Jan 25, 2025
Don't Answer the Phone! (1980)
"Don't you give a shit about getting this strangler off the streets?"
"What would you prescribe for the man, a firing squad?"
"That's not a bad idea. Mainly I don't want him back on the streets in a few years - or sooner, if some misguided shrink discovers he can find his ass in the dark with both hands."
#don't answer the phone!#strangling tw#violent imagery#video nasty#1980#robert hammer#michael d. castle#michael curtis#james westmoreland#flo lawrence#ben frank#nicholas worth#denise galik#stan haze#gary allen#pamela jean bryant#paula warner#gail jensen#dale kalberg#victor mohica#a procedural indie slasher not unlike (in shape and form) similar movies to meld those themes (The Zodiac Killer or Mardi Gras Massacre#come to mind‚ I've posts on both somewhere). this distinguishes itself by its sheen of professionalism; it's a damn site better looking#than those other two films‚ better written and acted too. don't get me wrong‚ this is still trashy cinema; it's just that it's so#competently made and looks so good that‚ with some minor edits‚ this same script could very easily have been made (for a lot more money) in#the mid 90s as a mainstream psychological thriller. performances are largely pretty strong too‚ particularly Worth's gutsy‚ manic turn as#the killer; sadly most recognisable name Westmoreland is out of kilter with the rest‚ seems bored with the film and faintly embarrassed to#be there. also the location work (shot without permits on the streets of LA) is some impressive guerilla stuff that helps with that#impressive look that sells this film so well. my main confusion was the female lead being a radio psychiatrist#I honestly thought that Frasier had invented the concept‚ it's such a profoundly weird idea to me
