When a phone rings in a horror movie, fans generally know what to expect. The killer is likely on the other line, ready to impart some words of warning or, in some cases, crack a joke that shows their playful side. Whether the main characters are using landlines or cell phones, depending on which decade the film was released in, a ringing sound is never good news.
Phone calls have been part of this genre since the late '70s when a famous slasher film featured this trope. Over the past few decades, phones have become a big and important aspect of many scary movies, and every time, audiences want to scream at the characters to not pick up.
When A Stranger Calls (1979) is a timeless 1970s horror movie that features one of the most famous phone calls in horror movie history. Carole Kane's character, Jill Johnson, is babysitting when she hears the phone ring. A man on the other end of the line asks, "Have you checked the children?" This is from the urban legend called "The babysitter and the man upstairs." Jill is freaked out and learns later that a man named Curt Duncan (Tony Beckley) murdered the kids she was looking after. Years later, Jill and her husband Stephen (Steven Anderson) have a family and defeat Curt, who has been stalking Jill and looking for revenge.
When phone calls appear in horror movies, they serve one purpose: to show that the main character or final girl such as Neve Campbell's Sidney Prescott isn't in control of the situation. Jill is young and innocent, just trying to be a good babysitter, and she realizes that she might not be as safe as she thought.
It wouldn't be a complete history of horror film phone calls without mentioning Scream (1996). When Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore) answers the phone at home, Ghostface asks her favorite scary movie, kicking the story off. Ghostface continues to call Sidney throughout the film, taunting her and trying to scare her, which only pisses Sidney off more, allowing for great character development. These calls allow Scream to be a meta horror movie as the film proves how many villains have used this technology to give little hints and clues about their whereabouts before killing someone who they are talking to. Here, phone calls are used to prove how overdone "the call is coming from inside the house" slasher trope is. Each time, Sidney is able to outrun Ghostface, which is awesome.
The Ghostface killers in Scream love using landlines and while this evokes a certain kind of nostalgia for the '90s, it also allows the slasher franchise to be hilarious. When each Ghostface attemps to sound terrifying, fans have to smile because they're not very good at hiding who they are or avoiding being caught.
The Ring (2002) is a classic 2000s horror movie and uses creepy phone calls in another way. This time, characters watch a confusing videotape and seven days later, their phone rings and they die in a wild way. This works well because an innocent and normal thing like a phone call becomes sinister and a warning of bad things to come. There is also the added layer of the characters being unsure about whether this story could really be true. It seems odd that something part of everyday life like a ringing phone could really spell death.
The Black Phone (2022) is a more recent horror film that uses the idea of a phone call to move the plot but also create character development. While The Black Phone's villain is a letdown as he isn't the most exciting or interesting part of the movie, Finney (Mason Thames) answers the phone in The Grabber's basement lair and hears from the previous victims. The ghosts of these kids give small clues, which helps Finney figure out the truth and also escape. Here, the phone serves as a way for Finney to get useful and necessary information.
The Stephen King Netflix film Mr. Harrigan's Phone also uses the plot point of a terrifying phone call. A teenage boy named Craig (Jaeden Martell) grieves over the loss of his older friend Mr. Harrigan (Donald Sutherland) and then begins receiving text messages from him. This feels strange and scary, especially as people start dying. Here, a cell phone is a magical portal to the other side, which allows Craig to figure out who he wants to be as he goes to college and learns to live without his friend.
When looking back on the history of phone calls in the horror genre, it's clear that this is a well-used trope that should continue. Phones will always serve as ways for final girls to prove their strength when fighting a killer or villain and in some cases, allow characters to talk to those who have passed over. It will be cool to see which new films use phones next.