One Missed Call (2008 film)

Last updated

One Missed Call
Onemissedcall posterbig.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byEric Valette
Screenplay by Andrew Klavan
Based onChakushin Ari
by Yasushi Akimoto
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Glen MacPherson
Edited bySteve Mirkovich
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • January 4, 2008 (2008-01-04)(United States)
  • March 20, 2008 (2008-03-20)(Germany)
  • April 4, 2008 (2008-04-04)(United Kingdom)
  • July 19, 2008 (2008-07-19)(Japan)
Running time
87 minutes
Countries
LanguageEnglish
Budget$20 million [2]
Box office$45.8 million [2]

One Missed Call is a 2008 supernatural horror film [3] directed by Eric Valette and written by Andrew Klavan. An international co-production between the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan and Germany, [1] it is a remake of the 2003 Japanese film with the same English title directed by Takashi Miike, which itself was based on the Yasushi Akimoto novel Chakushin Ari. The film stars Shannyn Sossamon, Edward Burns, Ana Claudia Talancón, Ray Wise and Azura Skye.

Contents

The film was released in North America on January 4, 2008. Despite being a moderate box office success, the film was panned by film critics, with many regarding it as the worst J-horror remake to be released. It became the worst-reviewed film of 2008, receiving a 0% rating approval on Rotten Tomatoes, and winning a Mouldy Tomato Award.

Plot

A paramedic rescues a young girl from the blazing Saint Luke's hospital before unsuccessfully inquiring about her mother's whereabouts. Sometime afterwards, undergraduate Shelley Baum hears her cat meowing near her koi pond. After she heads over to investigate, a hand appears and drowns her and her cat. Days later, college students Beth Raymond and Leann Cole discuss Shelley's funeral. Leann's cellphone rings in a lullaby-esque ringtone, with a call from Shelley. She opens it to an eerie voicemail of herself, dated for June 12 at 10:17 PM. Subsequently suffering from disturbing hallucinations, she calls Beth while returning from a study session. Beth rushes to her location but arrives just as Leann falls off an overpass and is struck by a train. A red candy pops out of her mouth, and her severed hand dials a number on her phone. At Leann's funeral, her ex-boyfriend Brian Sousa departs after experiencing hallucinations. Outside a coffee shop, he shows Beth Leann's post-mortem voicemail, dated minutes away. An acetylene tank explosion from the adjacent construction site launches debris into the air, and a rebar impales Brian's torso. A red candy is ejected from his mouth, and he collapses.

The next day, Beth meets police detective Jack Andrews, who mentions that his sister Jean interned with Shelley at Saint Luke's and died two days prior. They determine the events are interrelated, and he provides his contact card. Beth consoles her friend Taylor Anthony, who is distraught by a premonitory feeling of being the next victim, by removing the batteries from their cellphones to disable them. That night, Taylor's cellphone rings, which she opens to a video of her apparent demise. The following morning, Jack and Beth research geriatric nurse Marie Layton, originator of the calls, and find the autopsy report of her eldest daughter Ellie, who died from an acute asthmatic episode. The file, mentioning "no bruising but evidence of past scars" with an attached CPS file for further consultation, indicates that Jean, a psychiatric nurse, questioned Marie at Saint Luke's and noted nine admissions between April and May for Ellie and her sister Laurel, concerning several causes, leading Beth to assume that Marie had FDIA.

Meanwhile, TV producer Ted Summers, who approached Taylor earlier, prepares to record her exorcism, explaining that spiritual energy operates in the same electromagnetic spectrum as light/microwaves and is therefore transmissible via cellular phones from which it manifests as hallucinations. Noticing the show's advertisement on TV, Beth races to the site, arriving to an unseen force fatally choking Taylor. Her phone then sounds with a voicemail dated for tomorrow. Assuming that finding Marie will settle the matter, she ventures to Saint Luke's and encounters Jack. As they enter an operating room, Marie's spirit ejects and incapacitates Jack. Locked inside, Beth throws a chiming phone across the room, where it knocks the air duct's grill cover loose, revealing a crawlspace. Inside, she discovers Marie's charred corpse clutching a cellphone, which awakens. After pursuing and intercepting Beth, Marie weeps and murmurs, "Forgive me." Subsequently, Beth tells Jack that Marie might have brought her there to protect her.

At Laurel's foster home, Jack uncovers a compact disc from the nanny cam embedded in the eye of Laurel's teddy bear. The footage reveals Ellie incising Laurel with a knife in their bedroom. Marie entered shortly thereafter, discovered Ellie's abusiveness, and rushed Laurel to the hospital. Ellie, locked inside, began pressing wheezingly on the inhaler but was overwhelmed and collapsed, facing the future curse's constituents (millipedes, an uncanny doll of a mother with baby in a perambulator (hallucinations), and the lullaby-esque music emanating from the teddy, audible during every victim's call), before dying from asphyxia while dialing her mother's phone number. Laurel reveals that though Ellie injured her, she always provided candies. Realizing Ellie caused the curse, Jack drives to Beth's house, during which a colleague informs him of a new voicemail. After he enters, somebody knocks on the door. As he peers through the peephole, a knife stabs through it, killing him. Ellie appears and attacks Beth, but Marie's spirit intervenes, binds Ellie in Jack's phone, and reconciles with Beth before evanescing. Jack's mouth spills a red candy and his cellphone auto-dials.

Cast

Production

One Missed Call was announced in 2005, before being officially greenlit by Warner Bros. in early 2006, with Eric Valette signing as the film's director. [4] The film began production in June [4] [5] in Atlanta, Georgia [6] with Edward Burns, Margaret Cho, and Shannyn Sossamon signing on. [7] On August 3, Ed Harris and Gabriel Byrne both signed on to appear in the film but both withdrew due to unknown circumstances. [8]

Sound designers used the voice of Skid Row front man Sebastian Bach in the hospital basement scene. The exact clip comes from Bach's scream at the beginning of "Midnight Tornado", a song from the band's 1989 debut album, Skid Row .

Release

Marketing

In December 2007, the official website was launched [9] as well as numerous websites running competitions to promote the film with the first prize being an Apple iPhone. [10] [11]

Theatrical

The film was intended for release on August 24, 2007, but was delayed until January 4, 2008. [12] [13] [14] [15] The song "Life is Beautiful" by Sixx:A.M. was used in television advertisements for the film.

Home media

The film was released on DVD, HD DVD, and Blu-ray on April 22, 2008.

Reception

Critical reception

The film was not screened for critics. [16] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 0% of 80 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 2.6/10.The website's consensus reads: "One of the weakest entries in the J-horror remake sweepstakes, One Missed Call is undone by bland performances and shopworn shocks". It was also awarded the Moldy Tomato Award for being the worst-reviewed film of the 2008 and is rated the second worst film of the 2000s decade behind Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever . [17] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 24 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews. [18] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "D" on scale of A+ to F.

Despite being a remake of Chakushin ari, the film was strongly criticized for borrowing plot elements from and being similar to Scream (1996), Final Destination (2000), The Ring (2002), The Grudge (2004), Dark Water (2005), and Pulse (2006). [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24]

Relationship with One Missed Call (2003)

One Missed Call includes most of the scenes and characters that were in the original 2003 film. These include the exorcism scene, where one of the characters is killed while filming the show American Miracles. [9] The characters of Beth, Leann, Taylor, Jack, Brian, and Shelley are respectively based on the original characters Yumi, Yoko, Natsumi, Yamashita, Kenji, and Rina. Another reference is contained within the theatrical trailer; while Leann is walking down the street, a piece of the original ringtone from One Missed Call (2003) plays in the background until she falls from the overpass. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>The Order</i> (2003 film) 2003 German film

The Order, also known as The Sin Eater, is a 2003 mystery thriller film written and directed by Brian Helgeland, starring Heath Ledger, Benno Fürmann, Mark Addy, and Shannyn Sossamon. Helgeland directed Ledger, Addy and Sossamon in the 2001 film A Knight's Tale. It was poorly received by critics and was a box office failure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shannyn Sossamon</span> American actress (born 1978)

Shannon Marie Kahololani "Shannyn" Sossamon is an American actress. She has appeared in the films A Knight's Tale (2001), 40 Days and 40 Nights (2002), The Rules of Attraction (2002), The Order (2003), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), The Holiday (2006), Wristcutters: A Love Story (2006), Road to Nowhere (2009), The End of Love (2012), and Sinister 2 (2015).

<i>Road Trip</i> (2000 film) 2000 American film

Road Trip is a 2000 American road sex comedy film directed by Todd Phillips and written by Scot Armstrong and Phillips. The film stars Breckin Meyer, Seann William Scott, Paulo Costanzo, and DJ Qualls as four college friends who embark on an 1,800-mile (2,900 km) road trip to retrieve an illicit tape mistakenly mailed to a girlfriend. The film gathered a cult following over the years.

<i>Undiscovered</i> 2005 film by Meiert Avis

Undiscovered is a 2005 American drama film directed by Meiert Avis. The plot is about a group of aspiring entertainers who intend to establish their careers in Los Angeles. Released on August 26, 2005, the film received a largely negative reception, holding an 8% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 73 reviews. The film also had the record for largest percentage drop-off in ticket sales from its opening weekend to its second weekend in theatrical release, 86.4%, until it was broken by Collide in March 2017.

<i>One Missed Call</i> (2003 film) 2003 Japanese film

One Missed Call is a 2003 Japanese horror film directed by Takashi Miike. The film is based on the novel Chakushin Ari by Yasushi Akimoto. The plot revolves around Yumi Nakamura, a young psychology student whose friend Yoko gets a strange voice message on her cell phone. When Yumi receives a call with the date and time of her death, she struggles to save herself and learn the truth behind the calls.

<i>Devour</i> (film) 2005 American film

Devour is a 2005 American horror film directed by David Winkler.

<i>Wristcutters: A Love Story</i> 2006 American black comedy movie

Wristcutters: A Love Story is a 2006 dark comedy film written and directed by Goran Dukić. It stars Patrick Fugit, Shea Whigham, and Shannyn Sossamon as denizens of a strange afterlife way-station that has been reserved for people who committed suicide. It is based on Etgar Keret's short story "Kneller's Happy Campers." A graphic novel version was titled Pizzeria Kamikaze. The film was produced on an estimated budget of $1 million. It premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and was distributed in limited release on October 19, 2007, before being expanded into wide release on November 2, 2007. Lionsgate Home Entertainment released it on DVD on March 25, 2008. The film received positive reviews and has since garnered a cult following.

<i>One Missed Call 2</i> 2005 Japanese film

One Missed Call 2 is a 2005 Japanese horror film and the sequel to the 2004 J-Horror film One Missed Call.

<i>Catacombs</i> (2007 film) 2007 American film

Catacombs is a 2007 American horror film directed by Tomm Coker and David Elliot, starring Shannyn Sossamon and Pink. The plot follows a young woman attempting to find her way out of the Catacombs of Paris with a killer pursuing her.

<i>Cracks</i> (film) 2009 film

Cracks is a 2009 independent drama film directed by Jordan Scott, starring Eva Green, Juno Temple, María Valverde, and Imogen Poots. It was released theatrically in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 4 December 2009. In the United States, it was released by IFC Films theatrically on 18 March 2011 and premiered on television on Showtime as part of an ongoing pay television broadcast deal with IFC later in the year.

<i>Road to Nowhere</i> (film) 2010 film by Monte Hellman

Road to Nowhere is a 2010 American romance thriller film directed by Monte Hellman, written by Steven Gaydos, and starring Cliff De Young, Waylon Payne, Shannyn Sossamon, Tygh Runyan, and Dominique Swain. It was Hellman's first feature film in 21 years, as well as his final feature film before his death in April 2021.

<i>Chasing Ghosts</i> (2005 film) 2005 American film

Chasing Ghosts is a 2005 mystery film directed by Kyle Dean Jackson, and starring Michael Madsen, Shannyn Sossamon, Gary Busey, Meat Loaf and Michael Rooker.

<i>The Day</i> (2011 film) 2011 Canadian film

The Day is a 2011 Canadian post-apocalyptic film directed by Douglas Aarniokoski. The film stars Ashley Bell, Shannyn Sossamon, Dominic Monaghan, Shawn Ashmore and Cory Hardrict. The film premiered on September 16, 2011 at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was released in 12 theaters in the United States on August 29, 2012. It screened theatrically for 16 days and grossed $20,984.

<i>The Lucky One</i> (film) 2012 American film

The Lucky One is a 2012 American romantic drama film directed by Scott Hicks and released in April 2012. It is an adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ 2008 novel of the same name.

<i>The End of Love</i> 2012 American film

The End of Love is a drama film written and directed by Mark Webber. It stars Michael Cera, Amanda Seyfried and Mark Webber. It premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and was released theatrically in the United States on March 1, 2013.

<i>Jack & Diane</i> (film) 2012 film by Bradley Rust Gray

Jack & Diane is a 2012 American romantic horror film written and directed by Bradley Rust Gray and starring Riley Keough and Juno Temple.

<i>Sinister 2</i> 2015 supernatural horror film by Ciarán Foy

Sinister 2 is a 2015 supernatural horror film directed by Ciarán Foy and written by Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill, serving as a sequel to the 2012 film Sinister, and stars James Ransone, reprising his role from the original film, alongside Shannyn Sossamon. The film follows the now ex-deputy as he attempts to put an end to Bughuul's curse, while a boy is being tormented by the entity's previous victims who lived in the house where he, his twin brother, and mother now reside, hiding from his abusive father. Unlike the first film, which utilized 8 mm film in the story's home movies and snuff films, this film utilized 16 mm film, vinyl records, and ham radio broadcasts in the film's storyline.

<i>Save Yourselves!</i> 2020 American science fiction comedy film

Save Yourselves! is a 2020 American science fiction comedy film written and directed by Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson, and starring John Paul Reynolds and Sunita Mani. The film premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. It was released on October 2, 2020, by Bleecker Street.

<i>Ghost Light</i> (2018 film) 2018 American film

Ghost Light is a 2018 American horror comedy film directed by John Stimpson and written by Stimpson and Geoffrey Taylor. Starring Roger Bart, Tom Riley, Shannyn Sossamon, Danielle Campbell, Carol Kane, and Cary Elwes, the film follows a travelling Shakespeare troupe whose production of Macbeth falls victim to the play's superstitious curse. The title of the film refers to the electric light left on stage while a theater is unoccupied.

<i>Grimcutty</i> 2022 film by John Ross

Grimcutty is a 2022 monster horror film written and directed by John Ross. The film stars Sara Wolfkind, Shannyn Sossamon, Usman Ally, and Callan Farris. It was produced by 20th Digital Studio and Capture. Grimcutty was released on Hulu in United States, on Star+ in Latin America, and on Disney+ internationally. The film generally received negative reviews from critics.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "One Missed Call (EN)". Lumiere. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "'One Missed Call' at". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  3. ↑ "One Missed Call (2008)". Rotten Tomatoes. 2008.
  4. 1 2 "One Missed Call". Upcoming Horror Movies. 2008. Archived from the original on January 6, 2008. Retrieved January 4, 2008.
  5. ↑ "Business Details for One Missed Call". IMDB. January 4, 2008. Retrieved January 5, 2008.
  6. ↑ "Filming Locations for One Missed Call". IMDb. Retrieved January 5, 2008.
  7. ↑ "Margaret Cho On One Missed Call". Splatter Films. Archived from the original on January 8, 2008. Retrieved January 5, 2008.
  8. ↑ "Ed Harris and Gabriel Byrne Join Cast". countingdown.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2008. Retrieved January 4, 2008.
  9. 1 2 3 "One Missed Call Official Site". Warner Bros. 2008. Retrieved January 4, 2008.
  10. ↑ "CONTEST: Win Gigantic Prizes from One Missed Call!". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on December 8, 2008. Retrieved January 5, 2008.
  11. ↑ "'One Missed Call' Contest – WIN An iPhone!!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved January 5, 2008.
  12. ↑ "One Missed Call pushed back to 2008". countingdown.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2008. Retrieved January 4, 2008.
  13. ↑ "Watch the Trailer For "One Missed Call" Online Now!". countingdown.com. Archived from the original on September 5, 2007. Retrieved January 5, 2008.
  14. ↑ "First Official Poster For One Missed Call". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on October 17, 2007. Retrieved January 5, 2008.
  15. ↑ "New 'One Missed Call' Stills Fail to Impress, Again". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved January 5, 2008.
  16. ↑ "Critical Consensus: Atonement is Certified Fresh, One Missed Call Not Screened". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  17. ↑ "One Missed Call". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  18. ↑ One Missed Call at Metacritic OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg Retrieved October 30, 2012
  19. ↑ Carr, Kevin (January 4, 2008). "Review: One Missed Call". Film School Rejects. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved January 5, 2008.
  20. ↑ Covert, Colin (January 4, 2008). "'One Missed Call' dials wrong number". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on October 12, 2012. Retrieved January 5, 2008.
  21. ↑ Monaghan, John (January 4, 2008). "MOVIE REVIEW: The ghost men always ring twice". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on January 17, 2008. Retrieved January 5, 2008.
  22. ↑ Moore, Roger (January 4, 2008). "One Missed Call (2 stars out of 5)". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  23. ↑ Pais, Matt (December 28, 2007). "If Death asks for your number, just say you're not dating right now". Chicago Metromix. Archived from the original on January 7, 2008. Retrieved January 5, 2008.
  24. ↑ "One Missed Call". One Guy's Opinion. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved January 5, 2008.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.