The brand new Black Phone 2 trailer facilities on a cellphone sales space that permits the Grabber—who seemingly met his finish in the first Black Phone movie—to hiss new threats at his meant prey. That’s a shade extra sinister than how the cellphone was used within the 2021 unique, when a mysterious land line allowed the useless to impart survival recommendation to the dwelling.
However “scary cellphone calls” are a time-honored horror custom (take a look at io9’s taxonomy right here!). Overlook cell telephones, FaceTime, and web ghosts: at present we’re 10 memorable showcases of land-line terror delivered to the display screen.
Scream
Opening the movie with a fake “fallacious quantity” that’s truly a killer’s approach of taunting his subsequent sufferer is frightening; having the killer get all meta and steer the dialog towards favourite horror films is even scarier; having the dying sufferer’s mom decide up the extension and listen to her daughter gasping her final breath is the scariest. Scream hit theaters in 1996, lengthy earlier than cellphones grew to become ubiquitous, and whereas the franchise has continued on as expertise has superior, the primary movie’s intelligent use of such a widely known trope stays a collection standout.
Black Christmas
The groundbreaking 1974 holiday slasher isn’t solely the best on-screen depiction of “the decision is coming from inside the home” of all time, it additionally options possibly probably the most genuinely distressing collection of cellphone calls ever. The shrieking, overlapping voices are otherworldly and reference a story that has seemingly nothing to do with the freaked-out sorority sisters hanging on to the receiver. Black Christmas additionally goes laborious with its call-tracing subplot, displaying us simply how a lot effort that used to contain within the days earlier than cellphone towers might pinpoint creeps inside 100 toes. And it ends with a cellphone ringing, hammering dwelling that in the best context, there’s no extra frightful sound.
When a Stranger Calls
Launched in 1979, When a Stranger Calls leans into that very same city legend of the decision coming from inside the home, with the added taste of a babysitter in peril and, when the story flash-forwards, the ol’ “escaped lunatic” storyline. These are all acquainted now, however they weren’t again then, and irrespective of what number of instances you hear it, “Have you ever checked the kids?” is a gut-punch of an opener while you decide up.
Clown in a Cornfield
This recent release (haven’t checked it out but? What are you ready for?) takes place within the current day, which suggests when a pair of teenage women are desperately making an attempt to name for assist, their ranges of panic skyrocket after they’re confronted by a rotary-dial phone. It’s such a relic and so unhelpful, it’d as nicely be the possessed Fisher Value cellphone from Skinamarink as an alternative.
Compliance
This skin-crawling 2021 thriller starring The Handmaid’s Story‘s Ann Dowd relies on a real story, which makes its ick issue even larger. A quick meals restaurant supervisor takes a cellphone name from somebody who claims to be a cop investigating a theft involving an worker who’s nonetheless there working her shift—and because the hours go, the voice on the cellphone coaxes all concerned to do some very regrettable issues. Compliance is technically not a horror film, however in a lot as atypical human beings could be merciless monsters, it’d as nicely be.
Telefon
One other thriller with a horror-movie concept at its core, this 1977 Chilly Conflict story has motion star Charles Bronson propelling the narrative as a collection of sleeper brokers are activated one after the other. The cellphone enters into its Manchurian Candidate plot as a result of the “on” swap is activated when a brainwashed, deep-cover agent overhears strains from a sure Robert Frost poem. The title alone tells you ways necessary the cellphone is right here; it’s absolutely weaponized to show seemingly atypical people into assassins with only a dialog fragment.
976-Evil
Robert Englund directed this 1988 cautionary story about pay-by-the-minute cellphone strains—which can appear like a novelty (along with being a really outdated distraction in 2025), however as an alternative would possibly truly be offering a direct hyperlink to Devil. Teen cousins discover out the laborious approach what occurs while you get too excited by a brand new devilish affect in your life, however just one finally ends up getting dragged to hell ultimately.
The Ring
Of all of the dreaded calls to return by way of your land line, what might be worse than a demonic youngster reminding you that since you watched a sure cursed video tape, you’ve got simply seven days to dwell? Even the Grabber doesn’t have a ticking clock that exact.
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