Last Podcast On The Left: "Black Phone 2: An Interview with Scott Derrickson"

Podcast Network: The Last Podcast Network
Episode Date: October 6, 2025
Guest: Scott Derrickson (Director, Black Phone & Black Phone 2)
Summary by [Your Name]

Episode Overview

In this rich, irreverent, and insightful episode, the hosts of Last Podcast On The Left sit down with acclaimed director Scott Derrickson to discuss Black Phone 2, the art of horror filmmaking, the childhood traumas and neighborhood anxieties that fuel his storytelling, and the process behind creating a new horror icon. The conversation is a deep dive into horror craft, personal inspiration, practical filmmaking, and the unique challenges of sequels, all delivered in the show's trademark blend of humor and genuine curiosity.

Highlights & Key Discussion Points

Scott Derrickson’s Artistic Process & Horror Origins

• Creating Horror Icons

  • Derrickson reveals he didn't set out to create a horror icon in "The Grabber," the sinister masked villain (00:51):

  "You don't start off going, I'm gonna make a horror icon... you have to make a great movie and have some good design in it, and if you're lucky, it works."

• The Importance of the Mask

  • The mask’s design was a late, crucial addition that Derrickson obsessed over in pre-production (01:51).

  “If this mask isn't awesome, this movie will fail. The mask is what they're going to market with. Ethan’s wearing it in every scene.”

  • The split mask, reflecting emotions or removing the mouth, was inspired by classic TV:

  "No mouth grabber. It's like the kid in Twilight Zone: The Movie who takes his sister’s mouth away. That haunted me for my entire childhood." (03:30)

• Scaring Himself First

  • Derrickson describes his approach to horror as rooted in personal experience and his own fears (04:28):

  “I come at it from the perspective of trying to find something that scares me...if I find it frightening, I expect other people to find it frightening.”

  • He notes how even after hundreds of viewings in post-production, certain images "still feel so wrong” (04:53).

• Biographical Inspiration: Denver’s Dark Side

  • Black Phone’s aura of danger is deeply rooted in Derrickson’s 1970s-80s Denver neighborhood (05:40). Chain-link fences, gritty settings, and the specter of real-life crime fueled the film’s mood (06:14).
  • Real-life trauma informed his work, including a chilling childhood phone call with Manson family member Susan Atkins and knowledge of actual abduction-murders (07:07):

    “The feeling of like you’re gonna die from a strange killer was just everywhere when I was a kid.”

  • Stranger danger, neighborhood violence, and the true prevalence of child abduction shaped both films (09:08).

The Challenge and Care of Sequels

• Not Just Repeating the First Movie
  • Derrickson on the perils of horror sequels (10:22):

  "You can't just regurgitate the first movie... but the other mistake... is veering too far off... you have to strike the balance."

  • Jokingly referring to the “go to space” trope for horror sequels (10:54):

    "Space is where you go when you’ve run out of ideas—when you get desperate, go to space!"

• From Existing IP to Original Work
  • Derrickson reflects on his early work in the Hellraiser franchise versus creating something original (12:04).

    "With Hellraiser, honestly, I wasn’t a big fan of the franchise. I really loved Barker’s original film... It doesn’t feel like anything else.” (13:12)

  • Studio involvement increased with the success of the first Black Phone, but Derrickson credits Universal and Blumhouse for their collaborative approach to notes (16:03):

    "They never forced me to do anything... it just makes you sort of relax and be like, 'okay, let's talk them through.'"

The Personal Touch: Family, Violence, and Nostalgia

• Violence, Trauma, and Realism
  • The authenticity of fear and family trauma in his films stems from personal experience. Derrickson candidly discusses his own father (19:19):

    "No, my dad didn’t have a beard and he wasn’t an alcoholic, but he was violent. He was angry and he was violent."

  • He shares how his relationship changed over time and how this evolution inspired the nuanced portrayal of Terrance, the father in the movie (20:04).
  • The child characters and their dynamics are based on real people from Derrickson’s childhood (21:11):

    "All those kids in the first Black Phone... I can tell you who they actually were in middle school."

  • Detailed specificity drawn from real memory creates a universal emotional resonance (21:53):

    "The more specific you are using all those details, the more universal people connect to it."

Practical Filmmaking: The Power of Film vs. Digital

• How Dream Sequences Are Made

  • Derrickson breaks down his insistence on using real Super 8 and 16mm film for the new movie’s dream sequences, highlighting the irreplaceable texture and unpredictability of chemical film (22:34):

    "There is no filter. It’s impossible. When you’re talking about chemical reaction on film... it’s a different kind of image forming altogether."

  • The “messiness” of film is something he loves and sometimes incorporates “broken camera shots” for authenticity (25:22).

• Deliberate Throwbacks

  • The look of these sequences is meant to evoke the horror of the late 70s-early 80s (26:01):

    "The movie takes place in 1982... owes a lot to the summer camp slasher movies, especially of the late 70s and early 80s."

  • Major influence from Nightmare on Elm Street 3 (26:15).

Working with Actors: Kids and Ethan Hawke

• The Perils and Rewards of Aging Child Actors
  • Derrickson purposely waited so the young stars could enter high school, allowing for a "high school coming-of-age movie" (28:13).
  • Fan-favorite Miguel Mora returns as a new character—Robin’s younger brother—requiring a full audition to prove he could distinguish the roles (29:48):

    "I wrote it for him. But I told him... you're going to have to audition... he read with Madelyn McGraw... I was like, oh, he's got the job."

• The Magic of Ethan Hawke as The Grabber
  • Ethan Hawke is in the mask “the entire time” on set (31:20), deeply inhabiting the role and utilizing the mask as a tool:

    “He told me later... as soon as he saw the mask, he said, oh, this does so much of the work that I thought I was going to have to do." (32:02)

  • Hawke’s physicality and risk-taking:

    "He has no fear. If you give him six takes, he's going to give you six versions of that scene." (33:16)

  • Derrickson credits Hawke for making The Grabber feel like a “shitty, douchebag” serial killer—reflecting the podcast’s running theme of de-glamorizing real-life criminals (34:24):

    "Serial killers are douchebags... There's nothing cool about any of them. They're absolutely terrible, weak, obnoxious people." (35:07)

  • On directing Hawke:

    "A good director hires really good actors and then mostly stays out of their way." (35:44)

Art, Ambition, and What Drives an Artist

• Ethan Hawke’s Philosophy on ‘High’ and ‘Low’ Art
  • Hawke and Derrickson share an approach that values creativity over snobbery (37:38):

    "Neither one of us really believe in the separation of high art and low art. Creativity is creativity. Good art is good art.”

• Pursuing White Whales
  • On ‘the one movie he’d die to make,’ Derrickson mentions a big-budget adaptation of Paradise Lost—his “white whale” (40:58).
  • Rather than plotting out a career years in advance, Derrickson focuses on one film at a time, making each as if it might be his last (42:52):

    "Whatever it is, I’m gonna make it as though it’s the last movie I’ll ever get to make, because one day it will be.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “If this mask isn't awesome, this movie will fail.” — Scott Derrickson (01:51)
• “No mouth Grabber is kind of my favorite Grabber.” — Interviewer (03:24)
• “If it scares me...I expect other people to find it frightening.” — Scott Derrickson (04:32)
• “The feeling of like you’re gonna die from a strange killer was just everywhere when I was a kid.” — Scott Derrickson (08:11)
• “Space is where you go when you’ve run out of ideas... go to space!” — Scott Derrickson (10:58)
• “They never forced me to do anything... if you don’t want to do them, don’t do them.” — Scott Derrickson on Universal/Blumhouse notes (16:13)
• “All those kids in the first Black Phone...I can tell you who they actually were in middle school.” — Scott Derrickson (21:11)
• “There is no filter. It’s impossible.” — Scott Derrickson on analog film vs. digital filters (24:15)
• “He told me... as soon as he saw the mask... ‘oh, this does so much of the work.’” — Scott Derrickson on Ethan Hawke as the Grabber (32:02)
• “Serial killers are douchebags. They're not cool. There's nothing cool about any of them.” — Scott Derrickson (35:07)
• “A good director hires really good actors and then mostly stays out of their way.” — Scott Derrickson (35:44)
• “Neither one of us really believe in the separation of high art and low art. Creativity is creativity. Good art is good art.” — Scott Derrickson on his and Ethan Hawke’s philosophy (37:38)
• “Whatever it is, I’m gonna make it as though it’s the last movie I’ll ever get to make, because one day it will be.” — Scott Derrickson (43:00)

Episode Flow & Segment Timestamps

| Time | Segment/Discussion Topic | |---------|-----------------------------------------------------------| | 00:02 | Introduction, banter, and Derrickson’s career overview | | 01:23 | Crafting the Grabber as a horror villain | | 02:57 | Mask design and emotional storytelling | | 04:08 | Derrickson’s process: personal fears & childhood horrors | | 05:40 | Real-life crime, Denver in the '70s-80s | | 07:02 | Notorious criminals and local trauma as inspiration | | 09:01 | Stranger danger, ‘80s abduction panic | | 10:22 | On sequels, avoiding cliches, balancing creativity | | 12:04 | Horror franchises, directing Hellraiser: Inferno | | 16:03 | Sequel studio notes and creative autonomy | | 18:20 | The violence, parental trauma, and autobiographical depth | | 22:24 | Filmmaking: practical dream sequences & analog film | | 26:01 | Visual nods to ‘70s/’80s horror & setting the mood | | 28:13 | Working with child actors; returning cast and auditioning | | 31:08 | Ethan Hawke’s process, the mask, and performance choices | | 34:24 | Reframing serial killers in horror and real life | | 36:53 | Ethan Hawke’s artistic growth and work ethic | | 40:58 | Derrickson's dream project: Paradise Lost | | 42:52 | Derrickson on artistic motivation & legacy | | 44:38 | Black Phone 2 release info and wrap-up |

Tone and Takeaways

This episode balances dark humor, personal reflection, and horror-fan enthusiasm. Derrickson and the hosts are candid about the cultural and personal context that shaped the Black Phone films—making this a must-listen for horror fans and aspiring filmmakers alike. Derrickson’s openness about drawing on real trauma, his affection for practical filmmaking, and his mentorship of young actors highlight the authenticity behind his acclaimed work.

Final Note:
Black Phone 2 comes to theaters October 17, promising more of the intense, original horror Derrickson and his cast are known for.

Recommended For:

• Fans of horror movies and filmmaking
• Listeners interested in true crime cultural history
• Anyone curious about how personal experience informs art
• Those who love Ethan Hawke and practical horror effects

End of Summary