Top 10 Horror Movie Phone Calls

“The Babadook” (2014)

“The Babadook” is more psychological in nature than most films on our list today, but it still contains its fair share of classic scares. Case in point: the creepy-as-hell phone call Amelia receives after the Mister Babadook book is returned to her doorstep. Amelia picks up the phone thinking it’s her sister Claire, but it’s really the Babadook, who goes on to taunt her with the creepiest voice this side of “The Exorcist.” The Babadook attacks when Amelia is at her most vulnerable, which is scary in a psychological sense, but that terrifying voice also makes it scary on a primal level. Just imagine picking up the phone and hearing this. Gah, no thanks.

“Get Out” (2017)

Jordan Peele’s directorial debut expertly mixed horror and comedy and that’s no different here. After the African-American Chris suspects there’s something weird and possibly sinister up with his Caucasian girlfriend Rose and her family, he tells his friend and TSA agent Rod. After Rod digs into things, he calls to check up on Chris, but he gets Rose instead. What makes this scene so chilling and unforgettable is the juxtaposition of Rod’s increasing anxiety with Rose’s complete outer calm, contrasted by her feigning ignorance. Though Rod figures out what’s going on, Rose is able to manipulate the conversation so that Rod is left hilariously and disturbingly without the answer he is looking for.

“Halloween” (1978)



“Halloween” popularized many tropes now common to the slasher genre, including this one, which sees one victim being murdered while on the phone with another character. In this scene, Lynda is being strangled while Laurie believes it’s actually Annie, and that her moans of pain are a prank. It’s horrifying from both angles. Lynda has to hear Laurie’s unhelpful protestations while she’s being strangled to death, and Laurie is unknowingly listening to a murder. And while it has nothing to do with the phone call, Michael’s ghost costume is just downright blood-chilling. Watching him approach Lynda is easily one of the movie’s most unsettling scenes. The way he picks up the phone afterwards? Talk about creepy.

“The Mothman Prophecies” (2002)

“The Mothman Prophecies” packs some incredibly unsettling moments. In this scene, John receives a terrifying phone call in which the mechanical voice on the other end correctly guesses what he is doing, what he’s reading, and what’s on his mind. The voice and the concept of a mysterious being somehow watching you are extremely unnerving, but the way in which this scene is shot adds another layer to the creepiness. There are a lot of close-ups of the phone and slow movements towards John’s ear and mouth, adding to the growing tension and placing us in John’s position, awaiting the next creepy line from this horrifying entity.

“The Silence of the Lambs” (1991)

This phone call isn’t so much scary as it is just downright awesome. While celebrating her graduation from the FBI academy, Clarice Starling receives a call from her old pal Hannibal Lecter, who had earlier escaped prison and fled to Bimini. It serves as a great initial ending to Lecter and Starling’s strained relationship, as Lecter’s friendly nonchalance, his ending the phone call, and the climactic music all signify his victory - despite what Starling may say. His final line, implying that he’s going to eat Chilton, is also one of the most chilling final lines in movie history. Lecter then walks into the crowd and into history as one of cinema’s greatest villains.

“A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984)

While the “Nightmare on Elm Street” series may have gotten a little over-the-top and silly over the years, the first movie is a bonafide classic due to creepy scenes like this. Just as Nancy is walking away from her bedroom, her disconnected phone starts to ring. The image of the disconnected phone ringing on the bed, coupled with the hair-raising music and Nancy’s slow, methodical approach help to build an incredible amount of tension. We then hear Freddy’s voice before his mouth appears at the end of the phone and his tongue licks Nancy’s lips. It’s a fantastic and wildly unpredictable scare that is sure to get anyone on first viewing.

“Black Christmas” (1974)

“Black Christmas” is an underappreciated movie that helped birth the slasher genre. In it, a group of students are murdered after receiving disturbing phone calls from a mysterious man. The phone calls themselves are terrifying, complete with animalistic noises and ragged breathing. We don’t care how tough you are – receiving a call like that in the middle of the night requires a change of pants. This obscene phone call however, in which the caller taunts numerous women, is arguably the film’s scariest. The language he uses is still disgusting today, but in 1974, no one had heard anything like this in on film. This was unprecedented stuff that still has the power to shock.

“When a Stranger Calls” (1979)

“When a Stranger Calls” owes a lot to “Black Christmas,” including the concept of the creepy caller being inside the house the whole time. However, it’s probably the most famous example, and one of the calls that arouses the most fear from everyone. After a creepy phone call in which Curt explains that he wants to kill Jill, Jill receives a phone call from the police explaining that Curt’s calls were coming from inside the house. The concept of being stalked by someone ALREADY IN YOUR HOME is unbelievably terrifying, especially when you realise that Curt had already murdered the children. The line is now iconic, and the scene is arguably one of the scariest opening scenes in horror movie history.

“The Ring” (2002)

“The Ring” is a perfect example of PG-13 horror done right. There’s nothing very violent or crude about this movie – it’s just extremely unsettling, and it has the power to truly get under your skin. A perfect example is the scene in which Rachel watches the tape. The footage itself is weird and disturbing enough, but the phone call, in which a mysterious woman whispers “seven days,” is even more horrifying. The line is gleefully ominous and full of dread, and it was so popular that “seven days” became one of the biggest pranks and buzzwords of the early 2000s. Even if you haven’t seen the film, you definitely know of the “seven days” phone call.



Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions.



“Even If You Leave This Room, You Could Never Leave This Room.”

“1408” (2007)





"Where's the Rest of Me Gold?"

“Leprechaun” (1993)



The Mystery Man

“Lost Highway” (1997)





Ken's Call to the Station

“Pontypool” (2008)





Hoax Gets Demonic Powers

“976-EVIL” (1989)

“Scream” (1996)

By the mid 1990s, the slasher genre had fallen out of favor with the public, mostly due to a string of horribly derivative movies in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. However, this scene alone reinvigorated interest in the once-dominant genre. It begins with a mysterious caller flirting with Casey before it devolves into sheer terror and murder. The isolated setting helps to set the helpless tone, the increasingly hostile and persistent phone calls are unsettling, and the image of Casey’s body hanging from the tree is now legendary. Though Cici’s sorority house phone conversation in “Scream 2” gave us the chills, we’ll never forget the time that we first watched a big star like Drew Barrymore be killed off so close to the beginning of the original flick.