I do believe there are some phone booths still scattered across the world. People born this century may not know what they are. These boxes...or booths as they're called in America were at one time depended upon by people. Smartphones weren't common and all you had to do was walk into the booth, put some change in the phone and dial who you were trying to call. In Horror movies, these mechanisms were just another place to cause fear, be terrorized, or die. So, this week on Longlivethevoid.com I bring you the...
Top 10 Phone Booth Scenes In Horror
Spoilers Ahead!
10. Dial M For Murder (1954)
Coming in at number 10 is the oldest phone booth, movie moment on this list which has a phone call that literally leads to murder. Director Alfred Hitchcock sure did have a bright and bold mind based on his work I've seen. Audiences must have been filled with dread every time he released a new film. This particular gem from the 50's has suspense right up until the end.
9. Friday The 13th Part 8: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
Well, before Jason knocks this dude's head the fuck off, he tries to choke him out while the dude is attempting to reach the authorities. The victim (Julius) gets startled as Jason interrupts his phone call by breaking through the booth's glass and reaching for his throat . That was not an act of kindness on Jason's part.
8. Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Mia Farrow, on top of looking quite beautiful in this scene, also looks terrified in a realistic way. No, this scene isn't violent, it has tension that makes the viewer feel that at any second our heroine can be in danger. A+ acting on Mia Farrow's part. And William Castle has a cameo at the end, along with his stogie.
7. C.H.U.D. (1984)
This scene is harder than it should be because it happened in front of a child. I guess it's good that the humanoid monster spared the kid, but after seeing this, the little girl may be traumatized for life, or may become a killer herself. That could be a plot for C.H.U.D. 3
6. Duel (1971)
Spielberg's early 70's film 'Duel' gets mentioned now and again. It obviously doesn't get the love 'Jaws' gets, but it has its fanbase and hopefully with write-ups and lists like this it can be sought out more. 'Duel' is just a straightforward story of road rage. A person in an 18 wheeler gets cut off on the road by a man then chases and tries to literally destroy him. Does he succeed? Give the film a shot and find out! As you can see by the gif, the protagonist just barely survives this scene.
5. The Grudge 2 (2006)
'The Grudge' movies represent a time in the early to mid 2000's when Japanese Horror was a large part of the talk of the town. I respect 'The Grudge' movies, but never cared too much for them. While both of the American 'Grudge' films have their moments, ''Part 2" has this claustrophobic phone booth scene that's probably been responsible for inducing a few heart attacks since its release. There's supposedly a new 'The Grudge' on the way, hopefully it'll be a worthy update...not that we need it.
4. Psycho 3 (1986)
Anthony Perkins owned the Norman Bates role. I like the newest 'Bates Motel' tv show, it just can't compare to the feelings of the movies (No, I'm not counting the 1998 remake.) Even this third entry with all of its sleaziness still has the 'Psycho' feel to it. And, this phone booth death scene sticks out to me. It's not abundantly bloody but it is different enough to be interesting.
3. The Birds (1963)
Hitchcock making this list twice...how bout that?! 'The Birds' will forever be memorable in my mind for the close-up visual of the victim that had their eyes gouged out. That is some serious shit for an early 60's movie. A lot of modern filmmakers say how great Hitchcock was and that's simply because he knew what to deliver, and when to deliver the next step of shocking visuals along with content in cinema. This phone booth scene alone shows the suspense and tension he could build in such a small space.
2. The Monster Squad (1987)
I love werewolf transformations. The one that takes place in a phone booth in 'The Monster Squad' (although quick) deserves more attention. The scene is nothing to negatively snarl at. The camera movements and the line "He's gonna kill your son!" takes this out of "kid movie" territory and into "what the fuck" areas of the brain. The scene is truly classic. Stan Winston Rest In Peace.
1. The Blob (1988)
This movie struck pretty high on the flamethrower list, too. Some movies just have it all. The actual blob monster in 'The Blob' is very fuckin violent. It will crush you, devour you, suck you through a sink and so much more. This poor girl didn't stand even a slight chance to survive as The Blob had her right where it wanted her. Shit, being murdered in general sucks, being murdered in a phone booth would suck, but imagine the culprit being a giant piece of purple goo being the last thing you see before you go?
Honorable Mentions
American Psycho (2000)
Bateman goes wild and cries due to his sanity slipping and his crimes being exposed.
Honorable Non Horror Mentions
Dumb and Dumber (1994)
A gangster named Mental doesn't like being interrupted when discussing organized crime on a payphone. So, he lays out a citizen who had the audacity to tell him to "Get off the phone."
Commando (1985)
What else can I say? Arnold picks this motha fucka up along with the phone booth he's in and...yeah.
Goodfellas (1990)
Robert De Niro's character isn't pleased to hear his dear friend just got whacked. Well, you live by the gun, ice pick, bat, knife and other objects, you're more than likely going to die by one of those things, too.
More Notable Phone Booth Scenes
Phone Booth - (2002)
Dirty Harry - (1971)
Falling Down - (1993)
Superman - (1978)
Jumpin' Jack Flash - (1986)
The Matrix - ( 1999)
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure - (1989)
Cheech and Chong's Up In Smoke - (1978)
Number Please? - (1920)
Once again, this is Dr.LoveGore with some more weekly advice and I advise you to walk or run away from a phone booth if you happen to see one in this day and age. Just use your fuckin cellphone!!!
Dr.LoveGore is all about the gore, and quality in anything related to Horror. Movies, soundtracks, comic books, novels, you name it, he loves it!
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