helpful man who, in the summers, threw popular themed parties.

Arrested in 1978, Gacy admitted his crimes, saying that he lured his victims to his home under the pretext of showing and teaching magic tricks that he displayed in his performances. Just like the serial killer In reality, The Taker used this same excuse to lure teenagers into his van.

See also  About the film Without Rest

Another well-known killer who inspired The Taker was Dean Corllbetter known as the Candy Man (‘candy man’, in free translation). Heir to a candy factory, he was known for giving free candy to children. He also joined the US army between 1964 and 1965, having been discharged after stating that his presence was essential for the family business.

Ethan Hawke returns as The Taker in ‘Black Telephone 2’ Photo: Universal Pictures/Disclosure

In 1973, he was arrested for the rape and murder of at least 29 boys, who were lured into traps by two other teenagers. Corll had similar methods to Taker with his victims, trapping them in a basement and torturing them until he decided to kill them by suffocation or shooting.

Change in adaptation

With the success of adaptations of IT: The Thingwhose main villain was the clown Pennywise, Hill himself suggested to Derrickson and his co-writer C. Robert Cargill that The Taker’s disguise was changed, fearing comparisons with King’s work.

In an interview given to LA Times in 2022, Cargill revealed that Hill suggested transforming The Taker into a magician like those who performed in the United States between the 1930s and 1940s, in which illusionists performed shows with two costumes — one human and one demon, creating a combative narrative in their performances. It was from this suggestion that the filmmakers decided to incorporate the demon mask into their film. serial killer fictitious.

Although they still conceived the script imagining a more robust villain, such as Gacy, Derrickson and Cargill changed their minds when Hawke joined the project. “Let’s just let Ethan be Ethan, because he will bring something totally new and separate (from Gacy) to the film,” the director also told LA Times.

Other inspirations in reality

Gacy and Corll were not the only real inspirations taken to adapting The Black Phone. Derrickson revealed, even at the time of the first film, that his childhood in Denver, in the US state of Colorado, had a direct influence on the construction of the neighborhood in which the film takes place.

See also  Martin Scorsese gets his close-up in Mr Scorsese

“I grew up in an area in north Denver that was very violent,” recalled the director in conversation with news.com.au. “A lot of bullying, a lot of fights, a lot of kids bleeding all the time. And this was also right after (the serial killer) Ted Bundy go through Colorado killing people.”

“When I was eight years old, my friend and neighbor came knocking on our door and said ‘someone killed my mother’,” he said. “And there was a lot of domestic violence, even in my house and in the homes of many of the children I knew. Parents punished their children very aggressively, so it was a very violent and scary place to grow up. I tried to bring that environment realistically into the film.”

Much of Derrickson’s life story ended up making its way into Finney’s plot. In addition to seeing acquaintances disappear and dealing with bullying, the boy also lives with an alcoholic father, who was routinely abusive to him and Gwen.

The foot actually helped to leave The Black Phone more realistic even with its supernatural elements and is largely responsible for the worldwide success of the original feature.

The Black Phone 2 is showing in cinemas across Brazil. The first film is available for streaming on Prime Video’s Universal channel and available for digital sale and rental on Prime Video stores, YouTube, Google Play and Apple TV.