L'appel du crime

Tracy Nelson, who couldn't give a bad performance if she tried, takes center stage in NIGHT CALLER, a neat little no-budget thriller about a deranged woman who becomes obsessed with a radio talk show host and who will let no one come between her and her new "friend." As Nelson worms her way into the life of her radio lady, the bodies begin to pile up like cord wood. Nelson is on in almost every scene, and captivates as the sad, delusional child of a drunken, physically abusive father and a bossy, overbearing mother. The killings, of which there are plenty and at least one of which is quite bloody, are mostly inventive and almost whimsical, as the movie is not to be taken seriously for one minute. Nevertheless, Nelson makes a believable, and at at times sympathetic, psychopath. This is no THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE, and in truth Nelson is no Rebecca DeMornay, but NIGHT CALLER is still eminently watchable. Interestingly, Nelson's two co-stars in this (Shanna Reed as the radio lady and Cyndi Pass as a co worker) were both former dancers of a certain type. You can easily tell. This is one of those B flicks Hollywood turns out by the hundreds every year that keep a lot of erstwhile adult video stars employed.

In THE NIGHT CALLER, Beth Needham (Tracy Nelson) loves listening to her favorite radio personality, Dr. Lindsay Roland (Shanna Reed), who gives advice to help those with "low self-esteem". We're shown early on that Beth has more than just self-esteem issues. She seems to see Dr. Lindsay as more than just a radio doctor. In fact, Beth "sees" her in "visions".

When Beth calls into the radio show, the good doctor gives her some advice. Now, all the creeps in her life had better watch out! Soon enough, even Dr. Lindsay isn't safe!

In a movie like this it's all about the central star's ability to act like a lunatic. Well, Ms. Nelson gets it done. She plays Beth as an utter crackpot with a definite dark side. As the bodies pile up, Beth gets more unhinged and her reasoning gets more absurd.

If you're looking for a serious, suspenseful thriller like THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE, then you're out of luck. However, if you've got a hankering for a more humorous sort of "ferocious female" film like THE LANDLADY, then you've just hit pay dirt!

A rollicking rib-tickler with a boffo finale!...

Tracy Nelson really gets into this role and has some hilarious lines and insults! I was surprised how much I got into it, it's one of the better TV movie gems out there.

Tracy plays a childlike loner without much direction who becomes obsessed with a radio host. She comes up with all sorts of schemes to insert herself into the host's life and all sorts of undermining and plots are hatched.

Watch it and enjoy, but don't take it too seriously. It's fun!

Beth Needham (Tracy Nelson) is a childish, repressed psycho who snaps and develops an extreme fixation on kind, sensitive radio psychologist Dr. Lindsay Roland (associate producer Shanna Reed). She kills her awful, chain-smoking mother (the hilarious Eve Sigall, who returns in hallucinations), cashes in some savings bonds and spends the rest of the movie trying to insinuate herself into the doctors life. Anyone who threatens to ruin their budding relationship must die. She calls people things like "snoopy poopy," "baboon butt" and "bossy the cow" before killing them and gets a job babysitting Lindsay's son so she can photocopy her journal and steal her 'April Fresh' deodorant.

Needless to say, THE NIGHT CALLER is absolutely ridiculous, but the script is so chock-full of hilariously asinine one-liners and unbelievable dialogue, that this is one of the funniest "bad" movies I've seen in many years. The actors, all around, are great, too and give a straight-faced go at their roles.

This movie is indeed not at all crappy!! It is great!! My friends and I rented this one from blockbuster and we were all amazed by it. This movie is about and a thirty something year old woman named Beth who is a Carrie-type, plain and quiet on the outside but on the inside is in face just a little girl longing to be loved. You have to feel sorry for Beth. She has no social life, no friends, no boyfriend, she lives with and has to constantly take care of her old and sick yet mean mother, she was molested by her father when she was a little girl and when she seeks comfort, she gets turned down. She works at a convienence store and listens to a radio program about a doctor who helps callers with their problems. Who else is she to turn to but the wonderful doctor who believed in her and made her feel better about herself!! Beth becomes obsessed with the female doctor and will do anything (and I mean anything) to get closer to her. The whole movie had us on the edge of our seats and the ending was a big surprise!! The acting was really good!!

Tracy Nelson who played Beth was magnificant. She played the part so naturally. She played it so well that if I were in charge of the Oscars, she'd be first in line!! I hadn't really heard of her until I saw Night Caller and made me curious about Nelson's past work. She acted in many movies and t.v. shows. She is excellent!!

Go out and rent it and you'll see what I mean!! I give this movie

8 *'s out of 10!! About 7 of those 8 *'s go to Nelson!!