Horror billboard gives terrified Londoners a cold call from The Grabber

London’s commuters were left frozen in terror when they answered the cold call from hell. 

A lone Black Phone, fixed to a bespoke street-side installation, beckoned curious commuters to answer its call.  

But those who picked up were met not with a friendly voice… but with The Grabber himself, voiced by Oscar-nominee Ethan Hawke, who returns as the terrifying killer in Blumhouse’s new chapter to the 2022 horror sensation, Black Phone 2, in cinemas next Friday. 

In a chilling twist, the villain didn’t just taunt callers through the receiver; he appeared in the billboard itself, confronting participants face-to-face in a terrifying prank that had onlookers screaming and running. 

Stacia Keogh, from Berkshire, said: “I hate to leave a phone ringing, so my curiosity got the better of me and I answered it, only to be given the absolute scare of my life! 

I’m still shaking after that – I’ve seen The Black Phone and The Grabber is one of the most chilling characters, but I didn’t expect to come face-to-face with him today!” 

The activation was designed to blur the line between billboard and immersive theatre, delivering something more than an advert: a live horror experience in the middle of the city. 

Stills and video assets from the Borough activation are available now, capturing Londoners’ most petrified moments as they came face-to-face with one of modern horror’s most unsettling villains.