Directed by Robert Hammer
Review by David Carter


Released by Deimos/BCI Eclipse
Running Time: 94 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Color format: Color
Audio/Subtitles: 2.0 Stereo English
Region Code: 1, NTSC
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
16:9 Enhanced: No
Special Features: Interview with Nicholas Worth, Director’s Commentary, Still gallery, Easter Egg
Trailer Online: No


In the years during and following the Vietnam War, psychological problems caused by the conflict entered the public consciousness to a large degree for the first time. Naturally, the film industry incorporated these ideas into screenplays and several very powerful films on the subject were made. Films like COMING HOME were critical and financial successes and took a dramatic look at the difficulties of life after war. Scorsese’s highly influential TAXI DRIVER took a much darker look at vets, and set the tone for many subsequent films on the subject. Post-TAXI DRIVER, Vietnam vets increasingly were portrayed as villains, with the horrors of war providing a convenient motive for their actions. One such film was 1980’s DON’T ANSWER THE PHONE, which drew inspiration from TAXI DRIVER and several other films.

Los Angeles is being preyed upon by a brutal rapist and killer who’s been attacking women in their homes and leaving grisly crime scenes in his wake. Detectives McCabe and Hatcher have very little evidence to go on and are powerless until the killer strikes again. What the cops don’t know is that the killer has been making regular calls into Dr. Lindsay Gale’s psychiatry radio show. In fact, the killer is fascinated with Dr. Gale, among other things such as religion and his father. He makes his living as a porn photographer which gives him easy access to lots of beautiful young victims. After he kills one of Dr. Gale’s patients and then calls in to her show so she can hear him murder a prostitute, McCabe realizes that Dr. Gale is the key to solving the case. When the killer makes a mistake, McCabe and Hatcher are able to close in on him, but not before he pays a visit to Dr. Gale.


DON’T ANSWER THE PHONE wears its influences on its sleeve, so viewers will often feel a sense of déjà vu while watching it. In addition to the aforementioned TAXI DRIVER (this film has a few similar plot elements), director Hammer was obviously influenced by John Carpenter’s POV shots from HALLOWEEN. DON’T ANSWER THE PHONE has many similarities to that film and the slasher genre in general, except for the focus on the police’s investigation. In that regard, the film also has a strong giallo influence which is seen through the detectives’ pursuit of the killer. Despite the mishmash of influences, DON’T ANSWER THE PHONE is an effective exploitation film that’s pretty heavy on the sleaze; which incidentally is the best kind of exploitation film.

BCI Eclipse’s Deimos imprint has released DON’T ANSWER THE PHONE on DVD uncut for the first time. Earlier DVD and VHS releases were subjected to some severe cuts for content, so the chance to see the film uncut makes this disc worth a look. The film is presented in anamorphic widescreen and Deimos has provided a good print of an older and rarely seen film. Director Robert Hammer provides a feature-length commentary and star Nicholas Worth talks about his powerful performance in an interview.


When DON’T ANSWER THE PHONE was released in the early eighties, exploitation cinema was beginning to wane, making this film one of the standouts of the last years of the genre. The film has some pretty strong subject matter presented in a graphic way that would still raise eyebrows if released today. Aside from one ill-conceived comedic sequence, exploitation lovers will enjoy the film from start to finish, so it’s definitely recommended that they pick this one up.