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| “ | Would you like to see a magic trick? | „ |
| ~ The Grabber. |
| “ | You don't have to be scared. Because nothing bad is going to happen here. On that I give my word, Johnny. | „ |
| ~ The Grabber reassuring Finney after abducting him. |
| “ | Hang up the phone! Now! | „ |
| ~ The Grabber ordering Finney to hang up the phone. |
The Grabber, real name Albert Shaw in the short story and nicknamed Wild Bill Hickok in the film, is the main antagonist of Universal Pictures' The Black Phone film duology, which is based on the 2004 short story of the same name by Joe Hill.
In his characterization, The Grabber is a serial child abductor and killer who preyed on the boys of a Denver suburb. By the time of the film's events, The Grabber abducts Finney Blake, intending to keep him trapped in his basement for the rest of his life, before later changing his mind with wanting to torture and murder him instead; Finney ultimately escapes his clutches and kills him in the climax. Sometime after his death, he became a spirit and now seeks revenge on Finney for killing him. He is the arch-nemesis of Finney Blake.
He is portrayed by Ethan Hawke.
History[]
Past[]
Not much is known about the serial child murderer known as The Grabber. What is known is he lives with his drug addict brother in a Denver suburb and has a day job. For reasons unknown, The Grabber abducts young boys and imprisons them in his basement unbeknownst to his brother. He would eventually murder the boys and bury the bodies in a house across the street. He had murdered a total of 5 children, with Finney's friends Bruce and Robin being his latest victims. He seems to have the same abilities that Finney has by being able to hear the black phone too, even if he denies it, claiming it's just static electricity sparking the phone's exposed wiring.
The Black Phone (2022)[]
In 1978, The Grabber abducts Finney when he lured him into helping him after dropping his groceries. Trapping him in the basement, The Grabber, now wearing his black faced mask, informs Finney that he won't hurt him, that nothing bad will happen to him anymore and that the black phone on the wall doesn't work when Finney tried to use it (this is later debunked by the spirit boys who confirm that he actually can hear them). While trapped, Finney receives a call from Bruce who had no recollection of his life prior to his kidnapping and untimely end. He tells Finney that there was a floor tile that he tried to dig out before being stopped by The Grabber. Finney does as he is told and covers the hole with a rug.
Sometime later, The Grabber offers Finney food and tells him that he thinks of letting him go but asks him what his name was. Finney lies, saying his name is Tayler, The Grabber, who already knew his name and was simply testing him, immediately becomes infuriated and angrily drops the plate containing eggs and soda on the ground. He tosses a newspaper detailing Finney's disappearance. He then laments on how he was starting to like Finney and "almost let him go."
After that fails, Finney is stopped from going upstairs by another spirit child named Billy. Explaining that The Grabber deliberately leaves the door unlocked so he could beat the child in a game of "Naughty Boy", Billy has Finney find a cord that he tried to use to escape through the window. However, that too fails, only pulling down the metal grate that covered it.
Finney's sister Gwen has several visions in her dreams describing The Grabber's abductions until she learns the address to what she assumed was The Grabber's lair. She then dials the cops to investigate. Meanwhile, Finney receives another phone call, this time from Griffin, who explains that The Grabber took a lock from his bike and used it to lock the front door, but Griffin has written the code on the basement wall. He also senses that The Grabber was asleep. Finney takes advantage of this and sneaks upstairs. After unsuccessfully trying to undo the lock, Finney finally finds the combination and flees. Unfortunately, The Grabber's dog, Samson alerts his master and The Grabber gets in his van and sprints after the young boy. He grabs him and threatens to gut him and use his intestines to strangle the life out of him if he screams, before knocking him out.
Back in the basement, Finney gets a call from a punk named Vance. Learning about a hole in the wall, Finney grabs the toilet lid and breaks his way through the wall only to realize he was trapped behind a refrigerator. Distraught, Finney has a breakdown as the phone rings again. Picking it up, he learns his friend Robin was on the other side. He comforts him and urges him to fight back so his death would not be in vain, and teaches him how to fight, as they both have a heartfelt goodbye. Finney prepares his last chance to beat The Grabber and escape, he prepares the trap and takes the phone, ripping it from the cord and packs it with the dirt he had dug out earlier.
Max, The Grabber's brother, discovers Finney and tries to help him only to be quickly murdered by his own brother who then shifts the blame on Finney, when it clearly was The Grabber’s own choice. He comes at Finney with the axe, but Finney fights back. The Grabber trips on the wire Finney has found, stumbles into the hole that was previously covered, and breaks his ankle against the window grate. Now immobilized, Finney proceeds to hit The Grabber continuously in the neck and face with the phone. The Grabber manages to briefly get a hold of Finney, but quickly screams covers his face when Finney removes his mask. Finney continues to punt his captor in the face, before wrapping the cord around his neck and strangling him in a rage. The phone rings, Finney tells him it’s for him as the 5 spirits of the kids he murdered mock their tormentor through the phone, tormenting him and calling him pathetic, much to The Grabber's shock.
Realizing his peril, The Grabber attempts to escape Finney's grasp, but before his death, Finney let the Grabber hear his victims taunting him on the phone, and when they were done, Finney snapped The Grabber's neck and killed him instantly.
A month later, with the town now safe and the children's corpses laid to rest, Finney is greatly respected in school and is finally being unbothered by his bullies.
Black Phone 2 (2025)[]
| “ | Did you think our story was over, Finney? | „ |
| ~ The Grabber |
Four years after Finney killed the Grabber, in October 1982, Gwen begins having the same kinds of disturbing dreams she once had during the time of the murders. This time, her visions focus not only on the Grabber but also on a series of brutal killings that took place at a snowy campsite—Alpine Lake Camp, the same camp her late mother once attended. Gwen’s nightmares grow increasingly vivid and horrifying. She sees mutilated children trapped under frozen lakes, scratching letters into the ice from beneath, all forming WBH. In these dreams, she also hears the sound of the black phone ringing. When she answers, she’s stunned to hear the voice of her mother as a young woman on the other end. Years earlier, her mother had been haunted by the same visions of ice-bound children. Through these shared dreams, mother and daughter seem to connect across time and death.
Determined to understand the truth, Gwen convinces Finney and Robin's brother Ernesto, to travel to the camp. When they arrive, a heavy blizzard traps them there with only a few others: the camp supervisor Mondo, his niece Mustang, and two camp employees Barbara and Kenneth. The group begins investigating what Gwen and her mother’s visions might mean—and how they tie to the the camp and possibly the Grabber.
One night, Finney receives a call on the black phone—from the Grabber himself. Speaking from beyond the grave, the Grabber vows revenge, blaming Finney for forcing him to murder his own brother and for ending his life, and how he wants to kill Gwen to spite him. Moments later, Gwen is violently attacked in her dream and nearly burned alive before Finney, Ernesto, and Mustang manage to save her. The Grabber vanishes, promising he will return.
The shaken group gathers in the camp’s main hall, where Mondo and the others learn the truth about Finney’s past—that he was the boy who killed the Grabber. Mondo reveals he once knew three boys who were murdered at Alpine Lake decades earlier. As they dig deeper, they discover that Mondo, Gwen and Finney’s mother, and the man who became the Grabber had all known each other at the camp long ago, and that the Grabber's nickname was “Wild Bill Hicock”, the initials carved in the ice. Later, Mondo is confronted by the spirit of the Grabber, who becomes infuriated when he’s called by his other name, threatening Mando before disappearing.
That night, Gwen is again pulled into a dream where she faces the Grabber. He doesn’t murder her immediately— and instead wants to show her something. In the vision, Gwen finds herself watching her mother sleeping peacefully at home, only for her to suddenly awaken and realize the Grabber has taken another victim. Gwen’s mother tries to investigate but is ambushed and kidnapped by the young Grabber. Gwen enters the Grabber's van, where he calmly talks to her about her mother, revealing that he knew her personally. He tells Gwen that once the dream ends, he’ll murder her. When they arrive at the house, Gwen is horrified to see her mother’s dead body hanging in the garage. The Grabber reveals that he murdered her and staged it to look like suicide and prepares to kill Gwen in the dream, wondering to see if she'll wake up or just die.
Still trapped in the dream, Gwen is chased by the Grabber through their old home. He attacks her with an axe, cutting her and causing her to bleed in both the dream and reality. Ernesto, sensing something is wrong, wakes up and alerts Finney and Mustang. Gwen barely escapes after being rescued by a ghostly boy. She finds herself at the frozen lake, where Mondo is searching for the boys’ bodies, discovering one and cutting him out of the ice. She enters the black phone booth, only to realize it’s a trap. The Grabber appears and tries to drown Mondo, but he fights back and survives.
The Grabber then strangles and stabs Gwen, spinning her around as she loses blood. Hearing Finney’s voice in her mind, reminding her that she’s in a dream, Gwen gathers strength. The phone booth explodes, injuring the Grabber. Gwen warns the Grabber that she'll be back for him before waking up and warning the others of what happened to Mondo.
Terence soon arrives, telling everyone they must leave because of the worsening storm. Gwen, however, confronts her father over his cowardice and Finney for his substance abuse to cope with his trauma. Finney breaks down, admitting that he’s lived in constant fear of the Grabber and can’t stop thinking about him. Gwen then tells Finney and their Father the truth—that the Grabber killed their mother, not suicide as he believed. At first, their Father refuses to accept it, until Gwen repeats the exact words he said when he found her body, convincing him it’s true.
The next day the group returns to the frozen lake to recover the three missing boys, making more progress with Terence''s snow plough. As they search, Gwen falls asleep again and is attacked by the Grabber one final time. He lashes out violently at Gwen, Finney, and the counselors. During the struggle, Gwen locates the boys’ bodies beneath the ice and frees them, which breaks the Grabber’s hold and strips him of his powers. The Grabber lunges at Gwen, but the three murdered boys’ spirits rise from the lake, grabbing his legs and holding him down, Giving Gwen the opportunity to remove his mask again, making him vunerable in his frantic attempt to get it back. Finney finds the Grabber’s spectral body nearby, and smashes his decayed face repeatedly against the ice until it’s broken and bloody. Gwen then takes an axe and cuts off his leg. The boys drag the Grabber’s body beneath the frozen water, with the grabber managing to take his mask back as he's pulled away. The grabber sinks into the lake, trapping him in the ice and sending him back to hell.
Personality[]
The Grabber is a cruel and sadistic serial killer who appeared to obtain greater enjoyment in the psychological torment of his victims. This can be seen in the ways he subjects them to a myriad of sadistic games after abducting and imprisoning his victims in his basement. He was also shown to be wrathful as well as fixated on wearing his masks whenever he engaged in his acts, which is demonstrated during his drastic loss of composure upon Finney removing his mask.
Despite his malice, he appeared to care about his brother - though this is overshadowed by him eventually murdering his sibling out of self-preservation while blaming Finney for the act. He also cared about his dog, though largely as a tool to intimidate and hurt the boys caught in his sadistic games.
During the second film however, The Grabber states he has quite literally been to hell and back. He tells Gwen that Hell takes the humanity out of you and leaves only your absolute worst parts. The Grabber, now a cold, unfeeling spirit hellbent on revenge and killing, embraces his new form.
Quotes[]
| “ | My fucking arm. I should snap your neck for what you did to my arm. | „ |
| ~ The Grabber threatening to snap Finney's neck after cutting his arm |
| “ | I know you're scared. But I'm not gonna hurt you anymore. What I said about snapping your neck… I was angry is all. | „ |
| ~ The Grabber reassuring Finney that he was only angry when he threatened to snap Finney's neck |
| “ | I was really starting to like you ... Finney! I almost let you go. | „ |
| ~ The Grabber to Finney |
| “ | You say one fucking word… and I will gut you like a pig right here in the street. And strangle you with your own intestines. | „ |
| ~ The Grabber threatening to gut Finney and strangle him with his own intestines if he screams |
| “ | Nighty night, naughty boy. | „ |
| ~ The Grabber before knocking Finney out |
| “ | Look what you made me do. You made me kill my brother. He was an idiot. But he was my idiot. | „ |
| ~ The Grabber after murdering his brother |
| “ | What's up with the phone, huh? I told you it doesn't work! Normally, I would use a knife. But you are special, Finney. | „ |
| ~ The Grabber to Finney |
| “ | You of all people know that "dead" is just a word. | „ |
| ~ The Grabber |
| “ | Hello, Finney. Did you think that our story was over? | „ |
| ~ The Grabber encountering Finney again |
| “ | It took me a long time to find you. | „ |
| ~ The Grabber to Finney |
| “ | Hell is different than you think. | „ |
| ~ The Grabber |
| “ | Nothing burns like the cold. | „ |
| ~ The Grabber |
| “ | Hell is not flames. It's ice. | „ |
| ~ The Grabber |
| “ | You know fear is just the beginning. | „ |
| ~ The Grabber to Finney |
| “ | What do you think happens when you die in this realm? It's time to find out. | „ |
| ~ The Grabber to Gwen |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- While The Grabber’s name isn't mentioned at any point during the movies, we learn his nickname at Alpine Lake was Wild Bill Hickok (due to his long hair), leading to him being called "Bill" by the characters during the second movie. In the original short story by Joe Hill, The Grabber call himself Al.
- The Black Phone came out on the same year as Ethan Hawke’s other villain role in the TV series Moon Knight.
- The Grabber's appearance in the movie is very different from the novel one, becoming a tall, pale, masked man in the movie instead of a fat, grotesque, bald man clearly inspired by John Wayne Gacy.
- While The Grabber's motivation is never revealed, it was theorized by the creators that his mental instability and the game of "Naughty Boy" come from childhood abuse of his father making him play the same game and that The Grabber is trying to re-live these memories in a routine-type way to invoke nostalgia. Some evidence to support this theory is:
- The Grabber claims that the phone hasn't worked since he was a boy, possibly relating to his childhood trauma and trying to re-live that experience.
- While the film takes place in the 1970s, The Grabber performs a 40s-esc magic routine which is possibly another way to re-live the experience.
- The Grabber's brother, Max, is a drug addict. It is likely that Max also suffered the same abuse and this is his way of coping compared to his brother's way.
- The Grabber appears to have a psychological urge to keep his mask on when doing his "ritual", as when Finney ripped it off of him before killing him, The Grabber began screaming and trying to cover his face, even when he was being hit in the chest with the phone, showing that he cared much more about keeping his mask on than protecting his own life. However, in the act of abducting the kids and his other day-to-day activities, he is fine with his face being uncovered.
- His masks were co-created by notable special effects artist, Tom Savini.
- He is slightly more evil in the book, since he sprayed Finney with wasp poison instead of just dragging him into his van, and even refused to give him food.
