Call Back (2009)

   

Written & Directed by: Ben Ross

Starring:

Rob Benedict .... Levi
Chantelle Barry .... Sonja
Elisangela .... Cindy

Release Date:
Made-for-Cable: January 30, 2009 (Hungary)

 

Rating:

 

A sleazy, cocky and obnoxious director named Levi (Rob Benedict) is auditioning many actresses for his upcoming horror flick but treats them like dirt except for one named Sonja (Chantelle Barry) whom he thinks is good enough to jump in the sack in which she can't act her way out of a wet paper bag.
He decides to take her home and tries to fool her that he wants to do a screen test with her and while she tells him about his love life telling him that she has a lover and is bisexual, her girlfriend Cindy (Elisangela) comes up from behind him and knocks him unconcious.
Next he is pinned on the ground and can't seem to escape as the two of them mame and torture him half to death by cutting him and using objects on him too which is just as painful. Plus Sonja shows him the tapes he had on what he did to the other actresses trying out for his film as he rapes them and forces them to take of their clothes in front of his camera in which they give him a rough time doing.
Now, the tables seem to have turned on him as both of these women do nastier things to him than what he did to those wannabe actresses and can't seem to get himself out of the situation.

 

There's a nice comedic beginning with Levi doing screen tests at an audition room by acting obnoxious and vulgar towards the wannabe actresses.
There's a good approach by Sonja acting flakey coming into the room with Levi drooling over her and trying to coach her to scream with her acting hopeless which looked quite cheesy but in average taste.
There's good moments with Levi videotaping her in his house and then she uses his camera on him and then he is about to lose his cool with a nice surprise attack by Cindy whacking him across the head behind him with an object which looked intense.
There's a nice moment with Levi locked up with Cindy standing in front of him and taunting him with a chainsaw as he reacts well being frightened and there's many good close up shots on him with his painful expressions as well as him crying in fear which looked almost disturbing.
There's a good shot on both Cindy and Sonja jumping on his bed and having fun with one another. Good shots on both of them acting vulgar and aggressive towards him showing good nasty expressions towards him and what they plan to do with him.
There's a nice moment with Sonja getting demanding towards Levi while she puts in a tape showing him what he's done that involves someone doing a striptease and Sonja behind the camera getting aggressive and dominating with her which seemed believeably unpleasant.
There's many other torturous scene that involves the three of them which almost makes you cringe which looked powerfully done. Especially a good camera shot looking down on them when Sonja forces a zucchini in his mouth which looked quite painful.
A good shot on Levi laughing hysterically and convincing them to let him be free. There's also a good close up shot on him being gagged and trying to scream while there's a good shot on Sonja clenching her teeth and cutting off his finger and acting evil with her laughing.
There's a good moment with Levi trying to get out of the house and scrambling around to see what he can do with a good striking shot on Sonja along with a good shot on Levi falling into his own swimming pool. There's a good shot with both Sonja and Cindy on each ends of the pool holding a weapon and demanding him to get out of the pool along with a nice blocking shot on Sonja holding her weapon above her head which happens to be a bat and a good shot on him panicking and asking her not to hit him with it.
There's nice close up shots on Levi's hands being nailed to a wall with a good shot on him standing there and crying in pain along with many other moments being taunted by Sonja and Cindy.
There's not a heck of alot of scene's in this film but the story is very well done and totally psychological. At first it starts off as a dark comedy with the auditioning in which I thought to myself "Oh boy this is going to be one of those bad movies" But then the shocking moments start with the two women who torture this director.
It really makes you think what can happen if you take advantage of someone and treating them like shit as it will come back to you but in a worst way that can cause you your life almost. I mean the tortures used in this film looked quite graphic which is a good pointer so it makes the picture very well done and hard to watch alot of the times.
It almost was like a moment where you're trapped and there's no way you can escape like you see in other psychological horror flicks such as Saw but this film works on it's own at the same time.
There's good spots with one of the women playing him a videotape of his so called screen tests on him raping his actresses trying out to show him what a scumbag he is which seemed almost too real which psych's you out thinking of the faults anyone has done in their lives fearing someday karma will get you good. It's almost like since you enjoy making horror films and now you're a part of it in real life type of story which is even a scarier thought.
The bottom line is the film didn't have a heck of alot of scene's but the writing was great in it and a must for anyone who like's those kinds of psychological revenge horror films. It was one of the most well done independent flicks that doesn't need to have any expensive locations but works extremely well.

The acting was not too bad as lead actor Rob Benedict (Levi) really knew how to act like a nasty and sleazy wannabe film director with a spoiled attitude having what's coming to him. He came across that way very realistically. He also was great by screaming in pain and acting weak while being trapped and tortured half to daeth showing his weaknesses being forced out of him. He brought everything together in a very good style. He does well in a scene by weakly choking out some words towards another actress and having a change of pace.
Chantelle Barry
(Sonja) really knew how to act menacing and evil with her part in the film portraying a perfect psychological horror character in the film with great aggression when she spits out obscenities and just getting very forceful. She really knew how to come across as someone who goes way too far than what it's really worth.
Elisangela (Cindy) has a great accent in her role and knew how to portray the mysterious lesbian lover in the flick showing almost a soft side to her and then she becomes incredibly unpredictable and just as warped as her lover in the film. She knew how to use the deadly weapons on the film quite well and could portray a good female killer in other horror flicks.

Chase Munroe does a striptease in front of a camcorder taking off her top and flashing her boobs.
There's many other boob shots with other bit part actresses on a videotape as it was almost like watching a porn flick.

Levi is tortured half to death by many moments:
His wrist is cut open and later stapled
The two lovers carve tic tac toe on his stomack with knives
His finger is graphically cut off then chopped up in a blender then the results being poured on him
His hands are hammered to a wall

We hear many touches of low sounding keyboard music with the odd light pounding sounds too. There's a touch of light piano playing too. For most of the film we hear alot of the popular classical orchestra music which we all know in alot of films with the violin and bass string playing. Ralph Rieckermann did most of the composing for this film and seems to do it very well.