Night Caller (Movie Review)

Night Caller is about a medium named Clemintine played by (Susan Priver) who wants to live a quiet life.  She takes care of her bed-bound cinephile father (Robert Miano) and is trying to put her failed marriage behind her.  Her serenity is shattered when she begins to get bizarre and disturbing phone calls at the psychic advice call-in center she works at which is run by Jade (Bai Ling).  These calls trigger premonitions of violence and murder.  Clemintine soon realizes that the caller is a serial killer who relishes causing her visions and even uses her foresight to his advantage.  Clementine decides to go on the offensive and try to stop the serial killer before he strikes again. 

The movie is directed by Chad Ferrin who has roots in the schlocky world of Troma and it shows.  Susan Priver does a good job as the lead and with shades of Lin Shaye.  Robert Miano seems like a fun guy to watch RKO Pictures flicks with.  I am there for his love of apple fritters.  Bai Ling’s Asian character is over the top and could be a borderline racist caricature (I don’t think I qualified to make that distinction but it set off some alarms).  The killer has a similar M.O. to Silence of the Lambs’ Buffalo Bill.  The film doesn't take much effort to flesh him out and we get into some murky transgender character waters.  There is nothing wrong with having Asian or transgender characters but I do think they need to be handled with a level of nuanced this film does not have. 

The movie’s failing is that the tone, plot, and dialogue are very clunky.  Night Caller starts somber and there is plenty of quality gore (with multiple scalpings).  However, there are moments of absurdity woven in.  The actress who plays Clemintine is only 17 years younger than the actor who plays her father.  That may be a plausible age gap but on-screen they look even closer in age.  The movie seems to have a contemporary setting but a police officer drives an antique squad car and mentions that it is the same car his father drove 60 years prior.

The dialogue is bland, especially in a scene where Clemintine goes to the cops.  In his calls, the kill goes on and on in cliched serial killer nonsense.  The plot is inconsistent.  A movie dealing with clairvoyant characters needs to set up the world they exist in.  It would have gone a long way to show Clemintine working with a regular customer so we can understand how her gift usually works.  I am not sure how reliable her visions are supposed to be because sometimes they don't come true.

I wonder if Night Caller is meant to be a Giallo homage in the vein of 2021’s Malignant.  That film is intentionally odd/offbeat to build up for large reveals and the director/writer pulls it off without losing their audience.  I can see some elements of Night Caller working in a better-made project but as it is the sauce in this dish has separated.