Editorials
The Worst Phone Calls in Horror History
With Rings, the new entry in The Ring franchise that began with the original Japanese Ringu back in 1998, we are once again reminded of how much horror can be wrung from a common household technology.
No, not the VHS tape, though it has wreaked its fair share of horror as well. It’s the phone! Ever since Barbara Stanwyck overheard plans for murder on a crossed phone line in 1948’s Sorry Wrong Number, filmmakers have been utilizing the technology in creative and frightening ways. Here are some of the worst phone calls in horror movie history:
Black Christmas (1974)/When a Stranger Calls (1979)
Released five years apart, Black Christmas was influential on John Carpenter’s Halloween while When a Stranger Calls was one of the glut of films fast-tracked in Halloween’s successful wake. That’s not the only thing they have in common, though.
Creepy, recurring phone calls plague the main characters in both of them. Moaning, silence, obscene phrases, and taunts (“Have you checked the children?”) are the weapons these crazies use, and the urban legend-inspired twist (SPOILER ALERT) of the calls coming from inside the house was used to chilling effect in both. Unlike Sorry Wrong Number, the murder plans weren’t accidentally overheard; here, the killer wanted them to know he was coming.
Halloween (1978)
Speaking of Halloween, it had a frightening phone conversation of its own. When Michael Myers disguises himself as Lynda’s boyfriend Bob by dressing up like a ghost, Lynda tires of what she perceives as a dumb joke and calls her babysitting friend Laurie. When Laurie answers, Michael makes his move and strangles Lynda with the phone cord. All Laurie can do is listen helplessly as her friend dies on the other end.
While Black Christmas and When a Stranger Calls created fear by having a looming threat on the other end of the phone, Halloween’s fear came from the lead character’s inability to do anything to help.
Scream (1996)
Horror movie aficionado Kevin Williamson breathed new life into the horror genre with Scream by having his characters self-referentially aware of the tropes of horror films. The characters weren’t the only ones with love for horror films; Williamson and director Wes Craven crafted an homage to many great horror films from Psycho to A Nightmare on Elm Street.
The opening twelve minutes of Drew Barrymore’s Casey being taunted on the phone is a clear homage to the first twenty minutes of When a Stranger Calls. Craven and Williamson made it their own by going beyond simple taunting to create a horror movie quiz that Casey must ace in order to save herself and her boyfriend Steve. The phone is no longer simply a harbinger of coming trouble; it is a tool used to create it.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Long before he teamed with Williamson to create the intense opening of Scream, Craven already had a disturbing phone conversation in his body of work. It should come as no surprise to fans of Freddy Krueger that the most talkative slasher in existence would have to make use of a phone at some point.
The scene in Craven’s original begins in similar fashion to ones in previous horror films: main character Nancy answers the phone to a classically creepy line, “I’m your boyfriend now, Nancy.” Then, in a shocking one-up on the traditional obscene call, the bottom half of the phone becomes Freddy’s mouth, complete with a flagellating tongue to lick unsuspecting Nancy. Rather than the danger being on the other end of the phone, the phone ITSELF was dangerous.
976-EVIL (1988)
Robert Englund, the man who brought phone molester Freddy Krueger to life, also brought 976-EVIL to the screen in his directorial debut. In the film, two cousins call a creepy pay-per-minute phone line, only to discover that it is a direct line to Hell.
Though it was poorly received on its release, the film cleverly juxtaposes mass communication with demon possession and asks if what we’re transmitting and receiving is really as great as we believe. Phones are a two-way conduit into people’s homes… and they may be conduits into our soul as well.
Pulse (2001)/Phone (2002)/One Missed Call (2003)
These three Asian horror films came out in rapid succession after the success of the original Ringu; like Ringu, Pulse and One Missed Call were also remade for American audiences.
Aside from benefiting from the obvious influence of Ringu, the three films also shared similar plot elements with each other. All three films dealt with the spirits of the dead using phones to communicate, to warn, or to attack the owners. Part of a larger technology-meets-spirituality subgenre of Asian films that also included The Eye and Shutter, these movies tapped into the fear not only that the phone might be dangerous, but that the technology is so ubiquitous that escape might be impossible.
Session 9 (2001)
Brad Anderson’s debut in horror, this story about asbestos cleaners in an abandoned asylum might not seem a likely candidate for worst horror phone calls. But this film, with its creeping dread and deceptively simple series of two-person conversations, uses phone to creepy effect.
From the half-overheard conversations explaining where their co-workers have disappeared to the chats between asbestos company owner Gordo and his wife, the film uses the mundane in eerily effective ways. And the final scene, in which (SPOILER ALERT) Gordo, after having killed all his co-workers, sits with a broken cell phone, continuing his imagined conversation with his dead wife, is heartbreaking and horrible: “Wendy, it’s me, please don’t hang up, please. I just wanted to say that I’m so sorry for what’s happened. I’m so lonely here, I want to go home. I just want to hold you; I want to hold my baby. Can you forgive me? Can you forgive me?”
In this final case, the phone wasn’t a harbinger of doom, or doom itself; it was merely a tool, a crutch that a disturbed man used to allow himself to continue a delusion.
RUNNERS UP
And finally, though they may not truly be horror, there are a few phone conversations just bad enough to deserve honorable mentions on this list:
Taken (2008)
“I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don’t have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that’ll be the end of it. I will not look for you; I will not pursue you. But if you don’t, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.”
The minute Marko heard those words, his life was effectively over.
Buried (2010)
“I need one million dollars by nine o’clock tonight or I’ll be left to die in this coffin!”
Just a taste of the harrowing conversations Ryan Reynolds’ Paul has from inside a box buried under the ground.
Phone Booth (2002)
“Stu, if you hang up, I will kill you.”
The line that psychologically tethers Colin Farrell to a phone booth to keep himself and many others from being killed by an unseen sniper.
So next time you casually dismiss an annoying telemarketer, keep in mind that he already has your phone number…
Editorials
‘Immaculate’ – A Companion Watch Guide to the Religious Horror Movie and Its Cinematic Influences
The religious horror movie Immaculate, starring Sydney Sweeney and directed by Michael Mohan, wears its horror influences on its sleeves. NEON’s new horror movie is now available on Digital and PVOD, making it easier to catch up with the buzzy title. If you’ve already seen Immaculate, this companion watch guide highlights horror movies to pair with it.
Sweeney stars in Immaculate as Cecilia, a woman of devout faith who is offered a fulfilling new role at an illustrious Italian convent. Cecilia’s warm welcome to the picture-perfect Italian countryside gets derailed soon enough when she discovers she’s become pregnant and realizes the convent harbors disturbing secrets.
From Will Bates’ gothic score to the filming locations and even shot compositions, Immaculate owes a lot to its cinematic influences. Mohan pulls from more than just religious horror, though. While Immaculate pays tribute to the classics, the horror movie surprises for the way it leans so heavily into Italian horror and New French Extremity. Let’s dig into many of the film’s most prominent horror influences with a companion watch guide.
Warning: Immaculate spoilers ahead.
Rosemary’s Baby
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The mother of all pregnancy horror movies introduces Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow), an eager-to-please housewife who’s supportive of her husband, Guy, and thrilled he landed them a spot in the coveted Bramford apartment building. Guy proposes a romantic evening, which gives way to a hallucinogenic nightmare scenario that leaves Rosemary confused and pregnant. Rosemary’s suspicions and paranoia mount as she’s gaslit by everyone around her, all attempting to distract her from her deeply abnormal pregnancy. While Cecilia follows a similar emotional journey to Rosemary, from the confusion over her baby’s conception to being gaslit by those who claim to have her best interests in mind, Immaculate inverts the iconic final frame of Rosemary’s Baby to great effect.
The Exorcist
William Friedkin’s horror classic shook audiences to their core upon release in the ’70s, largely for its shocking imagery. A grim battle over faith is waged between demon Pazuzu and priests Damien Karras (Jason Miller) and Lankester Merrin (Max von Sydow). The battleground happens to be a 12-year-old, Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair), whose possessed form commits blasphemy often, including violently masturbating with a crucifix. Yet Friedkin captures the horrifying events with stunning cinematography; the emotional complexity and shot composition lend elegance to a film that counterbalances the horror. That balance between transgressive imagery and artful form permeates Immaculate as well.
Suspiria
Jessica Harper stars as Suzy Bannion, an American newcomer at a prestigious dance academy in Germany who uncovers a supernatural conspiracy amid a series of grisly murders. It’s a dance academy so disciplined in its art form that its students and faculty live their full time, spending nearly every waking hour there, including built-in meals and scheduled bedtimes. Like Suzy Bannion, Cecilia is a novitiate committed to learning her chosen trade, so much so that she travels to a foreign country to continue her training. Also, like Suzy, Cecilia quickly realizes the pristine façade of her new setting belies sinister secrets that mean her harm.
What Have You Done to Solange?
This 1972 Italian horror film follows a college professor who gets embroiled in a bizarre series of murders when his mistress, a student, witnesses one taking place. The professor starts his own investigation to discover what happened to the young woman, Solange. Sex, murder, and religion course through this Giallo’s veins, which features I Spit on Your Grave’s Camille Keaton as Solange. Immaculate director Michael Mohan revealed to The Wrap that he emulated director Massimo Dallamano’s techniques, particularly in a key scene that sees Cecilia alone in a crowded room of male superiors, all interrogating her on her immaculate status.
The Red Queen Kills Seven Times
In this Giallo, two sisters inherit their family’s castle that’s also cursed. When a dark-haired, red-robed woman begins killing people around them, the sisters begin to wonder if the castle’s mysterious curse has resurfaced. Director Emilio Miraglia infuses his Giallo with vibrant style, with the titular Red Queen instantly eye-catching in design. While the killer’s design and use of red no doubt played an influential role in some of Immaculate’s nightmare imagery, its biggest inspiration in Mohan’s film is its score. Immaculate pays tribute to The Red Queen Kills Seven Times through specific music cues.
The Vanishing
Rex’s life is irrevocably changed when the love of his life is abducted from a rest stop. Three years later, he begins receiving letters from his girlfriend’s abductor. Director George Sluizer infuses his simple premise with bone-chilling dread and psychological terror as the kidnapper toys with Red. It builds to a harrowing finale you won’t forget; and neither did Mohan, who cited The Vanishing as an influence on Immaculate. Likely for its surprise closing moments, but mostly for the way Sluizer filmed from inside a coffin.
The Other Hell
This nunsploitation film begins where Immaculate ends: in the catacombs of a convent that leads to an underground laboratory. The Other Hell sees a priest investigating the seemingly paranormal activity surrounding the convent as possessed nuns get violent toward others. But is this a case of the Devil or simply nuns run amok? Immaculate opts to ground its horrors in reality, where The Other Hell leans into the supernatural, but the surprise lab setting beneath the holy grounds evokes the same sense of blasphemous shock.
Inside
During Immaculate‘s freakout climax, Cecilia sets the underground lab on fire with Father Sal Tedeschi (Álvaro Morte) locked inside. He manages to escape, though badly burned, and chases Cecilia through the catacombs. When Father Tedeschi catches Cecilia, he attempts to cut her baby out of her womb, and the stark imagery instantly calls Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s seminal French horror movie to mind. Like Tedeschi, Inside’s La Femme (Béatrice Dalle) will stop at nothing to get the baby, badly burned and all.
Burial Ground
At first glance, this Italian zombie movie bears little resemblance to Immaculate. The plot sees an eclectic group forced to band together against a wave of undead, offering no shortage of zombie gore and wild character quirks. What connects them is the setting; both employed the Villa Parisi as a filming location. The Villa Parisi happens to be a prominent filming spot for Italian horror; also pair the new horror movie with Mario Bava’s A Bay of Blood or Blood for Dracula for additional boundary-pushing horror titles shot at the Villa Parisi.
The Devils
The Devils was always intended to be incendiary. Horror, at its most depraved and sadistic, tends to make casual viewers uncomfortable. Ken Russell’s 1971 epic takes it to a whole new squeamish level with its nightmarish visuals steeped in some historical accuracy. There are the horror classics, like The Exorcist, and there are definitive transgressive horror cult classics. The Devils falls squarely in the latter, and Russell’s fearlessness in exploring taboos and wielding unholy imagery inspired Mohan’s approach to the escalating horror in Immaculate.
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