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Murder by Phone

  • 1982
  • R
  • 1h 35m
IMDb RATING
5.4/10
984
YOUR RATING
Murder by Phone (1982)
HorrorMysterySci-FiThriller

A disgruntled phone company employee develops a device whereby those answering a phone can be murdered, and it's up to Nat Bridger to stop the killer.A disgruntled phone company employee develops a device whereby those answering a phone can be murdered, and it's up to Nat Bridger to stop the killer.A disgruntled phone company employee develops a device whereby those answering a phone can be murdered, and it's up to Nat Bridger to stop the killer.

  • Director
    • Michael Anderson
  • Writers
    • Michael Butler
    • Dennis Shryack
    • John Kent Harrison
  • Stars
    • Richard Chamberlain
    • John Houseman
    • Sara Botsford
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.4/10
    984
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Michael Anderson
    • Writers
      • Michael Butler
      • Dennis Shryack
      • John Kent Harrison
    • Stars
      • Richard Chamberlain
      • John Houseman
      • Sara Botsford
    • 18User reviews
    • 20Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos11

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    Top cast41

    Edit
    Richard Chamberlain
    Richard Chamberlain
    • Nat Bridger
    John Houseman
    John Houseman
    • Stanley Markowitz
    Sara Botsford
    Sara Botsford
    • Ridley Taylor
    Robin Gammell
    Robin Gammell
    • Noah Clayton
    Gary Reineke
    Gary Reineke
    • Lt. Meara
    Barry Morse
    Barry Morse
    • Fred Waites
    Alan Scarfe
    Alan Scarfe
    • John Websole
    James B. Douglas
    • Jack Gilsdorf
    Ken Pogue
    Ken Pogue
    • Fil Thorner
    Neil Munro
    • Winters
    Jefferson Mappin
    Jefferson Mappin
    • Photographer
    Tom Butler
    Tom Butler
    • Detective Tamblyn
    Colin Fox
    Colin Fox
    • Dr. Alderman
    Luba Goy
    Luba Goy
    • Beth Freemantle
    Lenore Zann
    Lenore Zann
    • Connie Lawson
    Clare Coulter
    Clare Coulter
    • Bag Lady
    George R. Robertson
    George R. Robertson
    • George Lord
    Jo-Anne Hannah
    • Sandra Thorner
    • (as Joann Lang-Hannah)
    • Director
      • Michael Anderson
    • Writers
      • Michael Butler
      • Dennis Shryack
      • John Kent Harrison
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews18

    5.4984
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    Featured reviews

    8CooperCom

    Exciting thriller

    This movie is known under the title "Bells" in my country. Bells is a exciting and unusual thriller about a killer who kills people with the help of the phone (he sends some deadly sounds through the phone). The movie is made with skill and have great & convincing actors who really takes the job serious. The plot is good and makes you feel the tension in the film. Recommended

    I give it 8 out of 10
    7PeterMitchell-506-564364

    Hell's bells

    Alternatively known as Bells, here's an entertaining chiller with two gooder actors for a film that's still a good solid drama/thriller. Certainly something different here, we have a disgruntled nut who used to work for the phone company, taking people out at random, some he personally knows, by upping the voltage so high, their body melts, their ears explode, and are sent flying backwards whether on subways, or from high rise buildings. Richard Chamberlain, of all people, is a professor, who investigates the killings, when one of his best students, is a victim (the first one on the subway). While bedding architect (Sara Botsford- Rats) he teams up with a cop who he first bangs heads with, on the account of his no caring attitude, they try to flush out the killer, who's doing his business from a small electricity house, which is also his abode. John Houseman, an old lecturer and close friend of Chamberlain, has something to hide here, too, which I thought was a good shock point (pardon the expression). I did like the cop in this film, a Frederick Forest type guy, I found a hoot, if the whole film. The death scenes are classics, and we do question if we could really kill someone by upping the amps so high. How they set the killer up, is classic, as is the last call Richard Chamberlain takes, that he shouldn't of. On the whole, Bells is fun viewing for the horror/thriller viewer, though I don't think it will turn you off answering your next call.
    6The_Void

    Cant afford a knife? Why not use the phone instead?

    Given the title, you would expect 'Murder by Phone' to be a silly eighties slasher style flick...and that's actually more or less what it is. The most notable thing about this film is definitely the killer's modus operandi. Most slashers simply feature some guy with a knife, but the killer in this film has decided to go a step further than that and had developed a way to use an ordinary telephone as a murder weapon! Obviously, the whole thing comes off as being more than a little bit silly, but the way that the murders are carried out is amusing enough. The plot centres on these murders and takes the form of an investigative thriller, as our hero, Nat Bridger, begins looking into the death of one of his students. The film is never really all that interesting, but at least it's not boring and there's usually another murder scene just around the corner anyway; though unfortunately, they are pretty much the same. Director Michael Anderson does manage some fairly good moments of suspense, a couple of major characters have close calls (no pun intended) when speaking on the phone and there are various other bits and bobs to keep us interested. I can't say that this is a brilliant film, but it's at least worth a look.
    7Weirdling_Wolf

    'idiosyncratic Canadian shocker'

    Richard Chamberlin makes for an amiable hero in this idiosyncratic Canadian shocker. He plays Nat Bridger, an idealistic, ecologically aware lecturer who eventually discovers through diligent investigation, somewhat incredulously, that a nefarious individual has manufactured a monstrously effective device that turns the once prosaic phone into a conduit of agonizing death! Includes nice support from John Houseman as his crotchety mentor, whose amenable exterior may conceal ulterior motives. 'Bells' might seem to have an entirely implausible premise, but nonetheless manages to coalesce into an efficient, and highly entertaining, early 80s horror; which is lent considerable verisimilitude by Richard Chamberlin's earnest performance. 'Bells' comes highly recommended. 'The very next time the telephone rings, might it in reality be the tolling of your imminent death!'
    6lost-in-limbo

    "You telling me a telephone killed a girl?!"

    Around this period slashers seemed to be in-craze, but coming out where some fairly oddball horror mysteries and the 1982 feature "Bells" just happened to be one of those gritty change of pace experiments. Also known as "Murder by Phone" under a re-edited version. The curiosity is waiting around for the killer's method of weapon. Ingenious, but laughable. Electrocution by phone. And boy do the victims get some air! While it might have that body count formula, instead of something rather primitive, it laced the plot with industrial conspiracies and scientific jargon as an environmentalist professor goes about investigating the deaths, despite no one really believing him when he thinks it's a phone killing people. It did come off being low-key and clever in spots (a cynical script), but this didn't stop it from being rather stilted (romance sub-plot) and at times silly. The problem lied in between the murders, as it wasn't as interesting or captivating like it should have been. Therefore the idea isn't really realised and uneven in its suspenseful build-ups. It was something you might read from a Michael Crichton novel, especially with his interest in technology getting out of control. Richard Chamberlain putting his game face on was sturdy in the lead role and was good support by a classy John Houseman. Sara Botsford feels secondary, but the cast also bestows Alan Scarfe, Barry Morse and a small part for Lenore Zann. Director Michael Anderson's durable handling is slow-grinding, letting the story unfold and atmosphere bubble with sweeping camera-work and John Barry's ominously edgy music score. Sterile, but resourcefully unique 80s horror mystery.

    "If man is going to control his future. His got to learn to control his machinery."

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Known in the UK as "Bells".
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      Nat Bridger: I'll call ya!

    • Crazy credits
      Pictures of telephones, the same ones seen throughout the film, are displayed throughout the concluding credits, which finish with a telephone ringing.
    • Alternate versions
      Murder by Phone is the title of the truncated US release. The original version was entitled Bells, and runs an additional 20 minutes.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Horror of It All (1983)

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    FAQ14

    • How long is Murder by Phone?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 8, 1982 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Canada
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Starkstrom
    • Filming locations
      • Cinespace Film Studios - 11030 Highway 27, Kleinburg, Ontario, Canada(Studio)
    • Production companies
      • Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC)
      • Famous Players
      • Coco Films I
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • CA$5,600,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 35 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono

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