Don't Hang Up

If you are a film student you know that the "reversal" usually comes in the final act, and there is a reason for that. By that point, the viewer is fully engaged, the endorphins are pumping, the action is flowing, and there is a need to take things up a notch.

What is happening here -- and let's give credit where credit is due -- is that the reversal takes place off the top, two pranksters get the tables turned, and it all happens in the first 10 minutes.

That is clever and it is a great start. But it creates problems. If you bring the reversal in too early, you run the risk of becoming dependent on it to drive the film, instead of relying on the basics. Such as dialog, characterizations, empathy, viewer connection.

Which is what happens here. After a great start there are major chunks that just lag, and the reason is that -- to be blunt -- by the halfway point, if you are a typical viewer, you don't really care if the 'slasher' gets the kids or the kids get the slasher. NO EMPATHY.

Many of the subsequent "slasher tropes" that close the third act are just that -- borrowed tricks from dozens of films you have already seen.

Overall the film is technically perfect and at some point in the not-too-distant future, those involved in it will look back at DON'T HANG UP as a great start for their Highlight Reel, but not entirely representative of their best work.

I did have low expectations going in after seeing the trailer thinking to myself "how many more times can they do this type of film?" However, it wasn't as bad as I expected. The plot twist at the end was refreshing, but I had trouble with the two main leads - I don't feel they were cast properly and belonged instead in some low budget comedy, not a thriller of this caliber. They were very unconvincing. Even the rest of the cast were nothing special. What was the most impressive was the directing, editing and cinematography - the latter of which I felt was too good for this type of film (i.e. camera zooms from keyhole). The pace was slow, but otherwise this film was not too shabby. It's a 6/10 form me

I read the plot first before watch the whole movie. Then, I get interested and then I watched the whole movie. First 15 minutes was okay for me for the story, two boys prank a lot of people with terrible jokes. By the time the antagonist play the role, I intentionally started to feel like "it is a bit exaggerated". It doesn't make sense that the protagonist knows every corner, every single thing the two boys did. It could make a sense if this film tells us the story behind it how the antagonist set all the cameras, how he get into those two boys' life, house, and makes an acceptable rapprochement. The good thing is the ending is not disappointed and makes sense yet I'm not that satisfied with the sense of its technology in this movie (it's like the murderer is a god. Knows everything).

Just got done watching it. Really liked it, nothing new but well done on old ideas. Kind of a cross between "I know what you did last summer" and "saw" with maybe a little "are you in the house alone" mixed in. High tension throughout, kept me interested and played out well. Lots of horror tropes that we all know and love (well some of us anyway) Looking at IMDb reviews and a lot of people didn't like it. But they're the same people who only like the artsier horror like Babadook or The Witch. Both good movies but sometimes you just want a good old fashioned slasher, something that doesn't make you think or try and figure it out. This is that movie.

Good production value, good use of lighting, sound etc. Acting was decent and even though the ideas were old I thought the way they were brought about was good. I give it an 8 of 10, good use of an hour and a half on a boring night.

Don't Hang Up, did remind me of some stuff seen in the early eighties. Could be a title of that era, but it isn't because it's all about the social media and what it could do. There are already a few flicks out about the social media about being unfriended and things go wrong, let this one be a revenge flick about doing pranks on social media and one of them gone wrong.

The way it was shot was really nice, doing effects like going through keyholes and windows with the camera so on that part it was okay. And the score did add towards the creepiness of this flick but of course it isn't all that good. It did remind me a lot of Saw somehow and it all predictable. You know towards the end who is going to kill who. In fact there are so many scene's that are predictable but still you want to see the ending. Even as you seen it in other home invasion flicks. Nothing is original but a big hurray to the director and writers. They did a good job because it didn't bothered me at all. Good entertainment and the red stuff is out there.

A nice flick to start off the Halloween night and it will do at many events.

Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 2,5/5 Story 2,5/5 Comedy 0/5