Murder by Phone

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Murder by Phone
Murder by Phone.jpg
US theatrical release poster
Directed by Michael Anderson
Screenplay byMichael Butler
Dennis Shryack
John Kent Harrison
Story by
  • George Armondo
  • James Whiton
  • Michael Butler
  • Dennis Shryack
Produced byBob Cooper
Starring
Cinematography Reginald H. Morris
Music by John Barry
Production
company
Distributed by
Release dates
  • May 27, 1982 (1982-05-27)(Colombia)
  • October 8, 1982 (1982-10-08)(US & Canada)
Running time
95 minutes
CountriesCanada
United States
LanguageEnglish

Murder by Phone (also released as Bells and The Calling [2] [3] ) is a 1982 science-fiction slasher film directed by Michael Anderson and starring Richard Chamberlain, John Houseman, Sara Botsford, Robin Gammell, Gary Reineke and Barry Morse. 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.

Contents

Cast

Novel

The movie was preceded by a novel called Phone Call written by the screenwriters Michael Butler and Dennis Shryack by author 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. [4]

Production

The film was filmed in 1980 in Toronto, Ontario. [5] The working title of the film was Bells, which appeared on early promotional material, but it was changed to Murder by Phone before it was released. [2] [3]

Music

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

Release

Murder by Phone was first released in Colombia on May 27, 1982. It released in Canada and the United States on October 8, 1982. [a]

Critical response

Leonard Maltin noted the film's cast and direction as being legitimately "talented," but deemed the film a "hoary horror exercise." [7]

Home media

Murder by Phone was released on VHS by Warner Home Video in 1984. [8] The VHS was reissued in 1998. [9]

Notes

  1. ↑ The earliest newspaper sources displaying showtimes for the film are dated for the weekend of October 8—10, 1982. [6]

References

  1. ↑ Muir 2011, pp. 116–117.
  2. 1 2 Hunter, Rob (June 26, 2017). "That Ringing In Your Ears? It's 'Murder By Phone' Calling". Film School Rejects . Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Corman turns hand to Canadian films". The Toronto Star. 21 September 1982. p. 27.
  4. ↑ "Phone Call". Grady Hendrix. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  5. ↑ Fischer 2011, p. 50.
  6. ↑ "Midnite Movie Express". The Tampa Tribune. Tampa, Florida. October 8, 1982. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  7. ↑ Maltin 2009, p. 946.
  8. ↑ Murder by Phone (VHS). Warner Home Video. 1984 [1982]. 24005.
  9. ↑ Murder by Phone (VHS). Warner Home Video. 1998 [1982]. ASIN   6300271919.

Works cited

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