Don't Answer the Phone!

1980
X
1h 34m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

A deeply disturbed Vietnam veteran terrorizes the young women of Los Angeles and taunts a radio psychologist with descriptions of his grisly crimes.A deeply disturbed Vietnam veteran terrorizes the young women of Los Angeles and taunts a radio psychologist with descriptions of his grisly crimes.A deeply disturbed Vietnam veteran terrorizes the young women of Los Angeles and taunts a radio psychologist with descriptions of his grisly crimes.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

4.8/10

2.3K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win total

Videos1

Trailer 1:36

Trailer [EN]

Photos65

+ 61

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
All the shots of the killer on the prowl on the streets of Los Angeles were filmed without permits.

Goofs
The first blonde victim can clearly be seen to breathe after being strangled.

Quotes
[last lines]
Lt. Chris McCabe: Adios creep!

Crazy credits
No music during end credits.

Alternate versions
The DVD release from Rhino Video is censored, with all nudity and graphic violence removed. The old VHS release on the Media Video label is the uncut version.

Connections
Featured in Sneak Previews: Little Darlings, Simon, Little Miss Marker, The Black Stallion, Hide in Plain Sight (1980)

User reviews59

Featured review

6/10

Groundbreaking PTSD Drama Still Shocking Today

With the '07 passing of Nicholas Worth, we lost an actor whose work on Don't Answer the Phone (DATP) informed a generation of the dangerous psychological effects of war and the horrifying results of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in American troops.

Still as intense as when it was first released on the gritty 42nd street trash houses of the day, DATP, though dated in respects to its treatment of women and psychology, still delivers some hardcore death scenes, not to mention a "killer" (if not repetitive) soundtrack.

James Westmoreland (of "Undertaker" fame) leads a cast in what ultimately is the most scene stealing of his career (in that he has the most scenes, by number, than any other movie of his career). Here he is at his cheesy best.

In conclusion, the lesson of war's tragic effects continue to go unlearned by a society that will be host to many more young female victims, victims of cinema's PTSD wrath.

I weep for a better tomorrow but if our reality creates more cinema in the vein DATP, I welcome it with open arms.