The star of "The Caller" is a beguiling, personable young actress named Rachelle Lefevre and her unpretentious acting is one of several things that catapult this little glossed-over gem from the catacombs of third-rate horror. It is a much more imagination - and yes, creepy - supernatural flick than a lot of the junk we've gotten lately ("The Last Exorcism," "Needle," to name a few). It's not immensely scary, but it's playfully off-putting and very fun to look at.
The movie was promisingly directed by a man named Matthew Parkhill, who appears to have a cinematic fetish for trick focus. There is hardly a shot in "The Caller" (or maybe none at all!) where both the foreground and background are focused and defined. There are even fewer where it tricks back and forth. Parkhill likes to have either the background in focus, or the foreground. But not both. It's an unusual rhythm, but not an ostentatiously lofty one either. And it is effectively used, particularly in his dolly shots, where we see little objects like phone cords or coffee mugs sharp and clear while the petrified protagonist quarrels with her unseen stalker.
The said creep is a mysterious old lady who is only present via untraceable phone calls. Rachelle Lefevre plays her on-the-bum character with an easygoing dryness as a recent divorcée moving into a ramshackle apartment. She is hounded by the titular "caller" who insists that her lover still lives there. The plot needs a whole lot more complicated from here, but not ridiculously so. It's not being complicated for the sake of being complicated. Rather, it's being complicated just to be interesting. Movies with that sort of attitude are rare these days; most of them just want to brow-beat the audience with plot twists until you need a notepad to follow everything.
"The Caller" is not a hair-raiser; it's not intensely scary. Granted, it does have a few good shock moments and some even better suspense. But those who favor biting their nails and running from the screen are liable to be disappointed. But the primary reason why it comes across so effectively, and director Parkhill and screenwriter Sergio Casci are owed big credit for this, is that it aims just for being creepy. Lefevre's personable performance allows the audience to get into the shoes of the victim being tormented, as opposed to the killer, and when things start turning for the bizarre, we are allowed to sympathize with her.
The picture is not flawless. The ending is lopsided and not as ambiguous and it would like to be and there is an utterly pointless sex scene that interrupts an otherwise fascinating romantic subplot. But as a totality, "The Caller" is a joyfully enjoyable little horror flick.
The movie was promisingly directed by a man named Matthew Parkhill, who appears to have a cinematic fetish for trick focus. There is hardly a shot in "The Caller" (or maybe none at all!) where both the foreground and background are focused and defined. There are even fewer where it tricks back and forth. Parkhill likes to have either the background in focus, or the foreground. But not both. It's an unusual rhythm, but not an ostentatiously lofty one either. And it is effectively used, particularly in his dolly shots, where we see little objects like phone cords or coffee mugs sharp and clear while the petrified protagonist quarrels with her unseen stalker.
The said creep is a mysterious old lady who is only present via untraceable phone calls. Rachelle Lefevre plays her on-the-bum character with an easygoing dryness as a recent divorcée moving into a ramshackle apartment. She is hounded by the titular "caller" who insists that her lover still lives there. The plot needs a whole lot more complicated from here, but not ridiculously so. It's not being complicated for the sake of being complicated. Rather, it's being complicated just to be interesting. Movies with that sort of attitude are rare these days; most of them just want to brow-beat the audience with plot twists until you need a notepad to follow everything.
"The Caller" is not a hair-raiser; it's not intensely scary. Granted, it does have a few good shock moments and some even better suspense. But those who favor biting their nails and running from the screen are liable to be disappointed. But the primary reason why it comes across so effectively, and director Parkhill and screenwriter Sergio Casci are owed big credit for this, is that it aims just for being creepy. Lefevre's personable performance allows the audience to get into the shoes of the victim being tormented, as opposed to the killer, and when things start turning for the bizarre, we are allowed to sympathize with her.
The picture is not flawless. The ending is lopsided and not as ambiguous and it would like to be and there is an utterly pointless sex scene that interrupts an otherwise fascinating romantic subplot. But as a totality, "The Caller" is a joyfully enjoyable little horror flick.