The Caller (2011)
I sought out The Caller because of how much I enjoyed its Vietnamese remake. Although the poster looks about as generic as you can get for a horror movie, the premise is ingenious. This is an inventive horror film that differs significantly from the film it inspired, meaning you can watch both and hardly feel like anything is repeated.
Mary Kee (Rachelle Lefevre) has moved into a new apartment to escape her abusive ex-husband (Ed Quinn). On her first day, she receives a strange phone call from Rose (Lorna Raver), whom she eventually realizes is living in the past. Though separated by decades, they form an unlikely friendship. When Rose becomes obsessed with Mary and threatens to alter her past if she doesn’t do as she says, Mary is held hostage by someone who may not even be alive today.
I love this concept because it makes the film different from other stalker horror stories. Mary is being stalked and tormented but there's no going to the police here. Even if Mary could track down Rose in the present, it’s not like that would do anything. Locking her up in a closet today doesn't change yesterday. Calling Rose to tell her the balance of power has changed and all she has to do is alter the future. How do you fight back against someone with that kind of power?
One glimmer of hope keeps the suspense burning even brighter than it would normally. Mary is against another human being and her future state must give her some advantages. Unfortunately, there's the matter of her ex-husband, who seems to have a gift for showing up at the worst time and poses yet another threat.
Ultimately, The Call is the better movie because of the ending. The Caller doesn’t fully utilize its premise during the conclusion, which is disappointing. It doesn't mean you need to pick only one, however. The two are so different you could be convinced the similarities are nothing more than coincidence. What this film does well certainly makes it worth seeing. The best scare comes in a scene in which Mary looks through the old photo album and notices some of the photos have suddenly changed. It’s such an unsettling visual but outside of the context, what are you seeing, really? It’s not like it’s a ghost or a demonic visage popping up, it’s simply a hint of an ordinary-looking person faraway. Seeing that one shot makes you paranoid for the whole movie. Whenever the camera goes outside, you’ll constantly look in the background, wondering if that one person in the distance is present-day Rose coming to finish the job she started years ago.
Although The Caller becomes conventional during its final act, you won’t mind too much. Its ideas are so good you just want to see what's next. This goes to show that with a proper spin, an idea we've seen before becomes wholly new. (December 1, 2020)
