Murder by Phone

Lore & Background

The film was preceded by a novel called Phone Call, written by screenwriters Michael Butler and Dennis Shryack and published in 1979, three years before the film version. The novel is never credited in the film's credits, though the link was mentioned on the cover of later editions. The film was shot in 1980 in Toronto, Ontario, under the working title Bells, which appeared on early promotional material before being changed to Murder by Phone.

The score by John Barry is entirely electronic, played with synthesisers—a rarity for Barry. While he composed and conducted the score, it was performed by Jonathan Elias and John Petersen. Elias later worked with Barry on the scores for Jagged Edge and A View to a Kill. The film was first released in Colombia on May 27, 1982, and in Canada and the United States on October 8, 1982.

Reader's Guide

Murder by Phone received a mixed critical response; Leonard Maltin noted the film's cast and direction as legitimately 'talented,' but deemed the film a 'hoary horror exercise.' The film was released on VHS by Warner Home Video in 1984, with a reissue in 1998. Its significance lies in its early exploration of technology-based horror, predating later films that use everyday devices as weapons. The film's plot—a phone company employee using a device to kill victims through their telephones—taps into anxieties about technological dependence and corporate malfeasance. The electronic score by John Barry, unusual for the composer, adds a distinctive sonic atmosphere. Despite its modest critical reception, the film has maintained a niche presence in home video and is referenced in genre studies, such as John Kenneth Muir's Horror Films of the 1980s.

Did You Know?

• The film was also released under the titles Bells and The Calling.
• The score was performed entirely with synthesisers, a rarity for composer John Barry.
• A novel titled Phone Call, written by the screenwriters, was published in 1979 but is not credited in the film.