Those Who Call

Whispering Pines.  You won’t forget the name of this town anytime soon.  And that’s thanks to the disturbing events in Anubys Lopez’s latest backwoods horror film, Those Who Call.  It begins with a blowout on a deserted road and ends with a hell of a lot of screaming as you realize just how far into the blackest of hearts the horror here goes.

Unfortunately, a low body count, a really dark shoot, and some poor edits/pacing issues keeps this one from being as good as it could have been.

"the payoff in the final moments of this horror yarn is worth it"


Starring Angie Sandoval, Yetlanezi Rodriguez, Reese Fast, Kevin Kinkade, and Addison Cousins, Those Who Call begins simple enough  - with a road trip - but as the lone passenger stumbles upon a cult in the woods, things go from bad to worse for her.  The beginning is promising enough for its unsettling vibe, but we jump from this situation to another one - and the bickering in it kills the momentum as two sisters - somewhere in Texas - begin their journey to Inspirational Point in Colorado and they can’t stop blaming each other for their problems.

But, as we saw in the opening few moments, car trips though this neck of the woods don’t go as planned.  Cars. Break. Down.  Just like their relationship, which as stated, isn’t very solid, neither is their vehicle and as they hit the familiar (and hauntingly shot) sign of Whispering Pines, things go to shit.

And that Pagan Cult is waiting for brand new sacrifices. 

Full of cool drone shots and atmospheric scenery - which gets explained a bit more than it should in the early parts of their journey - Those Who Call quickly shifts into high gear as the girls realize they are being hunted in the woods by a sadistic pagan cult who want them for their latest sacrifice.Those Who Call

It begins with whispering.  It ends with screaming.  The sisters try to wait out their car situation in the car, but the atmosphere of the woods gets to them and they bail, going in search of the reason for the barely heard voices in the night.

Bad idea.  We know this, but it is the execution of the horror which earns this low budget feature its stripes.  Sometimes, the drama gets in the way of the horror, but - buckle in - and prepare yourself for some solid scares as the crazy gets ramped up with all sorts of cult paraphernalia.  The sisters aren’t supposed to be there and they are being warned away . . . or are they being summoned?

And they are being watched.  Every move noted.  Even as we suffer from a poorly placed flashback, the score is being tallied by someone tracking the girls.

While the film relies more on building the drama between the sisters, the payoff in the final moments of this horror yarn is worth it.  Remember, things aren’t as they seem.  Hold onto that and maybe you will make it out of this wooded Hell unscathed.  Maybe.

Those Who Call, being handled by Uncork’d Entertainment, will premiere on digital Jan 10, 2023.  Shut up and drive!

3/5 stars

Film Details

Those Who Call

MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime:
90 mins
Director
: Anubys Lopez
Writer:
Anubys Lopez
Cast:
Yetlanezi Rodriguez; Angie Sandoval; Reese Fast
Genre
: Horror
Tagline:
You're not alone in this forest...
Memorable Movie Quote:
Distributor:
Uncork'd Entertainment
Official Site:
Release Date:
January 10, 2022 (digital)
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:

Synopsis: Tells of two sisters that go on a road trip to Colorado. On their way there, their car breaks down in an abandoned old town. Soon they realize things aren’t what they seem, and they aren’t alone in the forest. They find themselves being hunted by a sadistic pagan cult and must do everything in their power to survive. 

Art

Those Who Call