New ‘Black Phone’ trailer contains a creepy AR game

Blumhouse’s latest supernatural horror The Black Phone has released its second theatrical release trailer and the self-proclaimed “foremost brand in the genre” has made a sizeable improvement on the first —which dropped on October 13, 2021. In the tremendously terrifying two-minute-long trailer, Blumhouse grants a more in-depth look at Ethan Hawke as the unnamed kidnapper and central antagonist, but also introduces Mason Thames as Finney Shaw, the 13-year-old who stumbles into the clutches of the sadistic killer.

Interestingly, Blumhouse have made the second trailer for The Black Phone much more interactive. At the end of the video, underneath the release date, the well-respected company asks viewers to “Text “ESCAPE” to (303) 529-2166.” Naturally, the burning question begs to be answered: What exactly happens when you text that number? Luckily, We Got This Covered took the daring step and risked our very lives to provide those answers.

If you text “ESCAPE” — in all caps — to the above-mentioned number, the anonymous line responds with a link to in.community.com, a minimalistic website that asks the user to “Check your texts.” Shortly thereafter, another text message is received. The latter reads: “Hello. It’s THE BLACK PHONE. Thanks for taking action. Follow along and we’ll send you clues, links and more. Just click the link to add yourself to THE BLACK PHONE and remember, answer the call.”

When clicking the link, the user is taken to a minimalistic website that asks for basic contact information. When the form is filled out, “THE BLACK PHONE” automatically adds itself to the user’s contact list—picture and all. Creepy, right?

Nothing else happens from there, but anyone that dares to text the mysterious number can expect to be contacted soon with further instructions. If all else fails, just remember: answer the call.