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228:, strangles young women in lurid fashion, and sexually abuses their dead bodies. The film opens with Smith killing a nurse before stripping her corpse. Between murders, he carries out twisted religious ceremonies and has imaginary conversations with his dead father while weeping. He repeatedly contacts Dr. Lindsay Gale, a psychologist with a radio show as well as a private therapy practice. He calls her show, speaking with an assumed Spanish accent and complaining of chronic headaches and blackouts. He follows one of Dr. Gale's female patients, Carol, home from her therapy session, and tortures her to death. He also murders a hooker while on the phone to Dr. Gale's show, forcing Dr. Gale to listen to the victim's cries.
244:
provided him with high-quality pornographic pictures in the past. When the detectives search Smith's apartment, they find his pictures of Dr. Gale and realize that he has selected her to be his next victim. During this time, Smith invades Dr. Gale's home, ties her up, and terrorizes her for hours, and ranting about his childhood.
31:
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McCabe goes to Dr. Gale's home just in time to rescue her. At the end of a protracted struggle, McCabe shoots Smith many times, including several times in the back. Kirk stumbles towards a pool and expires as he plunges in. The film ends with a shot of Smith's bullet-ridden floating body as McCabe
243:
Kirk Smith is interrupted at the scene of his next murder by the victim's landlady, and he leaves a portfolio of photographs behind as he flees the scene. Hatcher and McCabe show the photographs to the local pornography dealer Sam
Gluckman; he identifies them as the work of Kirk Smith, who has
477:
described the film as "yet another woman-in-jeopardy movie...the covert suggestion that the female victims have 'asked for it' is particularly objectionable". However, the review further observed that
Nicholas Worth's performance as the lunatic killer was "so outrageously over-the-top, and so
367:
When first released on DVD by Rhino
Entertainment in 2001, an edited for television print was used, which had been subject to heavy edits—over 9 minutes were edited from the film. The uncensored, theatrical release version was released by BCI Eclipse on DVD in October 2006.
231:
Two goofy detectives named
Hatcher and McCabe are charged with the task of tracking him down. When McCabe first questions Dr. Gale, his manner is brusque and unsympathetic. She develops a strong dislike for him. However, he later prevents one of her patients from committing
446:
felt the film was "a nasty, dimly executed exploitation movie about a psychopathic fellow who roams around Los
Angeles strangling women with stockings and then mutilating their bodies. The performances are terrible, as are the writing and the direction…" Paul Taylor in
962:
Why, if it hadn't been for 'Nam then people like me would never have had the pleasure of Combat Shock, First Blood, The
Exterminator or Don't Answer The Phone! (...) And Cannibal Apocalypse is almost the best vetsploitation movie ever, second only to the mighty
239:
Hatcher and McCabe visit a whore-and-drug-house in search of a witness who has seen the strangler leaving the scene of one of his murders, but the witness, a pimp and drug dealer, attacks them and they shoot him to death without being able to question him.
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bizarrely eccentric as to be horribly fascinating and the final line of 'Adios, creep', delivered over a shot of Worth's corpse floating in a swimming pool, is curiously resonant".
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co-written and directed by Robert Hammer. While not prosecuted for obscenity, the film was seized and confiscated in the UK under
Section 3 of the
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sick films, see this one...The ads made it look like another baby-sitter-in-distress movie, but it's in a class by itself".
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351:. Robert Hammer drew inspiration from a wave of murders by strangulation that occurred in 1978 in Los Angeles; the film
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Years after its initial release, the film's mainstream critical reputation continues to be abysmal. Michael Weldon, in
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vet, amateur bodybuilder, and talented porno-photographer Kirk Smith is a crazed killer who stalks the streets of
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Weldon, Michael. The
Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film, pg. 199 - 200, Ballantine Books, 1983.
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gross, which, according to Gebert, is roughly half of the money generated by ticket sales.
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490:, The Grindhouse Database and The Spinning Image list this movie as belonging to the
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released the film on
February 29, 1980. By the end of that year the film had accrued
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314:
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236:, after which Dr. Gale becomes fond of McCabe and they have a brief love affair.
592:"Don't Answer the Phone! (Comparison: R-Rated - Unrated) - Movie-Censorship.com"
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domestic (U.S. and Canada) rentals, making it the year's 105th biggest earner.
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veteran killer film, warning readers to not watch the film. The websites
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gave the film a BOMB rating, stating that it was another psychopathic
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678:(listing of 'Box Office (Domestic Rentals)' for 1980, taken from
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The VHS was released in the United States on 28 February 1982 by
705:"Don't Answer The Phone (1980) (a.k.a. The Hollywood Strangler)"
920:"Category. Vetsploitation. From The Grindhouse Cinema Database"
400:
690:. "Rentals" refers to the distributor/studio's share of the
388:
Don't Answer the Phone being shown at a drive in theater in
529:
Don't Answer the Phone! Review (1979) - The
Spinning Image
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Flo Lawrence as Dr Lindsay Gale (credited as "Flo Gerrish")
631:
Review: Don't Answer The Phone DVD (1980) - Retro Slashers
514:
American film distribution : the changing marketplace
541:"PLANET OF TERROR!!: Don't Answer The Phone! (1980)"
519:
Please note figures are for rentals in US and Canada
870:. Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated. pp. 369–.
682:magazine), pg. 355, St. Martin's Paperbacks, 1996.
418:and re-released by BCI Eclipse on 10 October 2006.
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453:magazine called it "a routinely mindless sickie".
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864:Leonard Maltin; Luke Sader; Mike Clark (2008).
730:EAT MY BRAINS! - Don't Answer The Phone Review
421:The film was restored and released on DVD and
774:. New York Times, review dated August 9, 1980
8:
29:
20:
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376:The score was composed by Byron Allred.
845:The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: Horror
503:
800:, Second Edition, pg. 191, edited by
620:Don't Answer the Phone - DVD Drive In
459:The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film
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1045:American psychological horror films
841:The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror
1105:English-language independent films
1060:Crown International Pictures films
843:, Aurum Press, 1984. Reprinted as
517:. UMI Research Press. p. 295.
414:. The DVD was released in 2002 by
14:
892:"Vetsploitation. List by Jarrett"
867:Leonard Maltin's 2009 Movie Guide
766:Canby, Vincent (August 9, 1980).
742:"Don't Answer the Phone! Blu-ray"
1020:1980s psychological horror films
676:The Encyclopedia of Movie Awards
347:The film was shot in and around
1030:American horror thriller films
924:The Grindhouse Cinema Database
511:Donahue, Suzanne Mary (1987).
1:
1100:English-language horror films
947:"Cannibal Apocalypse. Review"
207:Obscene Publications Act 1959
1085:1980s English-language films
1050:American serial killer films
397:Crown International Pictures
287:Michael D. Castle as Lab Man
129:Crown International Pictures
980:Don't Answer the Phone!
792:Taylor, Paul. Review from
772:(1980) PSYCHOPATHIC KILLER"
473:The Aurum Film Encyclopedia
329:Joyce Ann Jodan as Roommate
143:February 29, 1980
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1035:American independent films
945:Southworth, Wayne (2011).
320:Susanne Severeid as Hooker
305:Mike Levine as Gary Markov
1080:Troma Entertainment films
1070:Films shot in Los Angeles
650:"Don't Answer the Phone!"
284:Gary Allen as John Feldon
35:Theatrical release poster
28:
1065:Films set in Los Angeles
847:, Overlook Press, 1995,
412:Media Home Entertainment
248:snarls, "Adios, creep!"
804:, Penguin Books, 1991.
798:The Time Out Film Guide
770:Don't Answer the Phone!
349:Los Angeles, California
195:Don't Answer the Phone!
24:Don't Answer the Phone!
1055:American slasher films
1040:American mystery films
1010:1980 independent films
839:Hardy, Phil (editor).
796:magazine reprinted in
636:June 20, 2010, at the
462:, noted, "if you like
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390:Worthington, Minnesota
1075:Films about telephony
711:on September 18, 2010
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332:Corinne Cook as Rikki
323:Paula Warner as Carol
302:Dale Kalberg as Nurse
1090:1980s American films
596:Movie-Censorship.com
326:Gail Jensen as Joyce
278:Denise Galik as Lisa
1025:1980s slasher films
1015:1980s mystery films
357:Hollywood Strangler
281:Stan Haze as Adkins
260:as Lt. Chris McCabe
198:is a 1980 American
951:The Spinning Image
926:. February 4, 2024
674:Gebert, Michael.
443:The New York Times
394:
291:Pamela Jean Bryant
258:James Westmoreland
73:James Westmoreland
1005:1980 horror films
877:978-0-452-28978-9
429:in January 2017.
338:as Man in Plastic
296:Chris Wallace as
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52:Michael D. Castle
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403:1,750,000 in
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954:. Retrieved
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902:. Retrieved
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159:Running time
136:Release date
106:Byron Allred
76:Flo Lawrence
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930:February 5,
746:Blu-ray.com
226:Los Angeles
211:video nasty
209:during the
203:horror film
187:$ 2 million
98:Joe Fineman
59:Produced by
41:Directed by
1000:1980 films
994:Categories
897:Letterboxd
692:box office
598:. WiccanKM
498:References
494:subgenre.
488:Letterboxd
468:Phil Hardy
372:Soundtrack
363:Censorship
343:Production
317:as Ventura
184:Box office
163:94 minutes
147:1980-02-29
112:Production
49:Written by
802:Tom Milne
576:April 29,
433:Reception
264:Ben Frank
95:Edited by
16:1980 film
794:Time Out
715:June 25,
660:June 25,
634:Archived
551:June 25,
475:: Horror
450:Time Out
336:Don Lake
176:Language
119:Scorpion
103:Music by
69:Starring
778:May 28,
680:Variety
484:Vietnam
423:Blu-ray
380:Release
298:Psychic
234:suicide
222:Vietnam
213:panic.
179:English
168:Country
145: (
114:company
900:. 2018
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686:
464:really
392:, 1980
985:IMDb
958:2024
932:2024
906:2024
872:ISBN
849:ISBN
822:ISBN
806:ISBN
780:2012
753:2019
717:2010
684:ISBN
662:2010
604:2014
578:2023
553:2010
401:US$
355:was
252:Cast
217:Plot
983:at
470:'s
440:in
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