This made for TV film is based on a novel by John Farris and it's a dreary and uneventful domestic drama, not a thriller, and though only 73 minutes long, it feels endless. The film has no atmosphere or style, and Phillip Leacock's low key direction brings the movie to a halt. The title refers to phone calls from Michael a supposedly dead boy who ought to stay that way. His phone calls are more bothersome than creepy, and the characters' react with so little concern that there is absolutely no sense of urgency or suspense, and the characters are the dullest group of would be suspects ever assembled, and the actors seemed to have phoned in their performances. My advice, If Michael calls, hang up! If you like films featuring menacing phone calls, try Talk Radio, Who Killed Teddy Bear?, Black Christmas, or When a Stranger Calls instead. Even Sorry, Wrong Nuumber or I Saw What You Did! have more substance. Besides being awful, When Michael Calls is outdated. Thank God for caller ID!
Review of When Michael Calls
