One Missed Call (2008)
Runtime: 87 mins
Theatrical Release: Jan 4, 2008 Wide
Box Office: $26,812,746
Synopsis: In the tradition of THE RING, THE GRUDGE, DARK WATER, and PULSE, ONE MISSED CALL is yet another moody Japanese ghost story to be adapted for American screens. Originally made by cult director Takashi Miike in 2003 from Yasushi Akimoto's novel CHAKUSHIN ARI, this American version retains the... In the tradition of THE RING, THE GRUDGE, DARK WATER, and PULSE, ONE MISSED CALL is yet another moody Japanese ghost story to be adapted for American screens. Originally made by cult director Takashi Miike in 2003 from Yasushi Akimoto's novel CHAKUSHIN ARI, this American version retains the elements that are sure to please J-Horror fans--jerky apparitions, ghostly children, desperate messages from beyond the grave, possessed electronic devices, and strong female characters. While this remake, which is the debut English-language film from French director Eric Valette, dispenses with some of the freakiness of Miike's version, the creepiness remains. Shannon Sossamon is Beth, a developmental psychology student who has plenty of cause for concern after her friend Leann (Azura Skye) receives a panicked cell phone message from herself days in the future. After Leann falls in front of a train at the same date and time on the message, Beth suspects that she may be next. Beth's fear seems even more justified after her friend Taylor (Ana Claudia Talancon) befalls a similar fate as her phone message is being investigated by a reality TV host (Ray Wise) who specializes in unexplained phenomena. With the help of police chief Jack Andrews (Ed Byrnes), Beth discovers a link between the calls and a deceased mother and daughter. A slow burning ghost tale, ONE MISSED CALL establishes a mood of creepiness before the opening credits and sustains it right through to the conclusion. Instead of major shocks or gore, we're given subtle glimpses of ghostly figures or slightly distorted faces that are effective in creating unease. Sossamon makes a pleasing heroine, and the always excellent Wise makes the most of his small role. Almost old-fashioned in its restraint, the film is a good candidate for family viewing--and spooky enough to give all but the most jaded horror fan goose bumps. [More]
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Starring: Shannyn Sossamon, Edward Burns, Ana Claudia Talancon, Ray Wise, Azura Skye
Screenwriter: Andrew Klavan
Producer: Broderick Johnson, Andrew A. Kosove, Scott Kroopf, Jennie Lew Tugend, Lauren C. Weissman
Composer: Reinhold Heil, Johnny Klimek
DVD Info
Release:
May 13, 2008
HD DVD Features:
- note: This is a HD-DVD/DVD hybrid, playable on HD-DVD and standard DVD players.
- Anamorphic Widescreen
Audio:
- Dolby TrueHD 5.1 - English
- Dolby Digital 5.1 - English, French, Spanish
- Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 - French, Spanish
- Subtitles - English, French, Spanish
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
The call gets through, but the signal is so weak and garbled in the cross-Pacific transit that the message is lost, leaving audience on hold, waiting for scares that never come.
Oooooh, a cell phone that kills! Really? Wow! Some people might find that creepy, but it's just silly isn't it?
The first major release of the year is a complete dud. Shocker!
Estreando como diretor em Hollywood, o francês Eric Valette já se mistura à multidão de cineastas sem personalidade nos primeiros minutos do longa.
...not the worst horror movie I've ever seen, but it is among the more tedious.
Here's the first in what promises to be a series of movies that are "January junk."
Do yourself a favor and go rent any Miike film other than this one. You've got somewhere in the vicinity of 75 from which to choose.
As Lead Belly might sing, to the tune of 'One Meat Ball': 'You get no thrills/ From One Missed Call...'
It’s hard to know what’s scarier—the fact that Asia keeps producing these movies, or that Hollywood keeps on remaking them.
...just another English-language remake of yet another incomprehensible Japanese horror movie.
The temptation exists to call the movie one missed opportunity, but honestly, I don't think anyone involved in this mess ever seriously tried to make something good.
While director Eric Valette fails to do anything with the derivative plot or the interesting cast, he manages an unusual, appealingly quiet tone.
... its 0% Rotten Tomatoes rating is harsh enough to almost make me want to defend it. Almost.
When it comes to scary movies, the Japanese have it figured out. Unfortunately, commercial filmmakers in the United States usually don’t.
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