A woman living alone in a remote house in woodland feels like she’s being watched and that someone may have invaded her home. A man calls around out of the blue to use her phone as his car has broken down. And so ensues a night of psychological sparring with the stranger who seems to know a lot about her and shifts of powers between the two as to who is the victim and who is the aggressor.

The Caller starts well but very quickly becomes heavy-handed and tiresome because of this. If only more time had been spent on the script, then this film would be as intelligent as it thinks it is but clearly isn’t.

Malcolm McDowell as The Caller is excellent but deserves better material to sink his teeth into.

Rather than being a cerebral thriller, this feels more like a superficial and banal TV movie.

2 out of 5 stars