Today's film serves as a sliver of hope regarding the triumph of good versus evil and also

a dire warning against the true dangers of street magicians.

Howdy, I'm Jeff Goldsmith and this is the Q&A.

My agenda is simple.

Each week I plan to bring you in-depth insight into the creative process of storytelling.

Folks, I got to tell you, I absolutely love today's film, Black Phone.

And as a magician myself, damn it, I was not pleased to see a magician serial killer.

But it's okay, because I've decided he's truly not one of us.

He would not be in any recognized magic society.

And it is a good warning to those kids.

Don't hop in a van to see a magic trick.

Pretty much ever, I think, is the way to put it.

But, you know, today's guests could tell us more about how a magician ended up in this movie as a serial killer.

Because we have director and co-writer Scott Derrickson and co-writer C. Robert Cargill.

This is a complicated story. There's a mystery. There's supernatural elements. There's a ticking clock.

A lot could have gone wrong. Luckily, it did not. And that's why I'm so grateful that Cargill and

Derrickson were so generous with their time in talking

us through how they wrote this film. And speaking of things to dig, Backstory Magazine turns 10.

That's right. We survived a decade and we couldn't have done it without your help. And the other good

news is that we just released a new issue. Yes, issue 47, our summer issue is live, and there is so much great stuff in it.

I hope you check out the table contents to see it all, but we have Emmy Awards contenders

ranging from Stranger Things, Better Call Saul, Station 11, Barry, hacks, and what we do in the shadows, to summer movies, to new scripts

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