"The Black Phone" is a short horror story written by American author Joe Hill. It was first published in 2004 in the United Kingdom as part of the limited-edition anthology "20th Century Ghosts," released by PS Publishing. The collection marked Hill's debut book-length publication and later received a wider release in the United States in 2007 through HarperCollins.
The story centers on a young boy named Finney who is abducted by a serial killer known as the Grabber. Trapped in a soundproofed basement, Finney discovers a disconnected black rotary telephone mounted on the wall. Though the phone appears to be non-functional, it begins to ring, and Finney hears the voices of the Grabber's previous victims on the other end. These ghostly voices offer him guidance and clues on how to escape his captor before he becomes the next victim.
"The Black Phone" is notable for its blend of supernatural horror and psychological terror, exploring themes of isolation, resilience, and the thin boundary between the living and the dead. The story received critical acclaim and contributed to the collection winning the Bram Stoker Award for Best Fiction Collection and the British Fantasy Award for Best Collection. Its taut, claustrophobic narrative and emotionally resonant premise have made it one of Hill's most celebrated short works, eventually inspiring a successful film adaptation and establishing a franchise.
