Murder by Phone

1982 "A madman pushes a button and kills by phone. Would you answer?"
5.4| 1h30m| R| en| More Info
Released: 01 December 1982 Released
Producted By: Canadian Film Development Corporation
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

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.

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Canadian Film Development Corporation

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Reviews

Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.
Helloturia I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.
Aubrey Hackett While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.
Freeman This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.
kapelusznik18 ***SPOILERS*** Richard Chamberlain looking like a Chuck Norris clone is ecologically minded Teronto collage professor Nat Bridger who's out to solve the murder of one of his students Connie Lawson, Lenore Zann,who was killed by answering a public telephone at the Toronto Museum subway station. What happened was that Connie had her brains blown out after answering the phone that exploded like a hand grenade. Nat soon finds out that a number of other people died the same way who had no connection to each other! And is determined to find out if this is some kind of insane plot by the phone company to get people to pay their phone bills or just some psycho getting his kicks or rocks off by terrorizing the people for his own sick entertainment.With the help of artist Ridley Taylor,Sara Botsford, whom he met at an local art exhibit Nat tries to track down the phone killer who by then has murdered-by phone-some half dozen people. That included Art's mentor and good friend Prof. Stanley Markowitz, John Houseman, whom we later find out knew a lot more then he let on to who was behind the "Phone Murders". ****SPOILERS*** Much like the 1977 Charles Bronson thriller "Telefon" where the phone was used to activate those who answered it to commit mass murder the movie "Bells" or "Murder by Phone" uses the everyday land line telephone, cell phones were not that readily available back then in 1982, as the murder weapon itself. And it's victims are anyone who's unlucky enough to answer the killer phone! The big surprise is that the killer was an ex-phone company employee who felt that phones were taking over his life and, by ringing all day and night, keeping him form among other things getting a good night's sleep. It's his very invention that ended up killing a number of innocent people that in the end did him in with the help of Nat-Who also turned out to be an electronic expert- hooking his phone up to the device and getting him to answer it.
MartinHafer The technology in "Murder By Phone" (also called "Bells") is impossible. You just have to set that aside and watch the film without questioning...and if you do, you will very likely enjoy this Canadian film.You see the girl die at the beginning of the film. She receives a phone call and when she answers it, her eyes begin to bleed, she shakes and then the phone explodes! Nat Bridger (Richard Chamberlain) investigates the case and almost immediately he comes upon very nasty and awful phone company reps...who do everything they can to frustrate his investigation. Not to be deterred, he presses on...and ultimately learn that a weird machine has been created that can be used to kill by phone! The biggest shortcoming of this film is that so many folks want to stop Bridger...and since he's only one guy, why didn't they just kill him?! Too easy to laugh off...but still kinda fun in a mindless sort of way.
BaronBl00d Canadian horror film starring Richard Chamberlain as a professor out to prove a conspiracy exists in a huge phone company as they cover up a mad killer that uses high-pitch frequencies on the phone to kill people. The movie resembles Coma with its thriller-like atmosphere and its one person against the world protagonist. As thrillers go, the film is pretty enjoyable, although it is definitely short on logic. You really will need to suspend some disbelief here. Michael Anderson directs(quite a ways down from directing Around the World in Eighty Days if you ask me...which you didn't) with some polish and flair, using the materials he is given to their best. John Houseman is somewhat wasted in the film, but his verbal reparte with Chamberlain is quite amusing. Chamberlain is adequate in the lead. The special effects are...well, not too impressive. Some of the death scenes are over-acted and over-directed, and unintentionally amusing.
CooperCom 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. RecommendedI give it 8 out of 10