Are phone booths inherently terrifying to modern audiences? Germy little glass boxes that you need cash money to operate? Truly a foreign concept in 2025. And a horrifying one, in bestselling author Jo Nesbø’s novel The Night House. Nesbø and Jesper Ganslandt (Cry Wolf) have adapted the novel into a screenplay; Ganslandt is set to direct, and frequent horror-film producer Steven Schneider is also on board.
The movie will star Aaron Paul (Westworld; Dual, pictured above) and Jacob Tremblay (Room) as one character, Richard, at different ages. The film’s summary, via Variety, explains:
In the wake of his parents’ recent death, highschooler Richard (Tremblay) has been sent to live with relatives in the remote town of Ballantyne. One day, during an innocent prank call in a phone booth, Richard shockingly witnesses his classmate violently get sucked into the phone receiver and disappear without a trace. Police suspect Richard to be responsible, and no one believes his story except Karen—a fellow teenage outsider. As Richard and Karen try to understand their friend’s unspeakable death, they soon realise they have unleashed terrifying evil forces. In this twisted spin on a classic horror story, and as reality starts to blur, we must ask ourselves—can we truly trust Richard, and can he even trust himself?
I have questions; first among those questions is why anyone isn’t worried about this poor kid’s mental health. But this story is set in small-town America in the ’80s, which I guess is my answer. The book’s synopsis is a bit more tantalizing, making reference to a “Mirror Forest” and a creepy voice that Richard begins to hear.
The Night House is in pre-production, with more casting expected to be announced soon.
