Top 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsMost Popular Video GamesMost Popular Music VideosMost Popular Podcasts
    Release CalendarBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Murder by Phone

  • 19821982
  • RR
  • 1h 35m
IMDb RATING
5.4/10
846
YOUR RATING
Murder by Phone (1982)
HorrorThrillerMystery
A disgruntled phone company employee develops a device whereby those answering a phone can be murdered, and it's up to Nat Bridger to stop the killer.A disgruntled phone company employee develops a device whereby those answering a phone can be murdered, and it's up to Nat Bridger to stop the killer.A disgruntled phone company employee develops a device whereby those answering a phone can be murdered, and it's up to Nat Bridger to stop the killer.
IMDb RATING
5.4/10
846
YOUR RATING
    • Michael Anderson
  • Writers
    • Michael Butler(screenplay)
    • Dennis Shryack(screenplay)
    • John Kent Harrison(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Richard Chamberlain
    • John Houseman
    • Sara Botsford
    • Michael Anderson
  • Writers
    • Michael Butler(screenplay)
    • Dennis Shryack(screenplay)
    • John Kent Harrison(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Richard Chamberlain
    • John Houseman
    • Sara Botsford
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 18User reviews
    • 18Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos12

    Murder by Phone (1982)
    Murder by Phone (1982)
    Murder by Phone (1982)
    Murder by Phone (1982)
    Murder by Phone (1982)
    Murder by Phone (1982)
    Murder by Phone (1982)
    Murder by Phone (1982)
    Murder by Phone (1982)
    Murder by Phone (1982)
    Murder by Phone (1982)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Richard Chamberlain
    Richard Chamberlain
    • Nat Bridger
    John Houseman
    John Houseman
    • Stanley Markowitz
    Sara Botsford
    Sara Botsford
    • Ridley Taylor
    Robin Gammell
    Robin Gammell
    • Noah Clayton
    Gary Reineke
    • Lt. Meara
    Barry Morse
    Barry Morse
    • Fred Waites
    Alan Scarfe
    Alan Scarfe
    • John Websole
    James B. Douglas
    • Jack Gilsdorf
    Ken Pogue
    Ken Pogue
    • Fil Thorner
    Neil Munro
    • Winters
    Jefferson Mappin
    Jefferson Mappin
    • Photographer
    Tom Butler
    Tom Butler
    • Detective Tamblyn
    Colin Fox
    Colin Fox
    • Dr. Alderman
    Luba Goy
    Luba Goy
    • Beth Freemantle
    Lenore Zann
    Lenore Zann
    • Connie Lawson
    Clare Coulter
    Clare Coulter
    • Bag Lady
    George R. Robertson
    • George Lord
    Jo-Anne Hannah
    • Sandra Thorner
    • (as Joann Lang-Hannah)
      • Michael Anderson
    • Writers
      • Michael Butler(screenplay) (story)
      • Dennis Shryack(screenplay) (story)
      • John Kent Harrison(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Funeral Home
    5.1
    Funeral Home
    Trick or Treat
    5.8
    Trick or Treat
    Final Exam
    4.6
    Final Exam
    Galaxy of Terror
    5.0
    Galaxy of Terror
    Hell of the Living Dead
    4.9
    Hell of the Living Dead
    House of the Long Shadows
    6.2
    House of the Long Shadows
    Anthropophagus: The Grim Reaper
    5.3
    Anthropophagus: The Grim Reaper
    The Monster Club
    5.9
    The Monster Club
    Blood Beach
    4.5
    Blood Beach
    The Unseen
    5.3
    The Unseen
    The Boogens
    5.5
    The Boogens
    Sole Survivor
    6.1
    Sole Survivor

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Known in the UK as "Bells".
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      Nat Bridger: I'll call ya!

    • Crazy credits
      Pictures of telephones are displayed throughout the concluding credits, which finish with a telephone ringing.
    • Alternate versions
      Murder by Phone is the title of the truncated US release. The original version was entitled Bells, and runs an additional 20 minutes.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Horror of It All (1983)

    User reviews18

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Hell's bells
    Alternatively known as Bells, here's an entertaining chiller with two gooder actors for a film that's still a good solid drama/thriller. Certainly something different here, we have a disgruntled nut who used to work for the phone company, taking people out at random, some he personally knows, by upping the voltage so high, their body melts, their ears explode, and are sent flying backwards whether on subways, or from high rise buildings. Richard Chamberlain, of all people, is a professor, who investigates the killings, when one of his best students, is a victim (the first one on the subway). While bedding architect (Sara Botsford- Rats) he teams up with a cop who he first bangs heads with, on the account of his no caring attitude, they try to flush out the killer, who's doing his business from a small electricity house, which is also his abode. John Houseman, an old lecturer and close friend of Chamberlain, has something to hide here, too, which I thought was a good shock point (pardon the expression). I did like the cop in this film, a Frederick Forest type guy, I found a hoot, if the whole film. The death scenes are classics, and we do question if we could really kill someone by upping the amps so high. How they set the killer up, is classic, as is the last call Richard Chamberlain takes, that he shouldn't of. On the whole, Bells is fun viewing for the horror/thriller viewer, though I don't think it will turn you off answering your next call.
    helpful•4
    0
    • PeterMitchell-506-564364
    • Jan 29, 2013

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 8, 1982 (United States)
      • Canada
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Kleinburg, Ontario, Canada
    • Production companies
      • Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC)
      • Famous Players
      • Coco Films I
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 35 minutes
      • Color
      • Mono

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Murder by Phone (1982)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Murder by Phone (1982) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.