Home Entertainment: ‘The Call’ digital review

Horror genre favourites Lin Shaye and Tobin Bell lend their creepy charisma to this ’80s tinged horror, produced by Final Destination creator Jeffrey Riddick. In the wake of Stranger Things, there has undoubtedly been an appetite for horrors and sci-fis with their feet firmly planted in a similar vein of 80’s nostalgia. In the case of Timothy Woodhead Jr.’s The Call, that reverence comes from a clear adoration for the movies of Wes Craven, or more accurately the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. It similarly tells a tale that puts young teens at the mercy of a deceased tormentor forcing them to relive trauma, and while its central concept certainly has enough intrigue to it, this call doesn’t always come through. 

New kid in town, Chris (Chester Rushing) makes friends with local teens Tonya (Erin Sanders), Zack (Mike C. Manning), and Brett (Sloane Morgan Siegel). They soon get into more trouble than they bargained for after harassing an elderly woman in the neighbourhood Mr.s Cranston (Shayne), who is suspected of witchcraft and for being behind the disappearance of Tonya’s little sister. After Mrs. Cranston commits suicide, her husband (Bell) gathers the kids at their home and makes them offer. They must take it in turns to ring a number and stay on the call for a minute. If they can do that they will walk out $100,000 richer and will be forgiven. The catch? The other end of the line is six feet under in a casket with his wife. Surely no one will pick up, right? 

The Call has a strong horror concept at its core. It follows a similar playbook to other horrors of its kind, that of teens being punished for doing wrong and making presumptions about other people. They are kids that need to be taught a lesson, and that lesson is delivered by being shown what hell really looks like. The journey in getting them to a point where the horror mayhem can begin does struggle in establishing much in the way of atmosphere, with a fairly limp introduction to all the main teen characters. The four actors are fine in their individual roles, but their dynamics are never particularly convincing.

But as each kid picks up the phone and is made to relive their respective traumas, the Elm Street vibes come thick and fast. From the synth score that is very similar to Charles Bernstein’s iconic theme, to the sets looking somewhat similar to Freddy’s famous boiler room, the reverence for Craven’s franchise is more than apparent. It evokes the spirit of Elm street in an occasionally fun manner, conjuring up some nasty images that stand on their own, whilst also aiming to maintain a little wit along the way. It is derivative, and clearly runs out of tricks pretty quickly, resulting in a finale that does feel somewhat desperate, relying on the strength of a twist that you can see coming from a mile off. But there are moments in between where the film does find a stride that occasionally catches you by surprise, even if that feeling is fleeting. 

The real ace up the film’s sleeve is, of course, the inclusion of genre favourites Lin Shayne and Tobin Bell in its cast. Granted, the film very much asks them to deliver much of what they’ve done before. Shayne has to do the creepy and ominous routine that she has gotten down to a tee at this point, while Bell is asked to use his gravelly gravitas to set up ‘the game’ that the teens find themselves playing. They could very easily have phoned this in (sorry, pun very much intended), but they are more than present, adding some much-needed oomph to the proceedings whenever they are called upon. 

The Call is ultimately a derivative horror film with a half baked 80’s setting and a narrative that struggles to maintain much in the way of originality and surprise. It occasionally does spark, however, with a suitably creepy concept at its centre and a pair of engaging performances from the marquee horror icons it boasts in its cast, which does just about enough to keep you from hanging up.