Hello again, horrorphiles! Welcome to another edition of Underrated Horror Movie of the Month. If you are new here, allow me to explain. Twice each month, on the second and fourth Friday, I talk about a horror movie I feel is underrated and underloved. In this edition, I am talking about the 2008 film One Missed Call. Join me if you dare.

About One Missed Call

What will it sound like when you die? What if you got a phone call from your future self with the day, time and possibly even how you would die? That is precisely what happens in One Missed Call. When a young woman suddenly passes away, her friends start getting strange calls. An unknown ringtone plays, and your voice is on the other end when you answer.

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Beth (Shannyn Sossamon) is still reeling from her friend’s death when she gets the dreaded call. Soon, she meets Detective Jack Andrews (Edward Burns), whose sister was, perhaps, the first victim of the evil call. Together, they begin investigating the real cause behind what is happening. From where are the calls originating? What do they mean? Some calls are better left unanswered…

One Missed Call phrase "Every day 2 billion cellphones ring..."

Ana Claudia Talancón, Johnny Lewis, Azura Skye, Meagan Good and Ray Wise also star. Eric Valette directed the film, and Andrew Klavan wrote the American screenplay. The story is based on a novel titled Chakushin ari by Yasushi Akimoto. Minako Daira wrote the Chakushin ari screenplay.

One Missed Call has a shocking zero percent Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 29 percent Audience Score.

Fun fact: This film is an American remake of a Japanese horror movie based on a horror book. Both are titled Chakushin ari. The Japanese film released in 2003 and was followed by several sequels and a television series.

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Weird fact: One of the actors, Johnny Lewis, passed away only four years after this film released. In his own real-life horror story, he was found having either fallen or jumped off the roof and is believed to have murdered his elderly landlady.

My Thoughts

First, I want to say that it boggles my mind that One Missed Call has a zero percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Is it an award-winning film? No, but it deserves more than a zero. The original Japanese version is better. However, this version is worth watching at least once.

The first thing to look at is the story. It focuses on the unknown, what you can’t see. Throughout the movie, the audience follows the characters on many twists and turns. They’re proven wrong whenever they think they have figured everything out. It is easy to see some of the twists, but it is still a fun ride.

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When it comes to the acting, I have no complaints. Sossamon does an excellent job with the constant ups and downs, the terror trailing behind her the whole way. My one complaint is that, to me, Sossamon and Burns have very little onscreen chemistry. They are supposed to be falling for each other and relying on each other, but it feels too forced.

There are a lot of “big” dramatic effects that are decent. The kills are extreme and a bit reminiscent of Final Destination. Each one is somewhat off the wall and unexpected but brutal. It does not show a lot of gore; instead, it is more shock value. For example, a pole impales someone, and you see the instrument go into the chest and a bit of blood, then the camera view changes.

Final Thoughts

It is a fun horror movie if you don’t compare One Missed Call to its predecessor or take it too seriously. If you have not seen it, I encourage you to give it a watch. 

Is that a phone ringing? The ringtone sounds weird; maybe you should let it go to voicemail.

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Another underrated horror movie in books. Check out the trailer below, and let me know in the comments which movie I should feature next.

Stay spooky!

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