Ethan Hawke’s latest Halloween costume surely had fans shaking. In an Instagram post, The Black Phone star revealed he dressed as his killer character - dubbed “The Grabber” - from the film.
The Black Phone was released earlier this year and was based on a short story by Joe Hill, son of Stephen King and acclaimed horror writer in his own right. The story of The Black Phone follows child actor Mason Thames as Finn “Finney” Blake, who is abducted from his Denver suburb by the Grabber. Finding himself locked in the Grabber’s basement, Finney finds the mysterious, titular black phone, which proves to be a line to the Grabber’s previous victims. The victims then try to help Finney from beyond the grave.
Hawke posted the photos on Instagram under the caption “Life imitates art. Happy Halloween!” He’s pictured coming out of a home wearing the outfit and mask the Grabber wears in the film. The post shows him in various stages of costuming; from fully masked to partially masked to completely unmasked. He’s also pictured with a pair of fans dressed as Moon Knight and Khonshu from the Disney+ series, where Hawke starred as Arthur Harrow.
Hawke frequently makes posts on his Instagram that reference his earlier roles. A post on October 24 celebrated Gattaca’s release 25 years ago, while another post from October 12 celebrated Sinister (the first time Hawke ventured into horror) turning 10 years old and featured a few of Hawke’s other horror entries. It’s safe to say Hawke is now safely ensconced in the horror genre hall of fame, especially now that he's turned into an iconic slasher of his own.
Hawke’s costume is simple, but fun. His willingness to photograph himself out-of-costume with a few Moon Knight fans means he probably approached them, since he was wearing a mask. It just goes to show that Hawke isn't at all like the roles he usually plays. Hawke's usually known for some intense roles, so this act of friendly camaraderie is one that illustrates what he's really like: actually pretty friendly, as it turns out.
Halloween’s always a fun time for actors and actresses; many choose to pay homage to their roles or pay homage to their own favorite actors and actresses, and some get to go out incognito for once. It looks like Hawke was having a great time, and he got some great shots to go on his Instagram wall.