Psychologist Dr. Lindsay Gale(Flo Gerrish) who operates a free clinic for troubled women, also working as a radio personality for those with emotional baggage and drug abuse, realizes that a caller, going by the name of Ramon(..speaking in a ridiculous accent)could be behind a series of strangulations towards women that is plaguing the police force who have exhausted themselves trying to catch him. That killer, Kirk Smith(Nicholas Worth)is actually a skilled photographer, but suffers from head aches and emotional trauma possibly stemming from his childhood, hinted at throughout as he pursues female victims in Hollywood. AS a lot of killers do, he's quite elusive, at first, but with each passing victim, Smith makes mistakes, leaving things(..like drug paraphernalia, and even his photographic equipment)behind at the crime scenes. The film follows this nasty psychopath, and his methods for finding and killing women & the detectives, McCabe & Hatcher(James Westmoreland & Ben Frank)trying to catch him. The film also establishes Gale's role as a care-giver to those who need assistance with problems/weaknesses plaguing their everyday lives, with her kindness setting her up as a potential victim for Smith.
I think the film's main asset is the tour-de-force performance of Worth as the mental case. He runs the gamut of emotions, crying at times, even quite pleasant when he approaches unfortunates who have no idea that they are to suffer the wrath of his mental trauma. Worth also has this bulky menacing figure which works well as an object of fear. Those poor women he chooses to strangle are frail in his monstrous hands. Smith often wears a stocking over his face which only adds to the ferocity of his attack scenes on women..we can see the rage even present through the stocking. I felt the more impacting scenes display a seemingly trustworthy Smith, soft-spoken and smiling cheerful, being invited by models/hookers hoping to make a splash on magazines..he uses his photographic strengths to take advantage of women, vulnerable to an attack they are not aware is escalating in Smith's mind. There's some tasteless humor put in the script, mostly for the detectives who find time to joke with each other..it's kind of a release valve for the horrors they must face everyday. The film probes the seedy side of Hollywood, Smith's hunting ground.
Alas, I watched the scissored version by Rhino which hacks away at the final product. There's at least 9 minutes I've not seen, so my rating is towards the cut version where even profanity is blanketed. You can clearly see how badly cut it is, blatantly obvious which annoys me to no end. There are even fade-outs right during a scene as if the censor police were making it quite clear as to their clipping methods. I realize a film like "Don't Answer the Phone!" will not appeal to everyone, or even most people. But, the audience that does watch this kind of film, wish to see it in it's entirety. I think it's rape, to be honest, when you strip away scenes meant for a film, just so you can grab a wider audience. A wide audience isn't gonna rent this film anyway. The film's low budget provides a raw feel that bodes well for the type of characters, plot, & setting featured. Michael Castle portrays a coroner who likes to sickeningly crack jokes about his cases, and Chris Wallace has an amusing scene as a legit traveling psychic, booked by McCabe because he knows way too much about the case!
I think the film's main asset is the tour-de-force performance of Worth as the mental case. He runs the gamut of emotions, crying at times, even quite pleasant when he approaches unfortunates who have no idea that they are to suffer the wrath of his mental trauma. Worth also has this bulky menacing figure which works well as an object of fear. Those poor women he chooses to strangle are frail in his monstrous hands. Smith often wears a stocking over his face which only adds to the ferocity of his attack scenes on women..we can see the rage even present through the stocking. I felt the more impacting scenes display a seemingly trustworthy Smith, soft-spoken and smiling cheerful, being invited by models/hookers hoping to make a splash on magazines..he uses his photographic strengths to take advantage of women, vulnerable to an attack they are not aware is escalating in Smith's mind. There's some tasteless humor put in the script, mostly for the detectives who find time to joke with each other..it's kind of a release valve for the horrors they must face everyday. The film probes the seedy side of Hollywood, Smith's hunting ground.
Alas, I watched the scissored version by Rhino which hacks away at the final product. There's at least 9 minutes I've not seen, so my rating is towards the cut version where even profanity is blanketed. You can clearly see how badly cut it is, blatantly obvious which annoys me to no end. There are even fade-outs right during a scene as if the censor police were making it quite clear as to their clipping methods. I realize a film like "Don't Answer the Phone!" will not appeal to everyone, or even most people. But, the audience that does watch this kind of film, wish to see it in it's entirety. I think it's rape, to be honest, when you strip away scenes meant for a film, just so you can grab a wider audience. A wide audience isn't gonna rent this film anyway. The film's low budget provides a raw feel that bodes well for the type of characters, plot, & setting featured. Michael Castle portrays a coroner who likes to sickeningly crack jokes about his cases, and Chris Wallace has an amusing scene as a legit traveling psychic, booked by McCabe because he knows way too much about the case!