Best Movies with Phone Terror

by d_smojver | created - 25 Nov 2013 | updated - 3 months ago | Public

These titles are probably the greatest movies with phone terror ever made!

Some of them scared the sh*t out of me, mostly because of their atmosphere (Black Christmas, The Ring, Black Sabbath, The Caller (2011)...), some of them are very intelligent (Sorry, Wrong Number, Phone Booth, Voice of a Murderer, Midnight Lace...) and most of them are exciting and entertaining.

My other lists:

Asian Horror Movies

Best Horror Remakes


Horror Antologies I Have Seen

Most Important Horror Movies Ever Made

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1. Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)

Approved | 89 min | Drama, Film-Noir, Mystery

While on the telephone, an invalid woman overhears what she thinks is a murder plot and attempts to prevent it.

Director: Anatole Litvak | Stars: Barbara Stanwyck, Burt Lancaster, Ann Richards, Wendell Corey

Votes: 12,544

A great mix of thriller, drama & film-noir!

2. Ringu (1998)

Not Rated | 96 min | Horror, Mystery

A reporter and her ex-husband investigate a cursed video tape that is rumored to kill the viewer seven days after watching it.

Director: Hideo Nakata | Stars: Nanako Matsushima, Miki Nakatani, Yûko Takeuchi, Hitomi Satô

Votes: 77,397

What an eerie sound over the phone!

3. Speed (1994)

R | 116 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller

78 Metascore

A young police officer must prevent a bomb exploding aboard a city bus by keeping its speed above 50 mph.

Director: Jan de Bont | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock, Joe Morton

Votes: 391,443 | Gross: $121.25M

One of the most exciting movies of all time!

4. Phone Booth (2002)

R | 81 min | Crime, Thriller

56 Metascore

Publicist Stuart Shepard finds himself trapped in a phone booth, pinned down by an extortionist's sniper rifle. Unable to leave or receive outside help, Stuart's negotiation with the caller leads to a jaw-dropping climax.

Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Colin Farrell, Kiefer Sutherland, Forest Whitaker, Radha Mitchell

Votes: 285,541 | Gross: $46.57M

Very good low budget movie with a great ending!

5. The Ring (2002)

PG-13 | 115 min | Horror, Mystery

57 Metascore

A journalist must investigate a mysterious videotape which seems to cause the death of anyone one week to the day after they view it.

Director: Gore Verbinski | Stars: Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, Brian Cox, David Dorfman

Votes: 374,657 | Gross: $129.13M

6. Black Christmas (1974)

R | 98 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

65 Metascore

During their Christmas break, a group of sorority girls are stalked by a stranger.

Director: Bob Clark | Stars: Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, John Saxon

Votes: 48,301 | Gross: $4.05M

This is the movie with THE MOST FRIGHTENING PHONE CALLS EVER! Those phone calls include animal voices, screaming, sexual threats and much, much more. Check out this one and you will be scared to death.

7. Voice of a Murderer (2007)

13+ | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

One day, the only son of famous news anchor HAN Kyung-bae, disappears without a trace. Soon, the kidnapper calls the mother demanding a $100,000 ransom. The police assign a veteran ... See full summary »

Director: Park Jin-Pyo | Stars: Sol Kyung-gu, Kim Nam-ju, Gang Dong-won, Kim Yeong-cheol

Votes: 2,200

8. Telefon (1977)

PG | 102 min | Action, Crime, Drama

A Russian officer is sent to the U.S. to try and stop sleeper agents who will mindlessly attack government entities when they hear certain coded words.

Director: Don Siegel | Stars: Charles Bronson, Lee Remick, Donald Pleasence, Tyne Daly

Votes: 6,238

9. The Caller (2011)

R | 92 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

A young divorcee is getting her life back together by moving into an apartment. But what will she do when a strange person repeatedly calls her, and threatens to change her new life around?

Director: Matthew Parkhill | Stars: Rachelle Lefevre, Stephen Moyer, Lorna Raver, Ed Quinn

Votes: 12,124

10. Scream (1996)

R | 111 min | Horror, Mystery

66 Metascore

A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a masked killer who targets her and her friends by using scary movies as part of a deadly game.

Director: Wes Craven | Stars: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Skeet Ulrich

Votes: 387,982 | Gross: $103.05M

11. Black Sabbath (1963)

Approved | 97 min | Horror

82 Metascore

Boris Karloff hosts a trio of horror stories concerning a stalked call girl, a vampire-like monster who preys on his family, and a nurse who is haunted by her ring's rightful owner.

Director: Mario Bava | Stars: Michèle Mercier, Lidia Alfonsi, Boris Karloff, Mark Damon

Votes: 13,888

Segment 1: The Telephone

12. Midnight Lace (1960)

Approved | 103 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller

60 Metascore

In London, a recently-wed American woman's sanity comes into question after she claims to be the victim of a threatening stalker.

Director: David Miller | Stars: Doris Day, Rex Harrison, John Gavin, Myrna Loy

Votes: 6,022 | Gross: $7.40M

13. When a Stranger Calls (1979)

R | 97 min | Mystery, Thriller

58 Metascore

A psychopathic killer terrorizes a babysitter, then returns seven years later to menace her again.

Director: Fred Walton | Stars: Carol Kane, Charles Durning, Rutanya Alda, Carmen Argenziano

Votes: 14,300 | Gross: $21.41M

This one contains one of the most frightening sentences in the whole movie history!

14. Scream 2 (1997)

R | 120 min | Horror, Mystery

62 Metascore

Two years after the first series of murders, as Sidney acclimates to college life, someone donning the Ghostface costume begins a new string of killings.

Director: Wes Craven | Stars: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Jada Pinkett Smith

Votes: 209,516 | Gross: $101.36M

15. Scream (I) (2022)

R | 114 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

60 Metascore

25 years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, Calif., a new killer dons the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town's deadly past.

Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett | Stars: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Melissa Barrera

Votes: 158,573 | Gross: $81.64M

16. Scream 4 (2011)

R | 111 min | Comedy, Horror, Mystery

52 Metascore

Ten years have passed, and Sidney Prescott, who has put herself back together thanks in part to her writing, is visited by the Ghostface Killer.

Director: Wes Craven | Stars: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Lucy Hale

Votes: 171,030 | Gross: $38.18M

17. Eagle Eye (2008)

PG-13 | 118 min | Action, Mystery, Thriller

43 Metascore

Jerry and Rachel are two strangers thrown together by a mysterious phone call from a woman they have never met. Threatening their lives and family, she pushes Jerry and Rachel into a series of increasingly dangerous situations, using the technology of everyday life to track and control their every move.

Director: D.J. Caruso | Stars: Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, Michael Chiklis

Votes: 195,135 | Gross: $101.11M

18. Ransom (1996)

R | 121 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

61 Metascore

Multi-millionaire Tom Mullen's son is kidnapped, but after initially agreeing to pay the ransom Mullen then decides to use the ransom money as a bounty.

Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Mel Gibson, Gary Sinise, Rene Russo, Brawley Nolte

Votes: 135,372 | Gross: $136.49M

19. The Call (II) (2013)

R | 94 min | Drama, Thriller

51 Metascore

When a veteran 911 operator takes a life-altering call from a teenage girl who has just been abducted, she realizes that she must confront a killer from her past in order to save the girl's life.

Director: Brad Anderson | Stars: Halle Berry, Evie Thompson, Abigail Breslin, Morris Chestnut

Votes: 129,690 | Gross: $51.87M

20. Cellular (2004)

PG-13 | 94 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

60 Metascore

A young man receives an emergency phone call on his cell phone from an older woman. The catch? The woman claims to have been kidnapped, and the kidnappers have targeted her husband and child next.

Director: David R. Ellis | Stars: Kim Basinger, Chris Evans, Jason Statham, William H. Macy

Votes: 105,376 | Gross: $32.00M

21. Handphone (2009)

Not Rated | 137 min | Thriller

Talent manager Seung-min sees Yoon Jin Ah, a rising actress, as his one last hope to turn his life around. Just as Jin-Ah is on the path to stardom, he receives a threat from her former ... See full summary »

Director: Han-min Kim | Stars: Park Yong-woo, Uhm Tae-woong, Park Sol-mi, Bo-yeon Hwang

Votes: 566

22. One Missed Call (2003)

R | 112 min | Horror, Mystery

54 Metascore

People mysteriously start receiving voicemail messages from their future selves, foretelling their deaths.

Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Kô Shibasaki, Shin'ichi Tsutsumi, Kazue Fukiishi, Anna Nagata

Votes: 19,289

You hear your own scream over the phone before your death, what's scarier than that?? Except Black Christmas, of course.

23. Phone (2002)

R | 104 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Investigative reporter Ji-won begins to receive a series of menacing calls. To escape the terrifying and relentless clanging of the telephone, she changes her number and moves out. But the threatening campaign of terror continues unabated.

Director: Byeong-ki Ahn | Stars: Ha Ji-Won, Kim Yu-mi, Woo-jae Choi, Ji-yeon Choi

Votes: 5,291

24. Scream VI (2023)

R | 122 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

61 Metascore

In the next installment, the survivors of the Ghostface killings leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter in New York City.

Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett | Stars: Courteney Cox, Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown

Votes: 118,960

25. The Caller (1987)

R | 97 min | Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller

A woman, living in an isolated cabin, lets a mysterious stranger in to make a phone call.

Director: Arthur Allan Seidelman | Stars: Malcolm McDowell, Madolyn Smith Osborne

Votes: 1,640

26. 88 Minutes (2007)

R | 108 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

17 Metascore

On the day that a serial killer that he helped put away is supposed to be executed, a noted forensic psychologist and college professor receives a call informing him that he has 88 minutes left to live.

Director: Jon Avnet | Stars: Al Pacino, Alicia Witt, Ben McKenzie, Leelee Sobieski

Votes: 78,290 | Gross: $16.93M

27. Cavite (2005)

Not Rated | 80 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

64 Metascore

Flying back to his home country, an American man is informed that his mother and sister have been kidnapped and will be killed if he doesn't comply with certain demands.

Directors: Neill Dela Llana, Ian Gamazon | Stars: Ian Gamazon, Edwin Lagda, Edgar Tancangco, Norma Tancangco

Votes: 678 | Gross: $0.07M

28. Echelon Conspiracy (2009)

PG-13 | 105 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

26 Metascore

At first, the strange phone messages promised great wealth. Soon, though, government agents pursue the young engineer receiving them around the world.

Director: Greg Marcks | Stars: Shane West, Edward Burns, Ving Rhames, Jonathan Pryce

Votes: 19,949 | Gross: $0.50M

29. Liberty Stands Still (2002)

R | 96 min | Action, Drama, Thriller

Liberty, the wife of a gun manufacturer, is held hostage at a hot dog stand by a sniper seeking revenge.

Director: Kari Skogland | Stars: Tanya Allen, Hart Bochner, Fulvio Cecere, Gregory Calpakis

Votes: 8,025

30. Scream 3 (2000)

R | 116 min | Horror, Mystery

56 Metascore

While Sidney and her friends visit the Hollywood set of Stab 3, the third film based on the Woodsboro murders, another Ghostface killer rises to terrorize them.

Director: Wes Craven | Stars: David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Liev Schreiber

Votes: 163,893 | Gross: $89.14M

31. Lady Beware (1987)

R | 108 min | Thriller

23 Metascore

Cute Katya starts as window dresser at a Pittsburgh department store. She dates a reporter. A fan stalks her and is increasingly nasty.

Director: Karen Arthur | Stars: Diane Lane, Michael Woods, Cotter Smith, Tyra Ferrell

Votes: 1,082

32. Lisa (1990)

PG-13 | 95 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller

53 Metascore

A flirtatious teenager with an eye for older men gets more than she bargained for when the handsome stranger she's pursuing turns out to be a serial killer.

Director: Gary Sherman | Stars: Staci Keanan, Cheryl Ladd, D.W. Moffett, Tanya Fenmore

Votes: 2,319 | Gross: $4.35M

33. One Missed Call 2 (2005)

R | 105 min | Horror, Mystery

A Japanese restaurant cook/owner dies after answering his daughter's cellphone. Other people are getting strange, same ringtone calls as well and dying painfully. It happened in Taiwan as well. Can the police stop it if it's a ghost?

Director: Renpei Tsukamoto | Stars: Rie Mimura, Hisashi Yoshizawa, Chisun, Asaka Seto

Votes: 3,624

34. The Night Caller (1998)

R | 91 min | Crime, Drama, Horror

A woman goes to desperate measures to meet a successful radio psychologist, even if it means killing in order to do so.

Director: Robert Malenfant | Stars: Shanna Reed, Tracy Nelson, Mary Crosby, Cyndi Pass

Votes: 522

35. Call Me (1988)

R | 96 min | Drama, Thriller

A journalist agrees to meet an obscene caller at a bar, and ends up witnessing a murder.

Director: Sollace Mitchell | Stars: Patricia Charbonneau, Stephen McHattie, Boyd Gaines, Sam Freed

Votes: 1,026 | Gross: $0.25M



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