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Where would scary movies be without telephones? The remake of When a Stranger Calls is only the latest chiller to milk the blower for its fear factor. The phone provides a convenient way for psychos to bypass locks; it's virtual home invasion. The BT slogan "It's good to talk" might as well be replaced by Don't Answer the Phone, the title of a cheesy slasher pic with the memorable last line, "Adios, creep!"
But why do terrified women insist on chatting to their psycho callers in movies like Black Christmas and Scream? Why don't they blow whistles down the line, or say "Adios, creep!" and hang up? At least they have the option, which is more than can be said for heroines receiving calls from beyond the grave in A Nightmare on Elm Street (phone morphs into dead killer's tongue) or Grudge (ghost caller makes scary
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Do mobiles mean the end of the line for cinema psycho-callers, asks anne billson |
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noises even when phone is switched off).
Of course, the boom in mobiles has moved the goalposts since the exclusively land-line days of Sorry, Wrong Number or Dial M for Murder. Nowadays all scary movies must incorporate dialogue explaining why no-one can use their mobile to summon help. Then there are thrillers that are little but one long phone call, such as Phone Booth (guy trapped by killer caller) or Cellular (kidnappee calls for help).
But soon we'll have the perfect means of putting these psychos in their place. It's only a matter of time before these scary movies can be beamed straight to the tiny LCD screen of your mobile. And how can you possibly be scared of the bogeyman when he's only a couple of centimetres tall? 
FIRST POSTED MAY 11, 2006
Film Three View: Quo vadis, baby?
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