History Main / EvilPhone

* In ''SilentHillPromise'' expect to be unhappy whenever the protagonist's cellphone rings.

* ''Film/BlackChristmas1974'' practically started this trope, and was the first film to use the urban legend-based trope of [[spoiler: the killer being in the house with his victims]], which was pretty cutting edge back then.

* Nancy in the original ''Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet1984'' tries to call her boyfriend, Glen Lantz, to warn him not to go to sleep. Then the phone rings. She picks it up. It's [[spoiler: the sound of Freddy's claws being sharpened.]] She (understandably) freaks out, tears the phone out of the plug, and throws it across the room. Then, despite being unplugged, it starts ringing ''again''. ''This'' time, it's [[spoiler: Freddy again, telling her that "I'm your boyfriend now, Nancy," - and then he sticks his tongue ''out'' of the phone and wags it at her.]]

* ''Series/TalesFromTheDarkside'' featured an episode written by Stephen King in which a woman receives an unsettling phone call from a frantic woman, which turns out to be [[spoiler: herself in the future, after her husband has suddenly died.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Phantasmagoria 2}}'' when you call yourself or your [[spoiler: murdered coworkers.]]

** Also near the end of the fourth arc, after [[spoiler: Jessica, George, and Maria]] are sent off, the phone rings, and greets Battler with..."Congratulations."

* Used in the ''Series/DoctorWho'' two-parter "The Empty Child"/"The Doctor Dances", with the Empty Child's ability to control things like radios and telephones. When he takes over the TARDIS' Police Box telephone (NOT the Trimphone seen on the console, but the one all normal Police Boxes had in the door), the Doctor is perturbed and notes, "Ringing? What's that about, ringing? You're not even a real phone and you're ringing?!"

** This appears quite often in the Classic Series. For instance, the First Doctor was attacked with a sort of hypnotising beam sent via phone. One of the Master's very first attempts to kill the Doctor was carried out with an Auton-plastic phone cord that attempted to strangle Three.

* ''WebVideo/TheBillyGoatCaller'', a short film by Dom Fera of LazerCollection fame, features a rather creepy prank caller.

* ''EternalDarkness'' has this as one of the Sanity-based freak outs. ''"Remember me, Alex?"''

* In ''VideoGame/MetroLastLight'', while passing through the anomalous [[EldritchLocation River of Fate]] with [[WeirdnessMagnet Khan]], a decades-old utility phone with no visible power source rings. If Artyom picks it up, he can hear the voice of his dead mother calling for him.

[[folder:Film]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/MonsterHouse'' DJ gets a phone call from the house across the street the night after he saw its sole inhabitant suffer an apparently-fatal heart attack. All he hears on the line is spooky creaking and groaning noises.

* In ''MonsterHouse'' DJ gets a phone call from the house across the street the night after he saw its sole inhabitant suffer an apparently-fatal heart attack. All he hears on the line is spooky creaking and groaning noises.

** This appears quite often in the Classic Series. For instance, the First Doctor was attacked with a sort of hypnotising beam sent via phone.

The phone might also be a SupernaturalPhone.

* At the end of the first arc of ''VisualNovel/UminekoNoNakuKoroNi'', [[spoiler:Natsuhi, Battler, George, and Jessica]] are holed up in Kinzo's study. The phone lines have been cut, as they discovered some time before when attempting to contact the police. While they're all sitting there in tense silence, all of a sudden, the phone rings. One of them goes over and picks it up... and all they hear is Maria singing [[CreepyChild creepily]] in the distance.

*** And then spoofed to hell in ''ScaryMovie 3''. Aside from the Evil Phone getting dragged into actual conversations, it tries to contact the female protagonist's son and gets her instead, gets hung up on, calls back and poses as a solicitor, and then finally asks her to take a message for him.

* ''AreYouAfraidOfTheDark'' had the "Phone Police" and their insane prisoner Billy Baxter.

* The ''VideoGame/SilentHill'' series has had several Evil Phones, and a few merely spooky ones.

If the phone itself is evil, it might also be a SupernaturalPhone.

The phone might also be a SupernaturalPhone.

* The ''SCPFoundation'' has a chilling example in the form of [[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-145 SCP-145,]] otherwise known as the "Man-Absorbing Phone". It constantly rings despite not being plugged to anything. Picking the phone up results in conversation with a woman pleading for help as she details gruesome acts of torture performed on unknown victims - and if you just so happen to be alone when you pick up the phone, ''[[NightmareFuel you're going to be joining the victims yourself]]''.

* The ''SCPFoundation'' has a chilling example in the form of [[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-145 SCP-145]], otherwise known as the "Man-Absorbing Phone". It constantly rings despite not being plugged to anything. Picking the phone up results in conversation with a woman pleading for help as she details gruesome acts of torture performed on unknown victims - and if you just so happen to be alone when you pick up the phone, ''[[NightmareFuel you're going to be joining the victims yourself]]''.

* In VideoGame/CryOfFear, your phone is mainly used as a flashlight in the game (which is always night). However, it's also used to [[spoiler:lure Simon into the dark, abomination filled apartments through a series of text messages]].

* Spoofed in ''TheKidsInTheHall.'' A guy refuses to answer the phone. Reasoning it must be a wrong number. But as the phone keeps on ringing, it causes increasing hysteria in his friends. They convince themselves that something sinister about the call. "Or it's a very wrong number. 42 rings? What kind of FREAK is sitting there by that phone?"

* WatchDogs: "Knock-Knock." "Who's there?" "A smartphone hacking the local media art to play your betrayal over and over and over..."

* The ''SilentHill'' series has had several Evil Phones, and a few merely spooky ones.
* ''TheSuffering'' and it's sequel. Sometimes nearby phones ring. Don't answer. Don't even pickup the non-ringing ones.

* ''{{Phantasmagoria 2}}'' when you call yourself or your [[spoiler: murdered coworkers.]]
* In {{Sierra}}'s ''Shivers 2'', the villain would often call to gloat and give you unsettling messages whenever you moved to a different room or building. Extra creepiness came from the implication that he must have been watching you (or ''following'' you) very closely to know where to call each time.

* ''HanakoAndTheTerrorOfAllegory'' has a few chapters that revolve around a CreepyDoll named Mary who will call you every five minutes to tell you about how she's hunting you down and preparing to kill you.

* At the end of one episode of ''{{Noein}}'', the old house phone starts ringing even though it's unplugged. After a lot of weird noises, it turns out the protagonist [[MindScrew is calling herself from an alternate future timeline with some advice.]] Not quite evil, but still creepy as hell, especially because her future self sounds [[TearJerker so sad...]]

* ''GhostbustersTheVideoGame'' has a Cursed Artifact called "Asmodeus' Hotline," a glowing red telephone whose busy signal is accompanied by screams and evil laughter.