Ethan Hawke debuted his shocking new transformation in the trailer for his upcoming film Black Phone 2, in which he plays the sinister villain The Grabber.
The veteran actor, who originated the role in the first film in 2021, looked so different as The Grabber and left fans equally frightened and excited for the sequel’s October release date.
Vicious villain
The first film follows a 13-year-old boy named Finney who is abducted by a sadistic killer, known as The Grabber, and locked in a soundproof basement.
When a disconnected phone on the wall mysteriously begins to ring, Finney hears the voices of the killer’s past victims, who help him fight for his survival.
The sequel is set four years after the events of the first film and will follow Finney and his sister as they try to defeat The Grabber from beyond the grave.
Ethan’s character wears a sinister horned mask throughout the film, with horrific facial decomposition underneath thanks to his deceased status.
Fans of the original film couldn’t have been more excited for Black Phone 2 and shared their thoughts in the comment section.
“A winter setting, small-town vibe, paranormal murders… I’m sold man. Need more of this,” one fan wrote, while another added, “This feels like a mix of Sinister and Nightmare on Elm Street, and I’m HERE for it!!”
Scary sequel
© Getty ImagesThe director and co-writer of the films, Scott Derrickson, spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about how the two flicks differ from each other thanks to a four-year time jump. “The first movie was a ghost movie but all the ghosts were victims, which is typical, a ghost story,” he told the outlet. “But in this one, you’ve got a ghost that is a villain.”
“It is certainly more violent, scarier, more graphic. And part of that is because of the age of the kids.” The synopsis for the film details how 17-year-old Finn and his younger sister Gwen begin to be tormented by The Grabber again, only this time through her dreams.
“Gwen begins receiving calls in her dreams from the black phone and seeing disturbing visions of three boys being stalked at a winter camp known as Alpine Lake,” it read. “Determined to solve the mystery and end the torment for both her and her brother, Gwen persuades Finn to visit the camp during a winter storm.”
Becoming The Grabber
© Corbis via Getty ImagesEthan opened up about taking on the role of the villain for the first time, and how he was initially hesitant to transform into The Grabber.
“I remember when Scott [Derrickson] first sent me the script, I warned him before he sent it,” the 54-year-old recalled to The AU Review.
“I said ‘I’m dying to work with you again. But it’s very unlikely that I will do this movie because I, for years, have had this theory about Jack Nicholson, his whole career changed when he played The Shining. And that, you know, once you unveil your madness, your evil side for the world, they can’t unsee it.'”
© UniversalHe continued: “I’ve always been sensitive towards doing that. But then I read it. And I felt it was so much fun. The script was so good.”
“I thought to myself, well, you know what? I’m 50 years old…it’s time to change the map and start embracing my inner Grabber. And I’m glad I did. You know, the mask work part of it was really fun. And it also felt in service to something about the story that I just love the idea of a horror movie coming of age drama, combined worked for me.”
To see more of Ethan’s incredible work, watch below…
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