WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
The undeniable pull of a mystery. When the unexplainable occurs, it would seem to be natural human curiosity that drives the need to figure it all out, to bring resolution, to find peace with discovery. Does anyone ever stop to think that sometimes, you might just not like what you find? Journalist Richard (Bernard Deegan) has just made his way to a tiny town with the desire to seek such answers after being in receipt of a rather strange package containing two particular items. Somehow tied to the disappearance of a young woman named Jane (Rachel Prince), Richard chooses to let a room in the pub where she was last seen.
However, it doesn’t take long for Richard to realize things around the pub and rooms may not be on the up and up. More so, he is constantly hearing a phone ringing, yet every time he goes to investigate it, it either ceases or he is warned off by the pub’s barkeep Paul (Stuart Wheeldon). Ignoring these warnings, Richard keeps trying to dig further into Jane’s disappearance, only to then run afoul of the pub’s eccentric artist owner Max (Nigel Barber). With Max now watching him like a hawk (and creeping him out to no end), Richard still uncovers a sinister truth about events that leads him to a potentially fateful unveiling of exactly what the ringing is all about.
Next, my Mind:
With a clever twist to wrap things up and the style of horror film execution this reviewer prefers overall, writer/director/executive producer/editor/actor Wheeldon delivers a wonderfully engaging horror/thriller that will certainly put you off making any calls from a classic era rotary dial phone. Infusing the atmosphere of the narrative with just the right amounts of tension, creepiness, and even some darkly-toned humor, it all presents just enough mild spooks to keep you wondering what exactly for sure is going on, even if some pieces of it all do get revealed via flashback sequences throughout. By the time the story does come around to its finale, the proceedings take a wickedly good turn, impacting you as the viewer, making you realize that this could actually only be the precursor to further encounters to come, given what might have been unleashed. Between the wonderfully shot visuals and the always important in a horror film accompanying music score, it’s a wonderful bit of twisted fun we’re given.
Barber virtually steals the show here in his role as Max, a very unconventional and quirky fellow whose demeanor and actions assuredly illustrate he’s a complete nut case. Watching as his “interactions” with one of Jane’s dresses for instance to his discovering the object in Richard’s possession that further drives his obsession with her memory all comes fully together when we see the backstory between Max and Jane, as well as the history of the object in question. Max’s increasingly erratic behavior is then topped of by the conversations he randomly has on the phone in his room–the one that rings so commonly–and the reveal is decidedly freaky, so deftly enacted by Barber to the fullest degree. Deegan does his own piece of solid acting as the harried journalist Richard, who like any reporter with a possible story to dive into, wants to keep pushing to find the answers he seeks, no matter what it takes, much less to get involved well over his head and still keep going. Between ghostly encounters and other ominous signs he witnesses or is warned about, he simply can’t let it go, and once he’s found what he’s looking for, well, was the cost worth it? Deegan’s performance is understatedly perfect as the character without question.
Supporting appearances come from Prince as the aforementioned Jane, the object of Max’s obsession both past and present as well as Richard’s entire investigation related to her disappearance. Her appearances in the present are brief and frightful while the flashbacks reveal what lead to her fate, all well played by Prince. Wheeldon gets to shine as the pub’s barkeep Paul who desperately attempts to ward off Richard’s poking into the whole affair for more reasons than one, which again, we see showcased in the film. Additional supporting roles are here from James Cullen, Elizabeth Matterson, and Magnus William Hansen. In total, “The Telephone” is a neat little piece of indie horror film entertainment worth catching a view of. Just remember though, folks, that if you hear that ringing in the distance and decide to explore, if the voice on the other end asks you to hold, please, for your own sake, just hang up!
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
