The Call

The Call

Year: 2020

Runtime: 112 min

Language: Korean

Director: Chung-Hyun Lee

Echo Score: 85

Budget: $5K

MysteryThrillerHorror

A chilling thriller unfolds as a woman finds herself connected to a disturbed killer through phone calls spanning two decades. He has the power to manipulate her past, jeopardizing her future and pushing her to the edge of survival. As their conversations intensify, the psychological stakes rise, blurring the lines between reality and nightmare.

Warning: spoilers below!

Haven’t seen The Call yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!

Timeline – The Call (2020)

Trace every key event in The Call (2020) with our detailed, chronological timeline. Perfect for unpacking nonlinear stories, spotting hidden connections, and understanding how each scene builds toward the film’s climax. Whether you're revisiting or decoding for the first time, this timeline gives you the full picture.

1

Seo-yeon Loses Her Phone

In 2019, 28-year-old Kim Seo-yeon travels to her childhood home to visit her estranged mother in the hospital. During her trip, she loses her cellphone, setting off a chain of events that leads her to unexpected revelations.

2019 Seo-yeon's childhood home
2

Disturbing Phone Call

While searching for her phone, Seo-yeon discovers an old cordless phone in her home. When she uses it, she receives a disturbing call from a woman claiming to be tortured by her own mother, igniting Seo-yeon's curiosity and concern.

Seo-yeon's childhood home
3

Communication Across Time

Seo-yeon learns that the voice on the line belongs to Oh Young-sook, a girl from 1999. The two discover their ability to communicate through time, highlighting the grim circumstances of Young-sook's life as an orphan mistreated by her adoptive mother.

1999
4

Revealing Traumatic Past

During their exchanges, Seo-yeon opens up about her traumatic past, which includes the tragic loss of her father in a fire. This event has left a scar on her relationship with her mother, and her blame for the incident intensifies the emotional connection with Young-sook.

5

Changing the Past

Young-sook learns about Seo-yeon's father and the fire that took his life. Determined to help, she sneaks out to prevent this tragedy, altering the outcome of Seo-yeon's present and creating a new reality where her parents are alive and well.

1999
6

Seo-yeon's Transformed Life

With the fire averted, Seo-yeon experiences a joyful life with her parents in a luxurious home. However, this happiness comes with unexpected consequences for Young-sook, who faces severe punishment from her adoptive mother for her defiance.

Seo-yeon's childhood home
7

Uncovering Young-sook's Fate

Seo-yeon starts investigating the fate of Young-sook online, discovering that she was ultimately killed during an exorcism. This revelation intensifies Seo-yeon's desire to protect Young-sook from a grim future.

8

Young-sook's Desperate Actions

In a fight for survival, Young-sook takes drastic measures and commits murder as a means to escape her dire situation. This desperate act leads to her being labeled a serial killer, raising the stakes in her and Seo-yeon's conversations.

1999
9

Seo-yeon's Family Dinner

In the present, Seo-yeon enjoys a family dinner with her parents, although her thoughts are disturbed by the dark turn Young-sook's life has taken. Tension rises as Seo-yeon reflects on the interconnectedness of their fates.

Seo-yeon's home
10

Father Caught in Young-sook's Chaos

As Seo-yeon attempts to understand the unfolding situation, 8-year-old Seo-yeon and her father inadvertently enter Young-sook's dangerous life while finalizing their house purchase. The situation escalates when Young-sook captures Seo-yeon's father, intensifying Seo-yeon's turmoil.

House purchase site
11

Desperate Warning

As the chaos unfolds, Seo-yeon finds a chilling message, 'pick up the phone!' scrawled on the floor. This message serves as a desperate reminder that time is of the essence for both her and Young-sook.

Seo-yeon's childhood home
12

Luring Young-sook into a Trap

Seo-yeon discovers vital information about a gas explosion linked to Young-sook's past. Motivated by this revelation, she devises a plan to lure Young-sook into a trap, desperate to save her father and control her own fate.

13

Climactic Confrontation

Tension escalates as Seo-yeon confronts Young-sook in a battle for survival. This climactic showdown leads to violent confrontations that test their resolve and unravel the intertwined fates of both characters.

Seo-yeon's childhood home
14

Mid-Credits Revelation

In a gripping flashback during the mid-credits, Young-sook revisits her earlier intervention that foiled her own demise. This act alters the timeline irrevocably, leaving Seo-yeon's fate hanging in the balance as haunting screams echo.

1999

Last Updated: November 15, 2024 at 17:27

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Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Thrillers with Tense Time Paradoxes like The Call

Stories where meddling with the past creates a nightmarish, inescapable present.If you liked the high-stakes timeline manipulation in The Call, you'll find similar tension in these movies. This collection features stories where communication with or travel to the past creates a psychological thriller, blurring reality and trapping characters in a desperate struggle against a distorted fate.

suspensefulanxiousunsettlingnightmarishdesperatemind-bendingparadoxical

Narrative Summary

These narratives are built on a nonlinear cause-and-effect structure, often exploring a version of the 'grandfather paradox.' The plot is driven by attempts to change a traumatic past event, but these interventions spiral out of control, destabilizing the protagonist's present and creating a self-perpetuating cycle of danger and despair.

Why These Movies?

Movies are grouped here by their shared focus on time as a source of psychological horror rather than wonder. They blend fast pacing with complex plotting, high intensity, and a consistently dark tone, resulting in an anxious, oppressive viewing experience where the central conflict is the fragility of reality itself.

Movies with Claustrophobic Psychological Thrills like The Call

Trapped protagonists fighting for their sanity against an unseen threat.For viewers who enjoyed the psychological survival aspect of The Call, this list features similar thrillers. These films focus on characters pushed to the edge by a cunning antagonist, often within a confined setting, creating a deeply suspenseful and oppressive experience centered on mental fortitude.

claustrophobicsuspensefuloppressivedesperateunsettlingpsychological horrorcat-and-mouse

Narrative Summary

The narrative follows a character, often isolated or trapped, who is psychologically tormented by a predator. The conflict is cerebral, with the antagonist exploiting fears and past trauma. The journey is one of escalating psychological stakes, where the line between reality and nightmare blurs, testing the protagonist's mental endurance to the limit.

Why These Movies?

These films share a cohesive vibe defined by high intensity, a dark tone, and heavy emotional weight. They generate tension through psychological manipulation rather than physical action, resulting in a consistently suspenseful, anxious, and oppressive mood that makes the viewer feel the character's desperation and claustrophobia.

Unlock the Full Story of The Call

Don't stop at just watching — explore The Call in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what The Call is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

The Call Summary

Read a complete plot summary of The Call, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

The Call Summary

Characters, Settings & Themes in The Call

Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape The Call. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.

Characters, Settings & Themes in The Call

The Call Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of The Call that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

The Call Spoiler-Free Summary

More About The Call

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about The Call: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About The Call

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