16 Phone Films to Watch Before 'The Black Phone'

Alexander Graham Bell never imagined how many movies would prominently feature his invention.
16 Phone Films to Watch Before 'The Black Phone'

We bet when Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876, he didn’t imagine that it would eventually turn into a small pocket-sized computer that would dominate the modern American’s day-to-day lives and interactions. Well, he wouldn’t know what a “computer” was to begin with. 

Another thing Bell probably wouldn’t have thought of is the number of movies featuring his telephone invention that would be made. He likely wouldn’t have figured that his device would be featured in a booth and be used as a means to travel through time. Or be the focus of a prison escape. Or anything else for that matter. He’d probably be afraid of our hairstyles, too.

In any case, he’s dead and we’re not. So to celebrate the fact that we’re alive, we’re going to talk about some facts about some movies that feature telephones, since The Black Phone is being released this week. Here it is.

88 Minutes

PHONE FILMS 2007 88 MINUTES Al Pacino is a forensic psychiatrist who gets a phone call telling him that he has 88 minutes to live. The film's runtime is 108 minutes. You do the math. CRACKED.COM

IMDb

Sorry to Bother You

PHONE FILMS 2018 SORRY TO BOTHER YOU Lakeith Stanfield moves up the corporate ladder as a telemarketer who has perfected the white voice for his sales calls. A brilliant and hilarious social commentary, with a twist you won't see coming. CRACKED.COM

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The Matrix

PHONE FILMS 1999 THE MATRIX A now-classic sci-fi where Keanu Reeves realizes the entire world is a mass deception by rogue AI. The movie features a lot of phone booths and cell phones being used as markers and a means of transportation in and out of the Matrix. CRACKED.COM

IMDb

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

PHONE FILMS BILL & TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE 1989 Bill S. Preston and Ted Theodore Logan are two dimwitted yet good natured rock and roll teens that have to research for their history report the only way they know how - by traveling back in time via a phone booth time machine. A comedy cult classic. CRACKED.COM

IMDb

Phone Booth

PHONE FILMS 2002 PHONE BOOTH Colin Farrell answers a ringing phone in a booth, and the caller turns out to be a sniper that's extorting him. Cheesy, melodramatic fun. CRACKED.COM

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The Conversation

PHONE FILMS THE CONVERSATION Here's a Coke 1974 Gene Hackman plays a surveillance expert who suspects the couple he's been spying on are going to be murdered. A suspenseful offering from Francis Ford Coppola that was nominated for multiple Oscars. CRACKED.COM

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When a Stranger Calls

PHONE FILMS 1979 WHEN A STRANGER CALLS A killer calls up and terrorizes a babysitter, only to return to stalk her seven years later. A classic horrific thriller that inspired movies like Scream later on.

IMDb

Sorry, Wrong Number

PHONE FILMS 1948 SORRY, WRONG NUMBER A classic noir drama about a woman who overhears what sounds like a murder plot over the phone and does her best to prevent it. It's based on a critically lauded radio play and book. CRACKED.COM

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High and Low

PHONE FILMS 1963 HIGH AND LOW In this Akira Kurosawa thriller, a business executive gets a phone call from a kidnapper who mistakenly took his chauffeur's son, thinking it was the executive's child. The executive now has to choose whether or not to pay the ransom. What follows is a commentary on morality and economic strife. CRACKED.COM

IMDb

Dial M for Murder

PHONE FILMS 1954 DIAL M FOR MURDER An Alfred Hitchcock thriller about a former tennis star planning the murder of his adulterous wife. A classic in every sense. CRACKED.COM

IMDb

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