When Michael Calls
When Michael Calls is a 1972 American made-for-television horror thriller film directed by Philip Leacock and starring Elizabeth Ashley, Ben Gazzara and Michael Douglas. It was adapted from John Farris's 1967 novel of the same name.
Plot
Helen Connelly is a woman whose nephew Michael died 15 years earlier. She is separated from her husband, Doremus. She is close to Michael's brother, Craig. When mysterious happenings began taking place and she begins receiving phone calls from the supposedly dead Michael, Helen begins to wonder if Michael is really dead or if she is losing touch with reality. Filmed in October - November 1971.Cast
- Ben Gazzara as Doremus Connelly
- Elizabeth Ashley as Helen Connelly
- Michael Douglas as Craig
- Marian Waldman as Elsa Britton
- Karen Pearson as Peggy Connelly
- Larry Reynolds as Dr. Britton
- Al Waxman as Sheriff Hap Washbrook
- Alan McRae as Harry Randall
- Chris Pellett as Peter
- Steve Weston as Enoch Mills
- Robert Warner as Sam
- John Bethune as Quinlan
- William Osler as Prof. Swen
- Michèle Chicoine as Amy
Release
The television film was first broadcast as an ABC Movie of the Week on February 5, 1972.Reception
Rob Hunter wrote at Film School Rejects:When Michael Calls is an adaptation of a Farris novel, and while it's neither the first of his books to receive that treatment nor the most well-known, it's still a terrific little chiller every bit as deserving of attention. The premise is rife with possibility — revenge, madness, ghostly shenanigans — and it’s really only let down with the fairly obvious nature of the culprit's identity.
Even knowing who the guilty party is, though, doesn't hurt the film's creepy effect. Michael's calls — the high-pitched voice feels simultaneously childish and adult-like — deliver chills, and once we start catching glimpses of a mysterious boy things grow both mysterious and thrilling. One man is overcome by bees, the sheriff's body falls dead from the ceiling in front of a bunch of schoolchildren, a figure tries to burn Doremus alive, and soon it's Helen's turn to face Michael.