Will ‘Cellphone’ (2024) Be A Horror Movie That Makes You Want To Pick Up Or Let It Go To Voicemail?
In the crazy world of horror movies, the troupe of the haunted cell phone has emerged as a bit of a quirky and comedic spin on the supernatural for a modern age. Let’s throw the common formula of the old, haunted house; now it is all about the ghosts haunting your group chats or potentially having the spirits lurking through your social media posts (be sure to lock that camera reel so those NSFW pictures don’t leak online). These films playfully explore the absurdity of our dependency on smartphones and the need to have them with us always, as well as the potential of our phones becoming deadly tools of the supernatural. From ghostly emojis to poltergeist selfies, the idea of a haunted cell phone brings a whole new meaning to the term “phantom vibrations”. In this potentially tech-savvy twist on modern horror, the scariest thing besides the unknown caller could be whatever haunted message appears on your screen via text message.
'Cellphone’ is the newest cell phone fright film to have us fearfully putting our phones on silent here at Macabre Daily. This movie stars Malcolm McDowell (in voice-over only), Whitney Rose Pynn, Justin Malik Jackson, Jared Noble, Isaac Versace, and Katherine Barber. The movie is written by Rachel Sommer and directed by Luke Sommer. The synopsis for the movie is as follows:
“Wynne, who is grieving the death of her fiancé, starts seeing disturbing images on her cell phone about her future. If she doesn’t figure them out in time, she will die.”
First off, let's go with what was enjoyable about this movie. Right off the bat, we get a couple of kills within the first 2 minutes of the movie (including one to a character who hung themselves and is shown swinging as the sun is setting, which is a great shot) which is something you see in maybe every other horror movie but not always executed properly. It will completely set the tone for the movie, which is helpful to hype up the potential horror that is to come.
The way the movie is filmed (if you didn’t get the hint of that by the previously mentioned hanging above) was truly shot very well. Not only are they using the way that the lighting or lack of lighting in the spookier scenes is great. There are a few scenes when the room the main character Wynne (portrayed by Whitney Rose Pynn) trying to sleep, and the room lights up perfectly by the notification she receives on the phone.
There are a couple of scenes that are shot so well that they stand out among the rest. One includes a bouquet on fire on a road during the night and another when the camera is following Wynne to investigate noises in the barn when she meets Chris (portrayed by Justin Malik) showing how truly beautiful the camera work and framing is in this movie. Clearly, the director Luke Sommer has an eye for the artistic shot in movies that is very appreciated from the perspective of the audience. The way the movie is shot throughout adds an extra sense of dread and terror when things start to get spooky. Another great thing about how this movie is shot is when you see the main character using her phone camera to spot the scary things happening really keeps you interested in the story.
All that being said, there are some things that really don’t sit well as you are watching the entire movie. Let’s start with “haunted cell phones”. It is something that has been done many times over in the last 20 years since cell phones became popular. The spooky unknown of what is contacting you via the phone can be scary on paper, but on screen, in 2024 it doesn’t seem that scary. It comes off feeling like most of us would feel when we get constant calls etc. from telemarketers trying to sell us things we supposedly need when we all know that after a couple of these calls, we would most likely block the number.
This might be a personal preference most people would point out, but who doesn’t put their phone on silent? Do people actually have their phone sounds on constantly, especially when they are sleeping? Most people would be half awake, see a weird notification, and roll back to sleep or throw it against the wall after a couple of nights with that happening. Yes, the main point of the movie revolves around a haunted house channeling a cell phone to show some haunted things, but if there was a bit of realism (even just for a fun joke or two) it would be more enjoyable to me.
Overall this movie is hit or miss. There are some good parts, and there are some bad parts but in the end, it has a pretty interesting twist that you will not expect (probably because you are trying to figure out the crazy logic behind the cell phone stuff while you watch it). It is a beautifully stunning piece of cinema, not too bad with a couple of mixed concepts of haunting/modern technology and some odd things taken too seriously that might give you a bit of a chuckle or roll your eyes. If anything, the best thing about this movie is the great friendship between Wynne and Chris as they try to unfold the mystery behind what is going on and uncover the truth.
‘Cellphone’ from Gravitas Ventures is now available on VOD. Be sure to get your digital copy today. For more horror reviews and news, stay tuned for all the upcoming frights here at Macabre Daily.
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