A horror remake so poorly received it earned a zero percent score on Rotten Tomatoes.
In short: Released in 2008, One Missed Call remains one of the most critically maligned J-horror remakes in history. Despite a premise involving supernatural voicemails and a curse transmitted through cellular phones, the film failed to impress critics or audiences, eventually securing a rare zero percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Directed by Eric Valette and written by Andrew Klavan, the 2008 film is an international co-production based on the 2003 Japanese original directed by Takashi Miike. The plot follows college student Beth Raymond as she investigates a series of murders linked to eerie, premonitory voicemails. Victims receive calls from their own numbers, featuring a lullaby-esque ringtone and recordings of their own impending deaths, before being killed by supernatural forces. The narrative eventually ties these events to the spirit of a girl named Ellie, who suffered from abuse and died from asphyxia while attempting to call her mother.
The production faced several hurdles, including the withdrawal of actors Ed Harris and Gabriel Byrne shortly after they signed on in August 2006. When it finally reached theaters on January 4, 2008, the film was not screened for critics, a decision that preceded overwhelmingly negative reviews. Critics frequently compared it unfavorably to other genre staples like The Ring and Final Destination, labeling it a weak entry in the J-horror remake cycle. The film holds a 2.6/10 average rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where it was also awarded the Moldy Tomato Award for the worst-reviewed film of 2008.
Despite its critical failure, the film was a moderate box office success. It features a notable audio Easter egg: sound designers utilized a scream from Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach, taken from the 1989 song 'Midnight / Tornado'. While it received two nominations at the 2008 Teen Choice Awards, the film is widely remembered for its poor reception, ranking as the second-worst film of the 2000s decade on Rotten Tomatoes, trailing only Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever. Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore were similarly unimpressed, awarding the production a grade of D.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: One Missed Call (2008 film)
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