Runtime: 97 confounding minutes
Directed by: Arthur Allan Seidelman
Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Madolyn Smith Osborne
From: Empire Pictures
What in the world WAS The Caller?!
I’ve known of The Caller for years, how it’s a true two-hander in that only two actors appear: Malcolm McDowell and Madolyn Smith Osborne, as she’s known as now. However, the details aside from the premise of “a man visits a woman out in the woods, looking to use her telephone as his car’s inoperable” was unknown. Seeing that this was an Empire Productions effort and Charles Band was involved was a major surprise.
I figured the movie was more than its premise… and it was. The first act was off-kilter as they met each other and talked in the house. The second half became bizarre, then the final act was absolute berserk. I’ve hearted some reviews that mutuals made in the past but I did not remember there even was a twist. Imagine my shock…
The big twist (one that makes me proclaim, “Eat your heart out, M. Night Shyamalan!”) was not something that anyone could have predicted, the explanation for why The Caller is increasingly off-the-wall. It does raise more questions than answers, as others have noted… to clarify, it’s typically no issue with me if a movie’s ambiguous or requires the viewer to speculate on certain plot points.
Now, I admit that there are stretches where the movie is spinning its wheels, biding time. The acting was at least quality throughout; McDowell going all outré & bold wasn’t a surprise-I hadn’t seen as many films from Smith but she was BOLD herself, especially as the movie increased its bonkers factor. The picture was well-made in Italy, featuring an appropriate score from Richard Band and subtle moments you might pick up on eventually like I did; that’s one of a few points in its favor.
It'd be a crime to reveal any more; it’s only a lack of attention that it isn’t a bigger cult favorite, despite a Vinegar Syndrome release… which is out of print at the moment. A few mutuals on Letterboxd love the picture—you might as well.
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