The Fantasist (1986)

When an Irish woman moves from the suburbs to Dublin, she begins receiving phone calls from a stranger. Coincidentally, the city is being plagued by a serial killer who uses this method to ... See full summary »

Director:

Robin Hardy

Writers:

Robin Hardy, Patrick McGinley (novel)

Stars:

Moira Sinise, Christopher Cazenove, Timothy Bottoms

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Moira Sinise	...	Patricia Teeling (as Moira Harris)
Christopher Cazenove	...	Inspector McMyler
Timothy Bottoms	...	Danny Sullivan
John Kavanagh	...	Robert Foxley
Mick Lally	...	Uncle Lar
Bairbre Ní Chaoimh	...	Monica Quigley (as Bairbre Ni Chaoimh)
Jim Bartley	...	Hugh Teeling (as James Bartley)
Deirdre Donnelly	...	Fionnuala Sullivan
Liam O'Callaghan	...	Farrelly
Ronan Wilmot	...	Patricia's Father
May Giles	...	Patricia's Mother
Se Ledwidge	...	Patsy Teeling
Gabrielle Reidy	...	Kathy O'Malley
Agnes Bernelle	...	Mrs. O'Malley
Seamus Forde	...	Mr. Mullally

Storyline

When an Irish woman moves from the suburbs to Dublin, she begins receiving phone calls from a stranger. Coincidentally, the city is being plagued by a serial killer who uses this method to lure his victims in. Even though she is aware of this, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to this man. Will she be the next victim of the "Phone Call Killer"?

---

Plot Keywords:

murder of a nude woman | murder | serial killer | phone terror | telephone terror | 

---

Genres:

Thriller

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Ireland UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

August 1986 (UK)

Also Known As:

A titokzatos telefonáló

Filming Locations:

Dublin, Ireland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Incorporated Television Company (ITC),New Irish Film Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Moira Sinise was originally credited as Moira Harris .

---

Quotes

Detective: [speculating on sex-killer's identity while inspecting murder scene] He's... unlikely to be a missionary.

---

Connections

Featured in Katarina's Nightmare Theater: The Fantasist (2012)

User Reviews

Has nothing on The Wicker Man! (or entertaining films in general)

I saw this movie for one reason and one reason only and, probably like everyone else who has seen it, that reason is because the film is directed by Robin Hardy; the man behind the all-time cult classic 'The Wicker Man'. I honestly have no idea how a man behind such a great film as The Wicker Man could end up directing something as crap as this. The Fantasist does not have a very good reputation, and that's hardly surprising as this film is completely boring. It was thirteen years between the release of this film and Robin Hardy's classic, but I actually believe that shooting for The Fantasist began in 1974, only production was slow as the cast and crew kept on falling asleep during shooting! The film takes place in Ireland and follows an Irish woman who moves to Dublin. It's not long before she begins receiving obscene phone calls from a stranger, and (coincidently?) there also happens to be a killer on the loose known as 'The Phone Call Killer'. Most people in that situation would change their phone number, but our heroine is drawn to the mystery caller instead...

The film starts off slowly but any hopes of it getting better are quickly dashed when it becomes quite clear that the pace is never going to pick up. This movie will grind you down; such is the sheer boredom on display. The film could be termed a slasher since people get sliced and diced, but it seems that Robin Hardy wanted it to be a bit more than just a slasher, and it's backfired horribly as there is no interest created around the central premise which absolutely kills it. Robin Hardy also had no luck in the casting department either as American actress Moira Harris fails to convince or generate any sympathy from the audience. The Wicker Man was a largely aesthetic affair with the picturesque island featuring strongly as well as the standout ending; but there's nothing like that here; all the locations are dreary and drab and that adds to the intense torture that is The Fantasist. Hardy probably wanted the movie to be a bit steamy and while there are brief flashes of nudity, the film certainly isn't sexy (though a sequence that sees the killer undress a girl with his knife is one of the few memorable moments). It all boils down to a stupid and predictable ending and overall, I would not recommend this rubbish even to hardcore fans of The Wicker Man.