''Murder by Phone'' (also known as ''Bells'' and ''The Calling'') is a 1982

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

slasher film A slasher film is a genre of horror films involving a killer stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools like knife, chainsaw, scalpel, etc. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as ...

directed by Michael Anderson. Its plot follows a series of murders committed by a disgruntled phone company employee who designs a device that kills victims when they answer their telephones.

Cast

* Richard Chamberlain as Nat Bridger *

John Houseman John Houseman (born Jacques Haussmann; September 22, 1902 – October 31, 1988) was a Romanian-born British-American actor and producer of theatre, film, and television. He became known for his highly publicized collaboration with directo ...

as Stanley Markowitz *

Sara Botsford Sara Botsford (born August 4, 1951) is a Canadian television and film actress. She starred in the CTV drama series ''E.N.G.'' (1989-1994) for which received Canadian Screen Award for Best Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role. Career She ...

as Ridley Taylor *

Robin Gammell Robin Gammell (born September 22, 1936) is a Canadian film, television and stage actor."Transplanted to Hollywood". '' The Globe and Mail'', January 24, 1981. Career Gammell began acting as a junior ensemble member at the Stratford Shakespeare ...

as Noah Clayton *

Gary Reineke Gary Reineke (born May 27, 1945) is a Canadian actor. Early life Reineke was born in Scarborough, Ontario on May 27, 1945. Career Reineke has appeared in more than eighty films since 1974, and was a Genie Award nominee for Best Supporting Act ...

as Lt. Meara *

Barry Morse Herbert Morse (10 June 19182 February 2008), known professionally as Barry Morse, was a British-Canadian actor of stage, screen, and radio, best known for his roles in the ABC television series '' The Fugitive'' and the British sci-fi drama '' ...

as Fred Waites *

Alan Scarfe Alan John Scarfe (born 8 June 1946) is a British–Canadian actor, stage director and author. He is a former Associate Director of the Stratford Festival (1976–77) and the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool (1967–68). He won the 1985 Genie A ...

as John Websole * James B. Douglas as Jack Gilsdorf *

Ken Pogue Kenneth Pogue (July 26, 1934 – December 15, 2015) was a Canadian actor. Career His first motion picture role in 1973 was in ''The Neptune Factor''. He almost drowned in scuba gear. He worked on stage at the Crest Theatre, Stratford Shakespea ...

as Fil Thorner * Neil Munro as Winters * Tom Butler as Detective Tamblyn * Colin Fox as Dr. Leon Alderman * Jefferson Mappin as Alex * Luba Goy as Beth Freemantle *

Lenore Zann Lenore Zann (born November 22, 1959) is a Canadian actress and former politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Cumberland—Colchester in the House of Commons of Canada as a member of the Liberal Party. Before ...

as Connie Lawson * George R. Robertson as George Lord *

Angus MacInnes Angus MacInnes (born 27 October 1947) is a Canadian actor. He is most famous for his role as Jon "Dutch" Vander in '' Star Wars'', and as former hockey great Jean "Rosey" LaRose in the comedy ''Strange Brew''. He also appeared in ''Witness'' a ...

as Colin Bartell *

Neil Affleck Neil Affleck is a Canadian animator, director, and actor. He has worked as an animator on ''The Simpsons'' and ''Family Guy''. As an actor, he appeared in the 1981 film '' Scanners'' and had a leading role in the 1981 film '' My Bloody Valentine ...

as Phone Tracer

Novel

The movie was preceded by a novel called ''Phone Call'' written by the screenwriters Michael Butler and Dennis Shryack under the pseudonym Jon Messman. It was published in 1979, three years before the film version. It is never credited in the film's credits. The link was mentioned on the cover in later editions of the book.

Production

''Murder by Phone'' was filmed in 1980 in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, Ontario, Canada. The score by John Barry is electronic, played entirely with synthesisers. This was a rarity for Barry. Whilst he composed and conducted the score, it was performed by

Jonathan Elias Jonathan Elias (born 1956) is an American composer best known for his film soundtracks. Background Elias was born in New York City in 1956. He is of Jewish-Hungarian background. Elias started playing piano at the age of six, and was composin ...

and John Petersen. Elias later went on to work with Barry on the scores for Jagged Edge and

A View to a Kill ''A View to a Kill'' is a 1985 spy film and the fourteenth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and is the seventh and final appearance of Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Although the title is adapted ...

Release

''Murder by Phone'' was released in the United States on October 8, 1982.

Critical response

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is perhaps best known for his book of fi ...

noted the film's cast and direction as being legitimately "talented," but deemed the film a "hoary horror exercise."

Home media

''Murder by Phone'' was released on VHS by

Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Vide ...

in 1984. The VHS was reissued in 1998.

Notes

References

Works cited

* * *

External links

* * 1982 horror films 1982 films American slasher films Canadian slasher films 1980s slasher films 1980s science fiction horror films Films directed by Michael Anderson Films scored by John Barry (composer) Films shot in Toronto New World Pictures films English-language Canadian films Canadian horror thriller films American mystery thriller films Canadian mystery films American science fiction horror films Canadian science fiction horror films American horror thriller films American mystery horror films Techno-horror films 1980s English-language films 1980s American films 1980s Canadian films {{sf-horror-film-stub