Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Blistering performances.

An undeservedly forgotten little feature by Empire Pictures. Where has this one been hiding? Instead of relying heavily on special effects, 'The Caller' sticks to an audaciously thought-provoking screenplay and confidently notable performances by its only two, but spellbinding cast members Malcolm McDowell and Madolyn Smith-Osborne.A young lady living in the woods waiting for her guest to arrive for dinner is being unknowingly watched. There's suddenly a knock at the door, but it's a mysterious man who wants to use her phone as his had a car accident. But what follows on from that leads to the two questioning each other's motives and the true meaning of their encounter.It would be an understatement if I called it strangely unconventional, as nothing seems quite what it is and due to that nature it's plain gripping. Watching the battle of wills and wits between McDowell and Smith is brought across with pure intensity, bold authenticity and a touch of sinisterness. As one thinks they have the upper hand, soon it comes crashing down, but the mind games still flow. The true intentions is mystifying on what's going on with these fabrications, up until the unhinged climax (where I can see why it could be a turn off or disappointment of some sort) that really does throw you of course and lands you back at square one. There's no-way any one can find this calculative fodder predictable. Michael Sloane's enduring story is cerebrally crafted as while it's talky, the twisty nature is well observed in its details of the plot and character's progression. The verbal confrontations rally up the unbearable tension and emotional drive. How it plays out is like something out of a stage show and Arthur Allan Seidelman's tautly measured direction lends to that magnifying atmosphere. You truly get the sense that there's on one else about, other then these two (nameless) characters. McDowell's quietly edgy turn is hypnotic and Smith's neurotically vulnerable persona is creditably delivered. Watching these two steadfast performances and their chemistry together was fantastic. The remote woodland setting adds to the isolated and uneasy style of the feature. Richard Band's score is minimal, but titillatingly subtle and eerie.An oddly disorientating and elaborate, if simulating addition to Empire Pictures.

In amongst all the gremlin knock-offs/killer toy crap Charles Band has churned out over the last 20 years, a few surprises have sneaked through - usually to an indifferent audience. No wonder Band sticks to what he knows.....'The Caller' can be counted amongst Band's more valient efforts ('Dark Angel', 'Trancers', 'Shrunken Heads', 'Re-animator', 'Freeway 2', 'From Beyond', 'Ghost Town', 'Prison', 'Crawlspace') - a film that makes an honest effort to transcend the usual DTV crap that dominates the modern movie market. Like the aforementioned efforts, it all comes down to an above average script. And, unusually for a genre film, the two leads seem to be taking all this hokum seriously, which convinces the audience to do the same. MGM (who have owned Empire Pictures' back catalogue for the past 10 years) would be doing genre fans a service were they to re-release true originals like this, rather than garbage like Tim Kincaid's 'Breeders'...

I debated on getting this one for a while, but finally, just gave in and got it. And I thought it was a really cool movie, though the ending was sort of tough to swallow.Madolyn Smith plays a young woman staying at a cabin in the woods, and one night, a man comes to her door asking to use the phone. Yet, you know he has been watching her for quite some time, so the scenes between them are tense from then on.Each day after that, she sees him, and they have these very interesting confrontations. Their interaction--which I am giving nothing away about--is gripping, and sometimes, you wonder which one is really crazy.When the climax of the movie came, the movie got extremely tense, but then it took this weird twist that, though it was a scary idea, came across sort of dumb. Or at least at first. Once it fleshes out a little more, you will either be sort of lost on what kind of movie this is supposed to be, or you will be quite interested. By the end, I thought the idea was very inventive, though not very fleshed out. But when first revealed, I was ready to forget the 90% of truly scary film. I say, see this movie. It will keep you guessing on what's going on until the end, and I guarantee you'll never suspect it. Overall, a good movie.

Fascinating (and undiscovered) mystery/suspense/ thriller concerns a strange woman and her (even stranger?) guest in an isolated cabin in the woods. That's the entire cast, and basically there is only one set. A chilling movie where nothing is what it seems. You spend the entire film trying to discern who the "villain" is. This sort of thing must have impeccable acting to succeed, and does. McDowell is exquisite, the perfect choice.Subsequent viewings are also rewarding, but you watch the movie from a complete different perspective. 2 1/2 of 4 stars on a tough scale.