Murder by Phone

The telephone as a murder weapon, and since Canada is behind it, it's no surprise that the murders resemble those in the cult-classic Scanners. Aside from the spectacular deaths, the film highlights the general corruption, secrecy and arrogance of those in power; at the end, the head of the company declares that any disclosure of information related to them can't hurt them. He's bullshitting, of course, but the conceit alone is a lightning bolt from the phone. The film is suspenseful enough, especially at the end, but the secret snooping around the company has atmosphere too. There's also an interesting glimpse into the future, more specifically what things might look like with phones in the year 2000 – and it's even worse than the filmmakers thought. Lucky I didn't read the synopsis here, because it's not even spoilers anymore, it's straight up giving away most of the key moments... 3,5* (2024-07-07)