The Call
Theatrical release poster
Directed byTimothy Woodward Jr.
Written byPatrick Stibbs
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyPablo Diez
Edited byWayne J. Liu
Music bySamuel Joseph Smythe
Production
companies
Distributed byCinedigm
Release date
  • October 2, 2020 (2020-10-02)
Running time
97 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1,591,194[1][2]

The Call is a 2020 American horror film directed by Timothy Woodward Jr. and starring Lin Shaye, Tobin Bell, Erin Sanders, and Chester Rushing.[3][4] The film was written by Patrick Stibbs.[5]

Premise

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After the unexpected death of an elderly woman suspected to be a witch, a group of friends who tormented her are forced to call a phone installed in her casket. To their horror someone on the other end picks up and shows them what Hell really looks like.[6]

Cast

Release

The film was released theatrically in the United States on October 2, 2020 and on VOD on October 30, 2020.[7] It released on Blu-ray on December 15, 2020.[8]

Reception

The film received generally negative reviews.[9][10][11][12] On Rotten Tomatoes, The Call has an approval rating of 44% and an average rating of 5.2/10, based on 25 reviews. The website's critical consensus states: "Some horror fans and '80s enthusiasts may answer The Call, although a lack of genuine scares and an overload of genre tropes will leave most struggling to maintain the connection.[13]

Drew Tinnin of Dread Central awarded the film three stars out of five.[14]

References

  1. ^ "The Call (2020)". The Numbers. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  2. ^ "The Call (2020)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  3. ^ Sprague, Mike (September 24, 2020). "Trailer: Lin Shaye & Tobin Bell Torment Teens in THE CALL". Dread Central. Archived from the original on October 8, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  4. ^ Miska, Brad (February 19, 2020). "Kids Torment a Witch in 'The Call', Starring Tobin Bell and Lin Shaye!". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  5. ^ Vlessing, Etan (September 23, 2020). "'The Call' Trailer: Horror Icon Lin Shaye Gets Revenge on Tormenting Kids (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  6. ^ "Lin Shaye and Tobin Bell to Star in Timothy Woodward Jr's THE CALL". Archived from the original on November 21, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  7. ^ "THE CALL Starring Lin Shaye and Tobin Bell Available on Premium VOD & Digital October 30th". October 28, 2020. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  8. ^ "THE CALL with Lin Shaye & Tobin Bell Hits Blu-ray 12/15". November 10, 2020. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  9. ^ Felperin, Leslie (January 5, 2021). "The Call review – a phoned-in mix of ghouls, ghosts and well-worn tropes". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  10. ^ "The Call (2020) reviews of phone calls from Hell revenge flick". MOVIES and MANIA. September 24, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  11. ^ Fisher, Joel (September 29, 2021). "The Call: Review". BRWC. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  12. ^ Stephens, Dan (October 6, 2021). "Review: "The Call" Is Not Worth Taking". Top 10 Films. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  13. ^ "The Call (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  14. ^ Tinnin, Drew (October 5, 2020). "THE CALL Review – A Different Kind of Ghost Story Featuring Lin Shaye & Tobin Bell As A Killer Couple". Dread Central. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2020.

External links

Films directed by Timothy Woodward Jr.
James Cullen Bressack
Categories