Hellphone

"Hellphone" was a wonderfully fun romp, combining just the right amounts of camp and suspense. The results on the screen are far beyond what one would expect for the $19k budget, with the inclusion of surprisingly successful CGI effects. The cell phone creature was really quite convincing, moving quite naturally and interacting with the live characters in a very natural manner.

The film drew references from a number of interesting quarters, including a somewhat Hitchcockian shower scene and a Bluetooth Greek chorus. I did struggle a bit to connect the opening establishing scene with the present-day events of the film, but finally realized that this movie is not intended to stand up to deep scrutiny. Once I relaxed it became a lot more fun.

Performances by the main cast were quite good, and Phillip Ward was a particular standout as Bill.

Well worth the investment of a couple of hours of your life and a tub or two of popcorn!