The Night Caller (1998)

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

This was listed On Demand as a serial killer story set in Paris, so a few minutes in I realized it was the wrong movie. However, I was already so captivated by Tracy Nelson's performance as the mentally unbalanced wallflower, I watched it all the way through. I was mesmerized by the way Nelson applied just the right blend of childlike psychosis and pitiable innocence. Shanna Reed is an excellent co-star as the unwittingly influential radio therapist.The script is reminiscent of films like "The Little girl Who Lives Down the Lane," with a hint of "Misery" thrown in. You find yourself at times rooting for the villain, again due in no small part to the exemplary acting. The action sequences are creatively staged, shot and choreographed, and the production values are excellent.I was also pleasantly surprised to see celebrity cameos by JJ Cohen (Back to the Future) and Rance Howard. I recommend this forgotten mini-classic for a quick, eerie treat!

Tracy Nelson, who couldn't give a bad performance if she tried, takes center stage in NIGHT CALLER, a neat little no-budget thriller about a deranged woman who becomes obsessed with a radio talk show host and who will let no one come between her and her new "friend." As Nelson worms her way into the life of her radio lady, the bodies begin to pile up like cord wood. Nelson is on in almost every scene, and captivates as the sad, delusional child of a drunken, physically abusive father and a bossy, overbearing mother. The killings, of which there are plenty and at least one of which is quite bloody, are mostly inventive and almost whimsical, as the movie is not to be taken seriously for one minute. Nevertheless, Nelson makes a believable, and at at times sympathetic, psychopath. This is no THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE, and in truth Nelson is no Rebecca DeMornay, but NIGHT CALLER is still eminently watchable. Interestingly, Nelson's two co-stars in this (Shanna Reed as the radio lady and Cyndi Pass as a co worker) were both former dancers of a certain type. You can easily tell. This is one of those B flicks Hollywood turns out by the hundreds every year that keep a lot of erstwhile adult video stars employed.

*** SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS***OK, I know this movie is marketed in the thriller genre, but it never came close to scaring me. Well there was the ear-piercing scene which I found slightly graphic, but other than that it was mostly laughs (except for the sad ending which I won't give away). This movie focuses on a young woman approximately in her early thirties named Beth Needham (played by Tracy Nelson). It's hard not to feel sorry for Beth. She has no self esteem, having been berated and ridiculed her entire life by everybody she knew, especially her mean invalid mother (played by Eve Sigall) whom Beth is forced to take care of (the most thankless job you'll ever witness). Beth has worked the graveyard shift in a convenience store under the manager Larry Brill, who is a total jerk. The only solace Beth finds in her unhappy life is in a radio call-in show hosted by psychologist Lindsey Roland (Shanna Reed). Dr. Lindsey focuses on self esteem issues mostly, and her advice has more than intrigued Beth (who calls herself "Stupid Beth" whenever she spills coffee or whatever). One night, Beth summons the courage to call the show (inspired in part to a vision of Dr. Lindsey encouraging her to call). After the call (where Lindsey has told Beth she's "Really something special"), Beth lashes out at Brill, getting fired from her job (even though Beth says she quit). Beth threatens him with a knife then runs out of the store. When she returns home she's further berated by "Mama" for losing her job. When Mama rudely requests an oxygen tank to replace the one that's empty (she has emphysema or something), Beth does not bring it and lets her die. Beth now has the time to become closer to Dr. Lindsey with Mama dead and her crappy job** history. She does everything possible, including going to work for Lindsey's answering service, babysitting her son and making a generous donation to a charity Lindsey is working for. However, when anybody gets in the way of their budding friendship, Beth will not have it, even if it means killing them. What makes it so funny is how she kills her victims, calling them names like "Snoopy Poopy" and "Baboon Butt" in the process. What I found amazing was how Beth was able to kill people and get away with it *every time*. Not bad for a self-hating retard (as she put it)!Check it out. It's a fun movie to watch.And Beth will make you laugh.

It's hard to come up with a totally original idea in the thriller genre, so it's forgivable if a movie's plot is familiar as long as the execution is good. But when your thriller bears a superficial resemblance to a well-known classic like 'Play Misty for Me,' it better have something of its own to recommend it. 'The Night Caller' falls way, way short.Tracy Nelson has that haunted, hungry look that's well suited to one playing a mentally disturbed person, but she's not a good enough actress to pull this one off. Actually, any actress would have a hard time making this character work in this mess. The screenwriters decided to make it easy on themselves and the audience by having Nelson's character talk out loud to herself throughout the film, explaining everything and saving them some work. It degenerates from a just-below-par effort to a fiasco as the story nears the end. I'd avoid it.