The Twilight Zone (TV Series) Night Call (1964) User Reviews

"Why does he keep calling ME?"

[classicsoncall · 9/10 · 12 August 2010]

This is one of those stories that epitomizes what The Twilight Zone was all about. Who else but Rod Serling could take something as simple as an inanimate object, a telephone, and turn it into an element of fear and dread? The show reminded me just how intrusive and annoying those old black dial telephones could be, and how loud they were when everything was so quiet you could otherwise hear a pin drop. The sound could literally make you jump out of your skin if you weren't expecting it.

But while the story sets us up for and delivers an effective dose of horror, Serling and writer Richard Matheson suddenly turn the tables on the viewer and deliver a note of tragedy. You don't see it coming even when Elva Keene (Gladys Cooper) establishes her character early as an overbearing and dominating spinster. The story actually features a double whammy of sorts. Not only was Elva responsible for the accident that claimed her fiancé's life, but in death he was keenly attuned to obey her wish to leave her alone. The irony is delivered with a subtlety that just hits you right in the face, forcing Elva to confront another missed opportunity because of her own intransigence.

This was the second time Serling placed a telephone at the center of one of his stories. The second season of the series featured a tale entitled 'Long Distance Call' with a similar premise involving a messenger from the beyond. 'Night Call' deals more with the horror element and leaves more to the imagination of the viewer than the earlier show, but both are recommended as effective Serling material.

I...always...do...what...you...say.

[sol1218 · 7/10 · 8 August 2010]

***SPOILERS** The mysterious phone calls started on a windswept and rainy night in Maine when wheelchair bound spinster Elva Keene, Gladys Cooper,answered her phone and all that came out of the receiver was crackling static. Not thinking much about it Elva got a call the next day with the same results but this time there was a voice on the other end of the line. Bearly audible the voice seemed to either be calling for help or just making groaning sounds like you would get from an obscene caller!

Things didn't get any better for Elva the next few days they in fact got worse with the phone ringing off the hook and this eerie sound like someone on his deathbed just about to expire coming out from the receiver when she picked it up! Finally almost on the brink of a nervous breakdown Elva told whoever was calling her to get lost and please stop bothering her! It was later that Elva finally got word from the local telephone company where the strange calls originated from: The local cemetery just outside of town!

***SPOILERS*** Driving out to the graveyard with her in house maid Margaret Phillips, Nora Marlow, Elva finds that the fallen telephone line had embedded itself on the grave of her late fiancée Brian Douglas who was killed in a car accident back in 1932! Just days before he and Elva were to be married! As we soon learn from Elva Brian just couldn't say no to her and when she insisted on getting behind the wheel he obediently, like a trained seal, let her. And with that he ended up going head first through the car windshield when Elva lost control of the automobile and slammed into a tree killing him and crippling herself!

***MAJOR SPOILER*** Elva feeling that she after some 30 odd years has finally been reunited with her long dead and beloved Brian impatiently waits for him to call her and gets one final massage from him. In death like in life Brian tells Elva that he'll always do what she tells him. And like she got him there, in his grave, by letting her take the wheel of his car 30 years ago he'll also respect her wish of getting himself lost, in the world beyond, and never calling her again! This at a time when a shut-in lonely and wheelchair bound Elva, who finally found out who was calling her, wants to hear from him most!

A Classic Ghost Story

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 17 December 2008]

this is really a ghost story. It has a link to the grave and a secret that lies buried. It involves the dead trying to reach out to a happy time. It's about vanity and ignorance and guilt. The story involves an elderly invalid and her housekeeper. One night after a storm, she receives a phone call. It is a sad, droning voice. It doesn't respond to her questions and she begins to make demands on the telephone company. She tries to ignore further phone calls, but to no avail. She is a demanding old woman and people begin to tire of her obsessiveness. Of course, she is the only one who can hear anything. As ghost stories go, this has a surprisingly satisfying conclusion that neatly ties things together, but not without pain.

Gladys Cooper, not Martine Bartlett, portrayed Elva Keene.

[johnsons-2 · 6 June 2006]

Good observations, folks, and I agree, however the 'old woman', Elva Keene, was played by Gladys Cooper (who was also great in "Nothing in the Dark", where a young Robert Redford portrays death in the guise of a police officer). I think Nora Marlowe, as the compassionate but skeptical nurse, Margaret, also did a great job. This is one of those 'TZ' episodes that certainly ventured into terror; the disembodied voice on the telephone scared the hell out of me when I first saw it (granted, I was only 9). Interesting also was the fact that, as the story developed, and Miss Keene's phone rang (at least during the day), you were forced to wonder whether it was the groaning man, or the officious-sounding Miss Finch from the phone company. One of the better episodes of the series, IMHO.

Probably the scariest TZ episode of all time

[Pythe · 10/10 · 2 February 2008]

Unlike most of the creepier Twilight Zone episodes, Night Call terrifies me as much now as it did when I was much younger. I still can't watch this one late at night without feeling a little uneasy at what might be lurking just beyond the blinds in the window. Night Call is brilliant on several levels. First, it's a masterpiece of storytelling by the legendary Richard Matheson, who's written some of the most unnerving short stories ever published. The characters, the situation, and the final explanation are all superbly realized--I've seen the ending twist repeated in a number of short films or generic "scary tales for children"-esquire compilations. Jacques Tourneur's direction is extraordinarily atmospheric, the visual equivalent of a lonely wind rustling through a dark forest. We as viewers feel every bit as alone and frightened as the woman when she picks up the phone and hears nothing but moans from the other end. Watching the episode is a bit like lying in bed in the middle of the night and thinking you heard a noise downstairs. Yet, in spite of all this, the ending manages a complete 180, from terrifying to tragic, that works extraordinarily well. Kudos to the writer and director for giving the Twilight Zone an ingenious entry for its final season.

Not A Party Line

[telegonus · 10/10 · 5 March 2011]

Once upon a time, before cells and mobile phones there was something called a party line, which was a cost effective way for low income people to maintain telephone service without having to pay a lot. The solution was simple: share the expenses (and the monthly charge) with someone else. The only problem would be that one could not make or receive calls if the other person was on the line.

In this Twilight Zone episode, Night Call, the elderly, invalid Elva Keene, who lives alone, cared for only by a nurse, starts to receive phone calls from someone who sounds far away. It's a man's voice but she can't quite hear what he's saying. He tends to call her late at night, when she's alone, and these calls frighten her. As we learn a thing or two about Miss Keene's past we begin to understand her, as we come to realize that she has a bad conscience, and for good reason. These unsettling phone calls are bringing back memories, as she recalls experiences from her youth; and hers is not a party line.

This is one of the few entries in the Twilight Zones series that plays like a pure horror from start to finish. Not a violent or gruesome horror; more like a ghost story. Written and directed by masters, Richard Matheson and Jacques Tourneur, splendidly acted by Gladys Cooper in the lead role, it ends on a note of sheer terror. No axes come crashing through doors, there are no vampires, werewolves or monsters, just an image and no more. Those who keep their phones next to their beds might want to think twice about leaving them on after watching Night Call.

"Night Call" Supremely Engrossing T Z episode!

[bsfraser2003 · 10/10 · 26 June 2011]

I have seen almost ALL of the original TZ episodes, and this one "Night Call" is always the one I recommend.

Beautifully photographed: Embittered and lonely Elva Keane endures unending telephone night calls from her telephone; The phone becomes an instrument of terror-when Elva is trying to get some sleep you can actually SEE the shadow's of the branches on her face from the trees outside-a beautiful touch! Miss Finch: (The telephonist) "About those call's you say you've been receiving Miss Keane.." Elva: "SAY I've been?"... NO spoilers for those yet to see-the pace and suspense never let up until it's heartbreaking conclusion.

The best episode ever...?

[grtpmpkin32 · 10/10 · 16 May 2006]

Perhaps not, but it has to be in the top three, if pure tension, terror and mystery are any measure of the best The Twilight Zone had to offer during its relatively short original run. Adapted from the tightly wound short story 'Long Distance Call', penned by the legendary Richard Matheson (who wrote 15 other TZ episodes, most notably 'Nightmare at 20,000 Feet'), 'Night Call' packs a wallop of fear. Everyone knows how jarring a phone call can be in the wee hours; the quiet of the evening suddenly jangled out of rest by the ringing we normally find a minor annoyance in the daylight. Our nerves are shot for a moment, and then we begin wondering, before we've gotten out of bed to answer the ring... "Who could it be? Is everything alright?" But to find... no one? Silence? Then, a few rings later... an unearthly moaning? The full meaning of the story only becomes apparent in the last few minutes, as is typical for the average TZ episode, but it also packs a punch, turning fear to pathos. The acting is superb, Ms. Cooper really was a fine actress and was perfectly cast here. Her face is so expressive, her fear so palpable that we have no choice but to 'fear' right along, until we find out who... or what... has been calling. And why. This is my personal favorite, for its subtlety and atmosphere. No aliens, no monsters (well, not conventionally), no spaceships, no end of the world preaching, just a good story well told. One you'd hear (or if you were brilliant enough, tell) around a campfire. Simple, clean, and terrifying.

Have a Heart Mr Serling

[ron_tepper · 6/10 · 2 November 2007]

"Night Call" is one of those stories which is more like a "Tales From the Crypt".There was an old lonely woman who has lived in denial of her old boyfriend's death just before being married many, many years ago.

She became a very lonely woman who has denied herself of one moment of happiness her entire life. Suddenly(after being confined to a bed and wheelchair)she gets a phone call (actually a series of calls). The only problem is that its late at night and the caller only breathes in the telephone. This person would not identify themselves but the calls seem urgent. She thinks they are prank and asks the telephone company to investigate (If she only had CALLER ID huh?)They tell her a Cable wire from an electrical storm snapped and fell/somehow penetrates her old boyfriends grave.Her dead boyfriend is calling her from his gravesite

Now she can't WAIT for the call because she wanted to talk to him (in whatever way or form)and it would put an end to all this suffering. The call does come but the caller changes his mind and indicates that"you asked me not to call you anymore and I always do what you ask". The old woman knows she'll never get a call from him again and the last shot has her weeping in bed OK.Fine. It was a bit of a downer but in his closing remarks Serling surmised that this woman "made her own bed and now must lie in it" Come on Rod!! Would anyone in the world act any differently if they were getting calls all the time late at night with the person never identifying themselves? If she knew those calls were from a person she loved she would have reacted differently and she must of said "who is this" a god awful number of times.The episode had a chill and was very well acted and I truly felt bad for the woman in the end but for one of the very FEW times Serling's closing remarks were completely heartless. Maybe there is a"Poetic Justice" element here but this woman deserves all the pity in the world and Rod was a little to harsh on her on this one.

Dead Connection

[AaronCapenBanner · 10/10 · 7 November 2014]

Gladys Cooper stars as Elva Keene, an elderly woman in a wheelchair who lives alone, though does have a visiting nurse come every day. One night, during a fierce storm, Elva receives two mysterious phone calls where no one speaks, but crackling static is heard. These calls persist, frightening her, but even worse is the solution: the calls are finally traced to a local cemetery, where a downed line lays over the grave of her long dead fiancée Brian... Scary and atmospheric episode has exemplary direction by horror film veteran Jacques Tourneur, and a fine performance from Miss Cooper that lead to a most chilling(and tragic) end.

Unrelenting dark tale.

[darrenpearce111 · 7/10 · 4 January 2014]

Gladys Cooper, the grand dame of The Twilight Zone, is quite brilliant in her third and final appearance. Jacques Tourner (Night Of The Demon, I Walked With A Zombie) brings his usual excellent atmospheric direction to the Zone. Probably the only TZ set in England (I realize 'Passage On The Lady Anne' begins at Southampton), it's by far and away one of the most creepy and chilling.

Besides Gladys Cooper, the so recurring theme of loneliness is probably the only other typical TZ factor. The story is good for a chilly ghost story but somewhat severe in nature for this normally more warm-hearted series.

Yet another Gladys Cooper classic

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 4 October 2009]

Gladys Cooper might does not hold the record for appearances in episodes of "The Twilight Zone", though she comes close with three appearances (I think that would be Jack Klugman with four). "Night Call" represents her final appearance, though my favorite is still "Nothing in the Dark".

This episode consists of an old lady that is wheelchair-bound who is receiving creepy phone calls. It's not what is said as much as how the unknown person sounds--almost like someone who is half-dead. Again and again he calls and each time, Cooper becomes more scared--she just wants the calls to stop. Then, in a final act of desperation, she makes them stop...but is this what she REALLY wants? Much of what is good about this episode isn't the plot but how it is handled. The story idea is very simple but combining the cinematography, music, acting and direction, it all becomes amazingly tense and creepy.

A great episode with a brutal and unnecessary ending

[aliases-53334 · 7/10 · 24 February 2016]

"...who in every sense has made her own bed and now must lie in it, sadder, but wiser, by dint of a rather painful lesson in responsibility, transmitted from the Twilight Zone. "

And what is the lesson in responsibility the poor old lady has to endure? I'm truly buffled by this cruel and heartless ending. An old woman, lives alone, receives strange phone calls that would frighten the hell out of anyone. She tries to find the source to those calls, but no one listens to her, being just some old lady... Eventually she has a nervous breakdown, in a moment of fear and after the caller asks her to tell him where she is and that he wants to come over... She cries out to him to leave her alone, scared to death. When we discover the cruel trick that it is her finance that died in a car accident where she was left paralysed, it is all too sad and emotional. Only then, Serling decides to cut out that line and have her pay for her mistakes... Which mistakes exactly? I failed to understand. Was she not reasonable to be scared by those creepy phone calls? was she not allowed to tell a strange man to leave her alone? was she not suppose to drive the car? Terrible ending, a real shame since the story could have been great.

Her line has gone dead.

[BA_Harrison · 3/10 · 16 April 2022]

Night Call mostly consists of a lonely, disabled old woman in bed receiving nuisance phone calls. Jacques Tourneur is a great director, but not even he can make that very interesting.

Gladys Cooper plays Elva Keene, the recipient of the mysterious phone calls that frequently come at the dead of night. At first, all she can hear is static, followed by moaning, then a voice saying 'Hello'. Eventually, the voice asks 'Where are you?' and says "I want to talk to you'. A frightened Elva screams at the caller to leave her alone, and phones the operator the following day to trace the calls.

Then comes the good part: it turns out that the calls have been coming from a line that came down in a recent storm, the wire resting on the ground... in a cemetery!!! I would have ended the story right there - it's creepy enough that the calls are coming from a dead person, but this one doesn't know when to call it quits.

Elva visits the cemetery and finds that the telephone wire is resting on the gravestone of her fiancé Brian, who died years ago in a car crash, when Elva insisted on driving but lost control. Back home, Elva, now keen to speak to Brian, picks up the phone and reaches out to her fiancé, who answers 'You said to leave you alone... I always do what you say'. And he hangs up! I seem to be in the minority, but I found this ending ridiculous - the dead guy went to such great lengths to contact her, and now she finally wants to talk, he won't.

Ironic, but stupid.

Still scary from a master director

[criticman2000 · 13 March 2006]

It's really hard for me to claim this or that as the best ever, or my favorite, simply because it's so limiting and something always pops up sooner or later, to prove me a liar. In this case, however, I MUST say, I have seen all of the "Twilight Zone" episodes, half and full hour-long and of any of them, this is the one I always recommend. Directed by the vastly underrated Jacques Tourneur (whose "Cat People" revolutionized horror films as we know them, and has resonance even today), this is a story which simply plays on our fears and messes with our minds. A crippled old woman sits in her lovely cottage home, aided only by a nurse. Alone and miserable, she begins getting strange nightly phone calls from somebody who makes odd sounds and leaves her terrified. Is she senile? Her maid seems to think so, but as you might expect, there's much more here than meets the eye. I won't go into details more than to say that the ending won't disappoint and Martine Bartlett, as the old woman, is likable and sympathetic. I saw this recently and yeah, it's still scary. Is it the best "Twilight Zone" episode, though? Well, if you like creepy irony, then yeah, this one is the best, ever.

Cut her some slack, guys.

[harrydeal · 9/10 · 8 April 2008]

I agree with the person who wrote that Serling/Matheson were unduly harsh on Elva. It does seem cruel considering that her life was already ruined in many ways by the event referred to in the story. They changed the ending from the original Matheson short story, adding the sad and ironic end in place of the original end which continued the horror thread to a far more frightening conclusion (no spoiler here for those who wish to read the story, which I recommend highly). I also was slightly troubled by the age discrepancy, but I guess script writers don't expect us to do math while watching TV. I notice that two comments mention a different actress playing Elva. Was this episode re-done in the later TZ series in the '80s? All in all, one of the many excellent stories presented by Rod and the other immortal TZ writers.

Night Caller

[brabryant · 10/10 · 26 April 2014]

I was 10 years-old when Twilight Zone ran it's first episode: "Where Is Everybody", and I was hooked!!! In it's time there was nothing like it on television. TZ remains the best show ever on network t.v. as far as I'm concerned. I was 15 in 1964 when "Night Call' aired, and it spooked the Hell out of me!! I watched it recently, late at night with the lights off and it still was scary to watch. The hair stands up on the back of my neck just thinking of this episode. If you like being frightened by your mind and not special effects, then this is the TZ episode for you!!! There will never be another writer like Sterling and his TZ pals or another show quite like the Twilight Zone. PS-This episode takes place in the state of Maine, New England, USA, and NOT in England across the pond.

The mind plays many tricks

[MarieGabrielle · 10/10 · 6 May 2006]

on the lonely lady living in her cottage. Is it just her imagination, is she senile, or is this really happening?.

I will have to get the complete collection of these older episodes- each story was so unique and original- no one comes as close as Rod Serling, when creating suspense, irony and horror. Everyone has different favorites.

This story was also noteworthy because of the performance of Martine Bartlett, who portrayed Sally Field's abusive mother in "Sybil". She has such remarkable film presence. This story is still frightening,and next time you are home alone on a dark night, be careful if you answer the phone, and are speaking to a person who lives down the street- at the local graveyard!.

I Always Do What You Tell Me!

[mrvincent · 10/10 · 24 January 2008]

There are probably less than 10 episodes of TZ that I really like and this is one of them. I saw this as a child in the 70s and again just recently on Sci Fi. I think Sci Fi actually uses an edited version in order to fit in more commercials, but I cant be certain.

Gladys Cooper, who reminds me of my own mother in her looks before she passed was wonderful. She died in 1971 but had a great acting career. Perfectly cast for this episode.

Her performance here is done in such a way that you really feel sorry for her and will make you wish you could just go and visit this old lady to make her feel better.

No special effects, just a suspense drama that's right up there with works by Hitchcock.

Repetitive

[Calicodreamin · 6/10 · 23 June 2021]

A great concept and a spooky ending, this episode is a bit too repetitive. All the call scenes are basically the same right up until the last one. Decent acting, but no classic TZ effects.

Night Call

[Scarecrow-88 · 10/10 · 31 December 2008]

An elderly cripple is terrified of night calls from an ominous voice and demands answers as to who it is. What is truly unsettling is who/where the calls derive from.

It's not surprising that one of Twlight Zone's superior tales comes from the pen of Richard Matheson and is directed by the great Jacques Tourneur. Gladys Cooper is ideally cast as an incredibly worried and fussy old woman, wheel-chair bound and, without visits from her hired help, Margaret(Nora Marlowe, portraying the loyal every-woman who tries to reason with her burdensome employer), rather lonely and melancholy..she has no one and, through the incredible direction, we feel her terror at night when that moaning caller desires communication. She's on the bed, and who awaits across the line? The level of spookiness and the dread that slowly builds is a credit to a talented crew of experts in their field. The finale, our answer to who it is that frightens Elva Keene, adds icing on the cake, carefully and richly executed to deliver chills down your spine. The reaction of Cooper(..she deserves equal credit with the greats involved in this terrific episode)is perfect;her horror truthfully realized. Yet, it doesn't stop there and the story follows Elva, whose past mistakes still haunt her, as she confronts that caller, ending rather sadly for her. It's the idea of "missed opportunities" which close this story and Elva, through her dismissal of the unknown voice which beckons her, loses a chance at getting a peace which has eluded her. The story really is gripping thanks to the mystery at the heart of it, and Matheson's work provides director Tourneur with the perfect kind of tale to display his gifts using night and shadow as a device to blanket poor Elva. Bathed in darkness on her bed, Cooper's scared eyes reveal a terror explicitly conveyed by Tourneur's intrusive camera. The telephone itself is also heavily focused on..it's a symbol for which haunts Elva, not knowing when it will ring and what will be said across the line. This episode, as short and concise as it is, is a testament to what Twilight Zone is all about.

I watched this during Sci-fi channel's New Year's Day Twilight Zone marathon, so I recommend watching this in proper form in the box set if one has it because commercials constantly break the flow and certain trimmings for time are evident. I also recommend watching it late at night for supreme effect.

Classic

[leoocampo · 7/10 · 6 January 2023]

Another one of those classic episodes that ends up on nearly every "much watch" list for the series and will come up sooner or later when fans get to talking about the series. What's memorable here is the origin of a trope that would later become the subject of countless re-hashes, parodies, spoofs: the mysterious and ominous-seeming phone call. Albeit the more popular later plays on this were, how shall we say, closer to home. No, it's not a spoiler to assure you that in this story the call is not, in fact, coming from same house.

The performances are good, but nothing spectacular. The camerawork has that quintessential feel of the times that the best of the series did so well. This one almost feels like it could be Hitchcock. The twist is classic Twilight Zone, but also among the more fanciful one. But I think it's best quality is the suspense. You're kept interested watching a simple situation play out into a mystery that takes on increasing sense of foreboding... that something isn't right. If that's not the whole series in a nutshell, what is?

This is one of the surprisingly small number of episodes that really exude a more grim mood, and make it a good choice if you're looking for a selection specifically for Halloween. There's no actual horror, and the end is a bit lackluster... taking a left turn into a morality tale that is much less satisfying than either the excellent buildup, or the campfire tale reveal when the mystery is solved. For some reason the story saw fit to keep going and add in a back story that felt strange and out of place. It would have been better to include that bit up front somehow, or omit it entirely, that way the episode could end abruptly, as any good twist warrants, on the sudden shock of the revelation. But, still a very good one.

Superb!!

[malimar · 10/10 · 7 May 2019]

I've seen it many times. Every time I hardly can avoid a drop of tears. Not only Cooper is unique, but it is also the unpredictable end that makes the difference!

One of the more memorable episodes!

[mm-39 · 7/10 · 21 April 2023]

One of the more memorable episodes! Night Call is one of those episodes almost like a play, but Night Call is good. Night Call is an example of how a good script can create an entertain despite a low budget. Well just an apartment and phone conversation. What makes night call scary is when a dead loved one keeps calling. Slowly the tension builds and the viewer wonders what is going on as the older lady is being emotionally torched by the dead mans calls. Well I was intrigued. There is a bitter sweet ending as the caller agrees not to call with the ending. The phone line fell on the grave of her lost love one. Great ending 7 stars.

Elderly woman?

[kam-patterson · 1/10 · 13 August 2020]

Ok let's assume that this episode takes place in the present, which would be 1964 (actually 1963, but I'll spare the details). Anyway, the headstone of her fiance shows that he died in 1932, 32 years earlier, at the age of 27. Now assuming that she was the same age (perhaps younger, as men were usually the older of the two in a relationship back then), at the time of her fiance's death, that would put her at age 27 in 1932. Add 32 years to 27 and this "elderly" woman is all of 59 years old.