The Calling (2014)

Detective Hazel Micallef hasn't had much to worry about in the sleepy town of Fort Dundas until a string of gruesome murders in the surrounding countryside brings her face to face with a serial killer driven by a higher calling.

Director:

Jason Stone

Writers:

Scott Abramovitch, Michael Redhill (novel) (as Inger Ash Wolfe)

Stars:

Susan Sarandon, Gil Bellows, Ellen Burstyn

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Susan Sarandon	...	Hazel Micallef
Gil Bellows	...	Detective Ray Green
Ellen Burstyn	...	Emily Micallef
Topher Grace	...	Ben Wingate
Donald Sutherland	...	Father Price
Christopher Heyerdahl	...	Simon
Kevin Parent	...	Spere
Katy Breier	...	Melanie Cartwright
Paulino Nunes	...	Officer Mathieson
Ted Whittall	...	Ian Mason
Amanda Brugel	...	Officer Vongarner
John Ralston	...	Andrew Pederson
Natalie Radford	...	Glynnis Pederson
Alex Poch-Goldin	...	Bob Chandler
Ella Ballentine	...	Rose Batten

Storyline

Detective Hazel Micallef hasn't had much to worry about in the sleepy town of Fort Dundas until a string of gruesome murders in the surrounding countryside brings her face to face with a serial killer driven by a higher calling.

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Plot Keywords:

serial killer | house fire | bouquet | tied to a chair | praying | 

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Taglines:

Pray for the Prey

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violent content, disturbing images and some language

Details

Country:

USA Canada UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 August 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

El llamado

Filming Locations:

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Stage 6 Films, Manis Film, Breaking Ball Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

At the end father Price says the Protestant version of The Our Father, not the Catholic version.

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Goofs

At the end, the Vancouver PD is dispatched to some apparently remote point in BC. It doesn't make sense to have the Vancouver police well outside their jurisdiction.

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Quotes

Hazel Micallef: I want my mom.
Ben Wingate: Wow. These drugs must be working.

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Connections

References Clue (1985)

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Soundtracks

And I Know You
Written by Michael Poskanzer
Performed by The Treasures

User Reviews

Serial Killing for Salvation

Set in the wintry rural wasteland of Canada, 'The Calling' could be the bastard child of 'Fargo' and 'Omen'. The film begins with depressed, alcoholic, pill-popping Sheriff Hazel roused from her suicidal daydreams by the mutilated corpse of an elderly female acquaintance. After Hazel discovers several other mutilated remains have been scattered around the frozen countryside, she begins to suspect a deranged serial killer is on the prowl in her precinct. Scoffed at by her superior, she marshals the small town's oddball duo of police officers and their perky receptionist to catch themselves a predator. Before too long, Hazel and her team are sipping strong black coffee in their cruisers and detecting like big city gumshoes.

The script reveals some glaring holes as Hazel's investigations uncover an occult connection linking the killings, but decent acting papers over some of these threadbare patches. When a few of the loose ends are tied up at the conclusion, the killer turns out to be a routine lunatic, and the rationale for his murderous activities is the standard silliness for this genre of film.