Chris is the new kid in town, and has started hanging out with a group of other teens: Zack, Brett and Tonya. Story goes, that Tonya’s little sister disappeared several years ago after attending a now closed day-care center. The owner, an elderly woman named Edith Cranston, is put to blame by the teenagers and they have made it a tradition to torment and vandalize her property. Chris joins them for another such evening of vandalism, and while he does not take any part in it, he’s still getting a piece of Edith’s mind when she comes out, furious (and rightly so) and telling them all off. The teens, of course, don’t give a shit as they’ve already villainized the old woman and fails to see how the acts they’re committing could end up with dire conseqences. And of course, it does…Edith commits suicide, which causes her husband to contact the teens. The reason he contacts them is because Edith did something very strange prior to killing herself: she included them in her will. They will all inherit a lot of money, and all they need to do in order to get it, is making a call to a phone that has been installed in her casket…
The Call is a horror film from 2020, directed by Timothy Woodward Jr. and written by Patrick Stibbs. It’s starring Lin Shaye (known for her role in the Insidious franchise) and Tobin Bell (known as Jigsaw in the Saw franchise). It received generally negative reception upon its release, and while the movie is not exactly a masterpiece, it’s really not that bad. Sure, some of the experience might be a bit heightened due to the performances by some well-known horror actors, but the story is also fairly okay and the cinematography is quite decent, where some of the scenes have a colorful and vibrant halloween-vibe to them.
The story offers some twists and turns, and sure.. some of them can be seen from a mile away. It’s not exactly a spoiler to reveal that Edith’s suicide was all part of an elaborate act of revenge, and neither is it really much of a spoiler to reveal that the disappearance of Tonya’s little sister offers a bit of a twist reveal. The characters are unfortunately very bland, which is more common than not in many horror movies featuring a cast of teens (or “teens“, especially in older movies). It works for a storyline like this, though: an easy-going and slightly cheesy flick.
The Call isn’t very original, but makes for an entertaining enough halloween-ish movie with some fun appearances from horror icons Lin Shaye and Tobin Bell.
Director: Timothy Woodward Jr.
Writer: Patrick Stibbs
Country & year: USA, Canada, 2010
Actors: Lin Shaye, Tobin Bell, Chester Rushing, Erin Sanders, Mike Manning, Sloane Morgan Siegel, Judd Lormand, Randy J. Goodwin, Brooklyn Anne Miller, Leah Contreras, Toby Leeder, Aidan Bertola
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12971924/
