In depth analysis for why The Grabber is a child molestor and rapist
My full take about why I believe that āThe Grabberā, also known as Bill or Arthur Shaw from The Black Phone is a pedophile and a child molester and/or rapist. In this analysis, there will be many descriptions or reasonings that heavily involve sexual assault and pedophilia and so on. I would also like to note that all the information I will be using as quotes, are from the first and second official movie. I will also be using information that I found from interviews online with the directors themselves, and the actor who plays āThe Grabber:ā Ethan Hawke.
There are so many different ways I can prove this theory, but the majority of my proof will simply be quotes from the movies themselves. I have seen many reddit theories online stating how The Grabberās action had nothing to do with rape, sexual assault or pediphilia in general, but I heavily disagree based off these points.
My first piece of evidence that appears in chronological order in the movie, is shown at 28:32. This scene depicts The Grabber and Finney together on a worn down mattress in The Grabbers Basement. There isn't any direct correlation that specifically proves my thesis, but it enhances it. While talking directly to Finney, the Grabber moves Finnās hair out of the way, reassuring him that he "doesn't have to be scaredā. He does this in a very warm and gentle manner, a shocking contrast to his previous behaviors. Another example almost identical to this, is at 29:16. We see as the Grabber caresses Finnās cheek, cupping it in his hand. Overall, the way The Grabber plays with Finneyās hair and caresses his face and pokes his chest is a huge physical indicator that he had bigger plans than just to kidnap Finn. Like I stated previously, this alone isn't enough, but it sets the stage for my future quotes.
Around 5 minutes later, the scene changes and we see The Grabber standing in the staircase hallway, talking to Finnā about to leave. This is the first and most prominent piece of evidence Iāve seen so far. In minute 33:48, we hear the Grabber state this quote, whilst talking to Finney.
āI will never make you do anything you donāt.. Likeā. When we see Finnās reaction, we see he is terrified, but mostly disgusted. He then replies with,
āIf you touch me, Iāll scratch your face.ā Implying that he thought that The Grabber meant he was going to touch him. While it doesn't state that Finn thought he was going to touch him to cause pain, or for sexual desires, he still says this. The way The Grabber says this as well is a huge indicator. When he says this, he pauses in between ādonātā and ālikeā, as if heās choosing the safest way to phrase this. This again reflects on his pedophilic actions, trying to promise Finney that he wonāt do anything to him. In this case, referring to something sexual, in some way convincing Finney that he would ālikeā it.
My third example is another direct quote from the Grabber himself. At minute 37:00 - 38:05, the viewer sees the Grabber sitting in the corner watching Finn sleep. At 38:05, we see the grabber who is leaving the basement again. He had been watching Finney sleep, and waiting for when he woke up. Yet he did not bring him food, or anything of that sort. After Finn questions why he was even down there, he simply replies:
āJust to look at you. I just wanted to look at you.ā He must have learned his sleeping patterns or something, because he timed it perfectly when the phone rang. Watching your prisoner sleep is a tad odd in this situation. Whether it was to threaten or scare him, I highly doubt that was the case. He was silent, resting his hand on his chin, simply observing his underage captive. Whether he was planning to do anything to him while he was sleeping is to be determined, but I have high doubt that he would have left that basement without touching him in some shape or form. The ghost boys rang the phone in order to wake him up, to alert him of the Grabbers presence. I sincerely believe that if that phone hadent rang, he wouldent have woken up in time before the Grabber had done something.
I already do believe that Finney got raped/sexually assaulted at th beggining, after he was brought into the house. We know that all of the Grabberās victims are ages 12-15, which seems very specific. I also highly doubt that the Grabber choses these young boys just for the fun of kidnapping them. The age range and gender is too specific to assume that theyāre just there to be murdered. My next quote is from one of the previous victims: Vance Hopper.
āif you knew what you had coming, youād be fucking terrified.ā he follows this up with,
āWhen The Grabber saw what I had done, that was it.
And he took his time with me, too.ā In this scene, when Vance states āand he took his time with me tooā this is a complete and direct hint towards him being molested and raped. While some people might interprate this as a format of just beating, or inflicting pain or torture upon the victim, it is almost directly an indication of sexual assault when paired with the other proofs. Vance Hopper was also one of the āprettiestā of all his victims so to speak. It is also thought that he was sexually assaulted on his birthday, before getting murdered. We donāt have a direct reason for why he was killed, or what provoked this murder but we can assume it has something to do with the game āNaughty Boyā.
I almost had to take a break when this came up, so please be patient with me as I explain this.
What is the game Naughty Boy? This game is a sadistic ritual played by The Grabber, where he leaves the basement door unlocked to trap victims into trying to escape. When and if the victims fall into this trap, we are told he beats them with a belt until they are unconscious. In the first scene that we see of this, we see Finney mounting the stairs, and observing the Grabber, waiting for him, at 47:35.
On the phone, Griffin (another victim) tells Finney that The Grabberās favorite part of Naughty Boy (the game where heās shirtless and holding a belt) comes after he beats them unconscious. Relating to this, Finn asks one of the boys on the phone āwhat happens after you pass out?ā and the boy wonāt respond. I thought it was clearly implied that sexual assault happened after the Grabber beat the boys unconscious. He carried them back down to the soundproofed basement and to that dirty, bare mattress. The whole movie is centered around that mattress, in a way. The pedophile vibes felt pretty obvious. Especially with the over-the-top spread legs, shirtless chest, heavy breathing of the Grabber waiting upstairs for his ānaughty boyā who he canāt wait to spank. Here as well, a direct quote from C. Robert Cargill, the co-writing and director:
āNaughty Boy is not only a game, but his permission to do the things he knows he shouldnāt. And that includes sexual violence.ā
Overall, the whole look of having no shirt, legs constantly being spread, and waiting to beat the boys with a belt paired with his favorite part being after the boys are unconscious, confirms my beliefs.
Whether Finney was assaulted off-screen is up to debate, he wasnāt in the basement very long and since Max was living with The Grabber he couldnāt spend as much time down there with Finney as he wanted so I donāt think there was time for any major off-screen interactions, but undoubtedly itās something he did to his past victims, and undoubtedly was something he wanted to do to Finney.
Finally to conclude this, Iād like to summarize this with a quote from the director himself when interviewed about this.
āItās the only element of the film that adds any kind of direct visual sexual violence to it,ā said Cargill. āBecause one of the questions Iāve gotten [most often] from people is āIs the Grabber a pedophile? Is he actually molesting these children?ā We donāt show it because we donāt need to show it but yeah, he is. And that one scene where heās just sitting there with that frowning mask, you just know that whatever is going to happen isnāt going to be good. And it just gets under your skin.ā
Cargill, C. Robert. āPost.ā Bluesky, https://bsky.app/profile/crobertcargill.bsky.social/post/3lwutk3f6dk2z. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
āThe Black Phone Transcript.ā Scraps from the Loft, https://scrapsfromtheloft.com/movies/the-black-phone-transcript/. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
Kelley, Sonaiya. āāThe Black Phoneā Explained: A Real Life Killer, Childhood Memories Shaped the Adaptation.ā Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2022, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-06-24/black-phone-explained-john-wayne-gacy-adaptation. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
āWas The Grabber a Pedophile or Just a Serial Killer? (The Black Phone).ā Reddit, r/horror, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/horror/comments/1o5w1iw/was_the_grabber_a_pedophile_or_just_a_serial/. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
āWhat Was The Grabber Trying to Achieve in The Black Phone?ā Reddit, r/horror, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/horror/comments/1o3qe23/what_was_the_grabber_trying_to_achieve_in_the/. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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