CULT – Don’t Answer the Phone!

Published on: 28th August, 2009

CULT - Don't Answer the Phone!  | read this item

Related News

• REVIEW – Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!
• CULT – Crimewave
• REVIEW – Saturday the 14th
• TRAILER TRASH – The Mutilator

With the 1960’s being such a confusing and contradictory era, with the Summer of Love being juxtaposed by the horrors of the Vietnam War, then perhaps it was inevitable that cinema would eventually react in an uncompromising and unapologetic manner. Few could have predicted just how reactionary it would become, however, as the following decade would be responsible for some of the most violent and sleazy films of all time. Kicking off with John Boorman’s Deliverance, Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs and Wes Craven’s The Last House on the Left, three films that would usher in a new subgenre known as rape/revenge, filmmakers influenced by the uncensored footage shown on news stations of both the barbaric nature of their soldiers abroad and the effects that it caused on them mentally and emotionally would produce a new generation of cinema, far removed from the experimental and stylish films of the sixties. Now directors wanted to show us the harsh realities of life, whether we wanted to see them or not.

Vigilante movies would become commonplace for the next decade, with the rape/revenge formula continuing with Meir Zarchi’s I Spit on Your Grave, Ruggero Deodato’s La casa sperduta nel parco (aka The House by the Edge of the Park) and Abel Ferrara’a Ms. 45. In the wake of the success of Michael Winner’s Death Wish in 1974, stories of men whose lose everything (often families) at the hands of dangerous criminals and are forced to claim bloody vengeance would also become popular, with the likes of Rolling Thunder, Mad Max and The Exterminator following suit. Filmmakers would also become obsessed with serial killers, not from the point-of-view of the police investigation, as had been common before, now they wanted to explore the psychotics themselves, many of whom would prey on your women, often prompting accusations of misogyny.

Like many filmmakers, Robert Hammer had first begun as a photographer, although this interest would soon progress to documenting life in film. His early work would include shooting footage for various musicians and rock groups of the era, specifically The Steve Miller Band and Crosby, Stills and Nash. Eventually, he began to entertain the possibility of making a feature film and, with horror seeming to become the cheapest and most profitable way to break into the industry, decided to try his hand and making one himself. Unsure on what kind of movie he should make, he began reading through various screenplays in the hope of finding inspiration and eventually came across one by an unknown writer called Nightline. The script, written by a man named Michael Curtis, focused on a serial killer who would slaughter random women and then confess his crimes on a late night radio show.

Hammer was intrigued by the premise and decided to approach the writer, eventually purchasing the rights for $2,500. Aware that his first feature would be shot with a limited budget and resources, Hammer was forced to rework the story in an effort to make it more cost-effective, removing the more extravagant set pieces that would include shootouts and other challenges. Instead, Hammer decided to focus on the killer stalking his victims and then breaking into their homes, allowing him to work with a small crew and little risk. To help with the rewrites, Hammer brought in his friend, Michael D. Castle, and the final draft was ready three weeks later. Due to the extensive rewriting, the script was far removed from Curtis’ original version and so he was reduced to a story credit.

Hammer and Castle had also changed the name of the screenplay, now re-titling it The Hollywood Strangler, inspired by a recent crime spree in the area by a killer the media had dubbed the Hillside Strangler. Causing panic around Los Angeles for two years, with countless women raped, tortured and murdered, it was eventually revealed that the Strangler was in fact two men, Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono. Wanting to avoid any legal entanglements, Hammer decided to use the story as inspiration for his film but not keep too close to the facts. The incidents were still fresh in the mind of the city and a low budget exploitation film capitalising on the tragedies would have only incited anger from the citizens.

Knowing that he would be unable to cast established actors in the film, Hammer instead sought to cast theatre performers, due to their work being more physical than with screen acting. To help make his antagonist more believable, the filmmakers brought in Jon Greene, who had been leading the manhunt for the Hillside Strangler, to act as a consultant. In return, Hammer would allow Greene a small role in the picture as a cop. To portray the killer, the producers eventually settled on Nicholas Worth, a veteran of several Shakespeare plays and a bit-part actor from The Terminal Man and Coma. Worth would employ the method acting approach by allowing himself to be absorbed in the role and would spend his time off set still in character, wearing Hammer’s military camouflage jacket and regularly weight training at his house.

For the role of the radio psychiatrist, Hammer would cast Flo Lawrence, who would work on the film under the alias Flo Gerrish. Her co-star, James Westmoreland, had been acting on screen for over twenty years and had appeared in such shows as Alfred Hitchcock Presents and General Hospital. Despite an on screen romance blossoming between Lawrence and Westmoreland, this could not be further from the truth. With her background in stage performance, Lawrence would constantly rehearse and prepare for each scene, whilst Westmoreland would just ask Hammer for directions prior to shooting. Their resentment for each other escalated so much that prior to a scene in which the two were supposed to kiss, Westmoreland decided not to shave so the experience would be uncomfortable for Lawrence. In an equally childish move, she ate a large raw union just before the take so her breath was unbearable.

With Hammer having trained martial arts under the legendary Ed Parker, he was able to choreograph the film’s few fight scenes. For one sequence in which Worth was to smash a bottle over co-star Stan Haze’s head, the wrong type of sugar glass bottle had been purchased, resulting in the thick glass breaking and digging into Haze’s scalp. The executive producer, Michael Towers, would make a few demands during the production, particular with regards to nudity. Whilst Hammer had no issues featuring breasts in his movie, Towers would insist on it, resulting in a few gratuitous nude scenes. Dale Kalberg, who had previously appeared in the likes of Mistress of the Apes, would portray the first victim, a young nurse, who is attacked in her home by Worth. Pamela Bryant, another victim who would show off her flesh, had been Playmate of the Month in the April 1978 issue of Playboy.

Principal photography lasted for eighteen days in and around Los Angeles, although a nationwide fuel shortage would place additional pressure on the money conscious production. With the film being non-union and extremely low budget, the producers failed to obtain the necessary permits that were required to shoot in the city. This would result in the crew having to run interference with the local authorities whilst Hammer would film nearby. One location used for the movie was an abandoned post office that doubled as the police station, although the production would have to bring in a generator due to a lack of electricity. Despite the gruelling conditions with which the movie was filmed under, Hammer has fond memories of the experience and everyone he collaborated with.

With the film’s title too similar to the Hillside Strangler, Towers demanded that the name be changed to Don’t Answer the Phone!, which he felt would capitalise on the recent success of Fred Walton’s low budget thriller When a Stranger Calls. The movie made its American debut on February 29 1980 and was met with mostly negative reviews. The media were still obsessed with both Halloween, Dawn of the Dead and Alien, three films that were not only extremely successful but had also impressed the majority of critics. An obscure, sleazy exploitation feature about a serial killer targeting young, naked women was hardly going to win them over and so Don’t Answer the Phone! failed to make the same kind of impact at the box office. But it would be during its time on home video that the film would eventually find its audience and gain a cult following.

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post

Readers Comments