[Update 06/07/2022: Need rewatch this film and redo this review completely. Fix the screenshots also.]Nicholas Worth's performance made this film. He's sweaty, fat and crazier than a shithouse rat. If the makers of the film had any sense they would have cut most of the police detectives scenes and replaced them with more moments of Worth running around with his shirt off screaming to his dad's ghost, working out, crying and stalking/attacking women.
I got a little ahead of myself. There's a serial killer going around the city attacking women and raping them as they die, then he poses them and takes pictures. The police are clueless, but when the Strangler kills a woman live on the radio while on the phone to a female psychologist they get the lead they're looking for: he's obsessed with this doctor and looks at her as his grand prize.
We, the audience, know the identity of the Strangler right from the beginning and, like I said, he's bat shit crazy and a lot of fun to watch. I was really rooting for this dude to kill more and more, but then around the 45 minutes mark the story is sidetracked by the police efforts. It's as boring as watching blood dry on roadkill. Eventually they get back to the Strangler.
DON'T ANSWER THE PHONE! is a good example of the gritty late 1970's/early 1980's sleazy cinema that is probably impossible to make today. It's almost like a time capsule with all of is amazing street scenes and eye-popping fashions. Outside of Nicholas Worth's disturbing performance the movie is just OK, but worth a watch if you're into this kind of stuff.
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