Shattered Silence

Customer Reviews:

Suspenseful TV-Movie-of-the-Week.......2006-10-26

One of the better suspense television films that ABC produced back in the early '70s, "When Michael Calls" tells the story of a young boy named Michael who, after thought of being lost in a snowstorm some 10 years ago, makes pleading, almost spooky phone calls to his divorced Aunt Helen (played by Elizabeth Ashley). Michael Douglas plays her brother, a counselor at the local boys' home. Could this all be one big joke? Or has Michael returned for revenge? Spooky little chiller that has gained plenty of airplay on cable channels in the past 3 decades. Check it out.

A delightful old chestnut.......2005-10-04

Oh sure, I was only a year old when this movie came out on ABC but it has periodically been re-aired on A&E every once in a blue moon. It was then that I watched it.

This is one of those wonderful ghost story movies that some of us were lucky enough to grow up with as children--short on the gore but long on the suspense and a decently developed storyline.

Originally, this movie was aired under the title "When Michael Calls" but inexplicably it has since been reissued on VHS and DVD under the title "Shattered Silence."

The only real issue I have with this DVD reissue is the poor transfer. The colors are badly washed out and faded, there is a bit of a synchronization problem with the audio/video in a few spots and the movie in general shows its age. But, with such a low price, it is hard to quibble over the quality control.

I think this would be an excellent candidate for a remake, much as "The Fog" recently has.

Discover an old creeper........2005-07-24

"Auntie my Helen". Do you remember that phrase? If you dont then you didn't see this movie. The ABC Movie Of The Week title for this movie was "When Michael Calls". It's the story of a woman whos beseiged with phone calls from her long dead nephew. The boys voice on the phone is very eerie. It takes place in a seemingly small town where people start dieing mysteriously. Elizabeth Ashley plays the woman terrorized by the calls. "Auntie my Helen" is what the dead boy called his aunt when he was alive, which adds a weirdness to it all. Michael Douglas in his first movie roll acts surprisingly well(way better than some current stuff). His part has to be seen.Ben Gazzara is the loving Daddy and suspicious, pseudo-detective ex-husband to Ashley. A better than average TV movie of the early seventies in the tradition of the old 'who done it' mystery movies. As to the dvd quality: STINKS!. The picture and sound are awful. This is often the unexplainable case of old movies just being thrown onto a disc. I've seen this many times and I'm disgusted with it. It appears the movie is burned from an old tape onto the disc. WHY? The purpose of dvd is supposed to be superior picture and sound. The movie is not enhanced in any way and its a shame. Start writting to these companies who are just slapping the movies name on a box to make a buck. This movie is never broadcast on TV so your stuck with the poor quality. The picture appears slightly better on a LCD monitor played on a computer.

An Evening of Mystery & Suspense, Vol. 2 - Shattered Silence/Who Murdered Joy Morgan

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INFO...

An Evening of Mystery & Suspense, Vol. 2 - Shattered Silence/Who Murdered Joy Morgan
Starring: Michael Douglas , Kim Basinger , Ben Gazzara , Robert Culp , and Elizabeth Ashley
Manufacturer: Legacy Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Drama | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

( E ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0009X76E6
Release Date: 2005-03-02

Customer Reviews:

INFO..........2007-09-07

Evening of Mystery and Suspense V. 2 - Double Feature.

SHATTERED SILENCE: A young Michael Douglas, Elizabeth Ashley and Ben Gazzara star in this story about a divorced single mother living with her grandparents in New England. Helen (Ashley) is a divorced single mother, still trying to cope with the mental breakdown of her sister and the subsequent death of her nephew many years earlier. But she begins to doubt herself when she receives phone calls from someone who claims to be her nephew, and things take an even more horrifying turn when people identified in the phone calls start to turn up dead.

WHO MURDERED JOY MORGAN: Following the brutal slaying of a woman in a large metropolitan hospital, police inspector Lou Corbin (Robert Culp) uncovers one incredible fact after another as he tries to track down the 'Killjoy' who murdered a young woman in a large metropolitan hospital. Made for television. Just when he hones in on one suspect, someone else without an alibi turns up to place a cloud of suspicion over it all. Who is the real killer, and can they be stopped? Also stars a young Kim Basinger, Stephen Macht, Nancy Marchand, John Rubinstein, Ann Dusenberry and Ann Wedgeworth.

Hollywood Hot Shots, Vol. 1: Shattered Silence/Terminal Island

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Hollywood Hot Shots, Vol. 1: Shattered Silence/Terminal Island
Starring: Tom Selleck , Michael Douglas , Ben Gazzara , Phyllis Davis , and Don Marshall
Director: Stephanie Rothman
Manufacturer: Legacy Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Action & Adventure | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Drama | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

( H ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0009X57WO
Release Date: 2005-03-02

Customer Reviews:

INFO..........2007-09-06

Hollywood Hot Shots V. 1 - Double Feature.

SHATTERED SILENCE: Michael Douglas and Elizabeth Ashley star in this story about a divorced single mother living with her grandparents in New England. Helen (Ashley) begins to receive calls from what seems to be a prankster pretending to be her son who died fifteen years prior.

TERMINAL ISLAND: Four women including Phyllis Davis (Sweet Sugar) struggle to survive on terminal island, a penal colony inhabited by convicted murderers. The depraved men will commit any crime to get at the most important commodity on the island, the women.

Hollywood Hot Shots (4 pack) - Terminal Island/Tim/Touch/Shattered Silence

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Hollywood Hot Shots (4 pack) - Terminal Island/Tim/Touch/Shattered Silence
Starring: Mel Gibson , Kevin Costner , Michael Douglas , Tom Selleck , and Piper Laurie
Manufacturer: Legacy Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Action & Adventure | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

( H ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0009X583C
Release Date: 2005-03-02

Before They Were Famous: Somewhere Tomorrow/Shattered Silence

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Before They Were Famous: Somewhere Tomorrow/Shattered Silence
Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker , Michael Douglas , Elizabeth Ashley , Tom Shea , and Ben Gazzara
Manufacturer: Legacy Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Drama | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0009X57TW
Release Date: 2005-03-02

Customer Reviews:

INFO..........2007-09-10

SOMEWHERE TOMORROW: A young Sarah Jessica Parker stars in this drama as Lori Anderson, a girl trying to deal with the recent tragedy of her father's death. As Lori's mother moves on, Lori finds herself stuck, consumed by grief and anger. With the lingering feeling that something about her father's passing was not right, Lori turns to his journals for answers. The events that follow catapult Lori into a strange romance with a ghost, resulting in a bizarre and mysterious journey that takes place somewhere between heaven and Earth.....

SHATTERED SILENCE: An atmospheric, made-for-TV movie, Shattered Silence (aka WHEN MICHAEL CALLS) stars Ben Gazzara, Elizabeth Ashley and a young Michael Douglas. Helen (Ashley) is a divorced single mother, still trying to cope with the mental breakdown of her sister and the subsequent death of her nephew many years earlier. But she begins to doubt herself when she receives phone calls from someone who claims to be her nephew, and things take an even more horrifying turn when people identified in the phone calls start to turn up dead.

DVD:

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