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One Missed Call (2005) movie poster

Plot Summary

One Missed Call (2005) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language
2005 · 111 min · English
JustWatch #10,872 17
Directed by
Takashi Miike

When two friends die in bizarre accidents, Beth Raymond investigates and discovers a disturbing link to a series of unsettling voicemails. Partnering with Detective Jack Andrews, she races to understand the cryptic messages and the pattern behind the tragedies. As Beth delves deeper, she fears she may become the next victim in a terrifying sequence of events triggered by mysterious phone calls.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 What happens: full plot
  3. 3 Plot questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like One Missed Call
  6. 6 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch One Missed Call (2005)

Where can you watch One Missed Call? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on AMC+, ARROW and Philo: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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Full plot summary · contains spoilers

What Happens in One Missed Call: Full Plot Summary

The whole story of One Missed Call (2005) explained, from the opening scene to the final frame: every key event, every twist and what it all adds up to. Read it as a quick recap before the sequel, to check a scene you missed, or to finally understand what really happened.

Yumi Nakamura, portrayed by Kou Shivasaki, is a charming teenager whose time at university revolves more around her friendships than her studies in psychology. One of the few classes she does attend is dedicated to children's psychology; however, her attention frequently strays. An unsettling premonition hangs over her, hinting that something sinister is on the horizon.

During a dinner with her friends, they all exchange phone numbers, leading to an eerie turn of events. When Yumi and her friend Yoko Okazaki, brought to life by Anna Nagata, check their phones later, Yoko receives a puzzling missed call. To her horror, the voicemail reveals her own voice uttering, "It's beginning to rain," quickly followed by a blood-curdling scream. Strangely, the date on the message is set for tomorrow. Though they dismiss it, tragedy strikes when Yoko inexplicably dies moments after the call. The last things Yumi hears are the chilling words, "It's beginning to rain," accompanied by Yoko's anguished scream.

The following day, Yumi learns of an urban legend among her peers, suggesting that individuals start receiving phone calls detailing the exact date and time of their impending deaths. In a desperate search for answers, she meets Kenji Kawai, played by Atsushi Ida, who has also received one of these ominous calls. Witnessing his death firsthand leaves Yumi in a state of disbelief; he is forcibly pulled into an elevator shaft just as he begins to take her warnings seriously.

As the events unfold, Yumi's roommate, Natsumi Konishi, enacted by Kazue Fukiishi, also receives a phone call. Meanwhile, Yumi befriends Hiroshi Yamashita, performed by Shin'ichi Tsutsumi, who reveals that his sister, Ritsuko, was the very first victim of these cursed calls. While visiting a hospital, Yumi's memory triggers when she hears the sound of an asthma pump, reminiscent of the moment Kenji met his demise. This discovery leads them to investigate the asthma victims in the hospital, zeroing in on Marie Mizunuma, portrayed by Mariko Tsutsui, and her children, Mimiko and Nanako. It becomes apparent that Marie suffered from Munchausen Syndrome, a severe mental illness compelling parents to harm their children for attention as caregivers. Driven by the desire to prevent further tragedy, Yumi and her friends embark on a quest to rescue Natsumi from a similar fate.

Their investigation takes an unsettling turn when a paranormal journalist convinces a frightened Natsumi to participate in a live exorcism on television. What begins as a desperate act descends into chaos when an unseen presence is caught crawling along the walls. Natsumi's final moments are excruciating, her bones cruelly contorted while a voice eerily reassures her, "Don't worry, we'll take you to hospital." She dies with a red sweet on her lips.

Now, Yumi finds herself as the next target of the mysterious calls. The group conjectures that it might be the ghost of Marie, seeking notoriety for her tragic story. When Yumi visits an abandoned hospital, she faces the ghostly presence that torments her with visions of dead fetuses in glass jars. Here, she discovers Marie's charred remains, gripping a mobile phone. In a desperate struggle for survival, the corpse launches an attack, yet spares Yumi when she expresses remorse for her past mistakes.

Hiroshi delves deeper, uncovering a chilling truth: Marie's children were not innocent victims. It was Mimiko who tormented Nanako, ensuring silence by offering her sweets after inflicting harm. When Marie learned the truth, she hastened Nanako to the hospital, leaving Mimiko alone to suffer during an asthma attack, which ultimately led to Mimiko's tragic death. Hiroshi rushes to warn Yumi just as she relaxes in the shower, unaware that time is slipping away, as clocks begin turning backward, marking the moment Mimiko aims to claim Yumi's life.

In an interpretation of the harrowing conclusion, it seems Mimiko may have succeeded in killing Yumi. Assuming her guise, Mimiko's ghost assaults Hiroshi, leaving him grievously injured and hospitalized. In her disguise, she plants a kiss on him, sealing an unholy bond with a sweet tucked between his lips, but curiously refrains from ending his life. Such events leave the narrative shrouded in ambiguity, provoking questions about the true nature of guilt and innocence in a tangled web of tragedy.

Last updated: October 27, 2024 at 21:00

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Plot questions answered

One Missed Call Plot Explained: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask most about One Missed Call (2005): what happens in the confusing scenes, why the characters do what they do, the twists, hidden details and what the ending means. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Why does Yoko die after receiving the missed call?

Yoko dies because the cursed phone calls predict the exact date and time of someone's death. The voicemail she receives is dated for the next day and contains her own voice saying 'It's beginning to rain' followed by a scream. This is the moment of her death, which occurs exactly when predicted by the call. The curse works by showing victims a premonition of their own death through a phone call, and whoever receives the call dies at the specified time.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Yumi senses an ominous feeling of impending doom during her class, hinting at the tragedies to come.

  • yoko okazaki
  • missed call
  • death prediction
  • voicemail
  • urban legend
Q2

What is the truth about Marie Mizunuma's children?

Marie had two children, Nanako and Mimiko. Marie believed Nanako was being abused by Mimiko and that Mimiko was the victim. However, the truth is reversed: Mimiko was actually the abuser who tormented Nanako, offering her sweets after hurting her to keep her silent. When Marie discovered Mimiko was the real tormentor, she rushed Nanako to the hospital, leaving Mimiko alone during a severe asthma attack. Mimiko died as a result, and Marie subsequently killed herself and her remaining child.

Foreshadowing: The investigation at the hospital focuses on asthma victims, connecting to how Mimiko ultimately died.

  • marie Mizunuma
  • mimiko
  • nanako
  • munchausen syndrome
  • child abuse
Q3

Who is actually behind the cursed phone calls?

The cursed calls are not from Marie's ghost as initially believed, but from Mimiko's spirit. After Marie left her during the asthma attack, Mimiko died believing her mother chose her sister over her. This twisted, vengeful spirit uses the phone calls to predict and cause deaths. Mimiko appears as the final threat, targeting Yumi and ultimately seeming to kill her and take her form.

Foreshadowing: When Yumi expresses remorse for past mistakes, Marie's corpse spares her, because the true vengeful spirit was never Marie.

  • mimiko ghost
  • curse origin
  • haunted phone
  • spirit revenge
Q4

Why does Natsumi die during the live exorcism?

Natsumi agrees to participate in a live television exorcism hoping to rid herself of the curse. During the broadcast, an unseen supernatural force attacks her, contorting her bones excruciatingly while a voice tells her 'Don't worry, we'll take you to hospital', mirroring how Marie abandoned Mimiko during her fatal asthma attack. Natsumi dies with a red sweet on her lips, the same type of sweets Mimiko used to silence Nanako after hurting her.

Foreshadowing: The sweets connection ties back to how Mimiko controlled Nanako through bribery after abuse.

  • natsumi konishi
  • exorcism
  • death scene
  • red sweets
  • television
Q5

What does Mimiko want from Yumi?

Mimiko's spirit seeks vengeance against those she believes abandoned her, specifically mothers who choose one child over another. Her target was Yumi because Yumi was investigating her story and representing those who failed to save her. Mimiko's ultimate goal appears to be taking over Yumi's life, as shown in the ambiguous ending where she assumes Yumi's form.

Foreshadowing: Yumi's investigation into the Mizunuma family draws Mimiko's attention to her.

  • mimiko spirit
  • vengeance
  • identity
  • possession
Q6

Why does Marie Mizunuma harm her own children?

Marie suffers from Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, a severe mental illness where a caregiver intentionally harms or fabricates symptoms in those in their care to gain attention and sympathy as a devoted parent. In the film, Marie repeatedly injured Nanako to play the role of the worried, caring mother, while actually ignoring Mimiko's genuine medical needs, ultimately leading to Mimiko's death.

Foreshadowing: The hospital investigation focuses on children with suspicious injuries, establishing the pattern of fabricated abuse.

  • munchausen syndrome by proxy
  • mental illness
  • child abuse
  • marie
Q7

What happens in the ending of One Missed Call?

The ending is intentionally ambiguous. After clocks begin turning backward during a time paradox, it appears Mimiko successfully kills Yumi and assumes her identity. The film shows what seems to be Yumi kissing Hiroshi, but she leaves a red sweet in his mouth, just like Mimiko used to do with Nanako. Hiroshi is left grievously injured in the hospital, and the person who may be Mimiko in Yumi's body walks away, leaving the fate of the remaining characters uncertain.

Foreshadowing: The reversed clocks signal time manipulation, a key element of the supernatural mechanics.

  • ending explained
  • ambiguous conclusion
  • mimiko takes over
  • time reversal
Q8

Why does Kenji Kawai die in the elevator?

Kenji receives a cursed phone call predicting his death and meets Yumi to warn her about the pattern. As he begins to take her warnings seriously, he is forcibly pulled into an elevator shaft by an unseen supernatural force. His death occurs exactly as his voicemail predicted, demonstrating that the curse can directly cause the deaths it foretells, not merely prophesy them.

Foreshadowing: The elevator death mirrors the vertical, trapped nature of the curse's victims.

  • kenji kawai
  • elevator death
  • pulled into shaft
Q9

What is the significance of the red sweets in the movie?

Red sweets are a recurring symbol of manipulation and control. Mimiko used red sweets to bribe Nanako into silence after abusing her, giving Nanako candy after hurting her to ensure she wouldn't tell. This same sweet appears in Natsumi's mouth at her death and is placed between Hiroshi's lips by the person who may be Mimiko, symbolizing the cycle of abuse and the continuation of Mimiko's control over her victims.

Foreshadowing: The sweets first appear in the revelation about how Mimiko controlled Nanako.

  • red sweets
  • candy
  • symbol
  • manipulation
  • nanako
Q10

Why does Marie's ghost spare Yumi at the abandoned hospital?

When Yumi confronts the ghostly presence in the abandoned hospital and discovers Marie's charred remains holding a phone, the corpse attacks her but stops when Yumi expresses genuine remorse for her past mistakes. This suggests Marie's spirit was not purely malevolent, she was tormented by guilt over her actions. However, the true threat was always Mimiko, not Marie, which is why the killings continue after Marie's remains are found.

Foreshadowing: Marie was initially suspected as the culprit, but the narrative shifts blame to her daughter.

  • marie ghost
  • abandoned hospital
  • remorse
  • spared

Movie threads

More Movies Like One Missed Call, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes One Missed Call tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Cursed object horror movies like One Missed Call

Stories where a supernatural curse follows an inescapable, fatal pattern. If you enjoyed the fatal premonitions of One Missed Call, explore more horror movies where characters face an inescapable, time-based curse. Find similar supernatural thrillers and chilling ghost stories about deciphering deadly rules to survive.

  • anxious
  • unsettling
  • desperate
  • race against time
  • supernatural
  • deadly pattern
  • Tone: dark, ominous
  • Pacing: fast, urgent
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Narratives in this thread typically involve a protagonist discovering a curse that has claimed victims in a specific order or pattern. The plot is driven by their investigation to understand the curse's origin and rules, often revealing a tragic backstory, while the threat looms ever closer as their turn in the sequence approaches.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here for their shared focus on a mechanistic supernatural threat. They create tension through a countdown structure, blending investigation with imminent personal danger, resulting in a fast-paced and highly anxious viewing experience.

Bleak supernatural investigation movies like One Missed Call

Investigations into paranormal events that uncover deeply disturbing human trauma. For viewers who liked the dark mystery of One Missed Call, this list features similar horror films where investigating a ghost story reveals a core of human trauma. Discover movies with heavy emotional weight, disturbing themes, and ambiguous endings.

  • bleak
  • oppressive
  • mysterious
  • psychological trauma
  • disturbing
  • family secrets
  • Tone: dark, bleak, oppressive
  • Pacing: steady, investigative
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative follows an investigative arc, but the payoff is not a simple defeat of evil. Instead, the protagonist uncovers a truth so horrifying—often involving family secrets, child abuse, or murder—that it morally compromises the situation and leaves the evil unresolved or transformed, rather than vanquished.

Why they belong together: These films are grouped by their shared structure of using a supernatural plot to delve into deeply disturbing real-world themes. The horror stems equally from the paranormal events and the bleak human tragedy they expose, resulting in a heavy, emotionally taxing experience.

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Every angle

One Missed Call (2005) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about One Missed Call in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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