the Calling
Duration: 14min 40sec
Views: 2 471
Submitted: 7 years ago
Submitted by:
Description:
Awarded "Outstanding Special Effects" at the Ollies 2010.
RJAnaconda asked me to do a short 80's style horror film for an anthology. The anthology didn't come to fruition, but I still did my movie. So here it is...
Categories:
Horror
«This movie is has great story, cast, and atmosphere and really captures the feel of an 80's horror film about ghosts and exorcisms, it kinda reminds me of the exorcist. Speaking of that good job on the award for the Outstanding Special Effects.
I loved this movie, 5 stars
EpicHeart»
«Superb visuals and perfectly eerie sounds...
80's styled yes haha except where were the less-than-bright partying teens and the secluded lake? ;-)haha...
I like the flashback scene which gave the story a bit more of a foundation,although I think if you had expanded on the story some more it could have been much more than it was...that's not a negative by any means since I understand what your intention was(and far be it from me to tell you how to make a good suspense/horror flick haha):-)
Still,I'd like to have at least seen something just a bit more at the end as to what happened to Rathburn and Matilda(hopefully something gruesome);-)
Good voicework and delivery thereof (as usual)
But the star for me is the visual elements,which alone are well worth the price of admission haha;-)
Sorry I haven't been keeping up with your movies...they are always well worth my time:-)
»
« Great film! This one actually creep me out, great special effects.»
«Another movie by Josephkw. Need I say more? Joseph has always been one of my favorite directors. His excellent visual effects, attention to detail, and plots that actually give you something to think about have always put him a notch above most other directors on this site. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next! This newest film of his did not disappoint.
»
«Very nice effects but ended too soon without any suspense and character development, which is necessary for a ghost movie IMHO. 4 stars.»
«Awesome! Very good. Great story. So good on many levels. Congrats to everyone involved. »
«Good stuff
»
«That butler gave me the creeps. The strange change to matilda's ghost freaked me out.
I liked the mods and effects. The voice acting was great. The wording was kinda wierd but beliviable. In short, I loved it. 5 stars!»
«That was a great, atmospheric, creepy film with all the markings of a high quality josephkw production. The effects were great, and really lent much to the spooky atmosphere (the billowing curtains were really great, as was the makeup of the ghost... *shudder* so creepy, and so great), and from what I read of the other reviews, if you used two game engines I never noticed it, so great job blending the two. The performances by the cast is mostly topnotch, jazzx really knocked it out of the ballpark, and you were so creepy as Mr. Naples, while goofparade was topnotch as the butler. Lucinda was very good, but some of her readings were a little strange. Strong direction and editing as well! Overall, your goal of creating an 80s style horror film is achieved with aplomb. Great job!»
«It was B-Movie material from the story, the setup (sparse) the characters, the casting and the ending (tales from the dark side cheese) but I'm left thinking that was exactly where you wanted it to go - and it was entertaining (and fun). Cool mix of platforms. I thought the apparition there at the end was a bit abstract and might have been better off as a glimpse in the rear view mirror or even just a fade of the lady. As it was it reminded me of an alien or a jawwa perhaps. Odd that that would be my sticky wicket eh.»
«a very entertaining movie. »
«An enjoyable film, I must say. Full of some nice visual effects and some good performances by JazzX, yourself and GP. (Good to hear JazzX again, I must say.) Lucinda was OK for the most part, but at times she was a little "off" in her performance. Nevertheless, she suited the role. Oh, and GP's sound quality and levels were not well matched with the rest of the cast. Especially the opening lines. Better after that, but still too loud.

I don't know how you did the backgrounds, but I'm assuming it was mainly 2D. They looked really good, though it did seem a little flat at times (exception being the curtain scene. I liked that!)
The story was a tad clichéd, but enjoyable. Predictable, but enjoyable.
Not your best work, but better than most other peoples.
So what's next...? I look forward to it, whatever it may be!»
«GRIPPING. Suspenceful. Powerful. AS usuall. : )»
«Loved it. Audio was great, really went well with the visuals. This movie really creeped me out. I wouldn't mind seeing more movies like this.»
«Great movie sound design was very good and set design.
Excellent visuals also.
The cast did a very good job also.
»
«genialllllllllllllllll, muy buena pelicula, y mucho terror.
»
lastima que no comprendia lo que hablaban.
«Great little movie. Liked a lot some of the visual effects and the ambient!

Great job again!
Rik»
«Guess I'm going against the grain here.
That was very messy for a Joseph Kw film.
I honestly think you were going for a B Movie type feel here: Hammer Horror.
With a bad script, terrible VOs, and incoherent plot, it worked.
I'd say more 70's than 80's though.»
«Excellent work here, Joseph. A nicely done horror short, full of suspense. Top notch voice acting, excellent editing and visuals. Great work here.
5/5»
«where can i find the 3d intro please»
«You did it again.»
«Another excellent Josephkw horror. It's a wonderful mix of solid writing, fabulous set design, great sounds, and amazing special effects. All the VAs give splendid performances. I always liked JazzX's voice and acting; Lucinda is very convincing; when you hear a magnificent performance but cannot quite make who it is, the chances are it's good old GP! Bella is amazing! »
«Typical Kwong, awesome!
Nice acting by you Bella and the great GP.
Unbelievably cool editing, special effects and audio stuff.
Well written per usual.
»
«OH MY GOODNESS
Another incredible success Joseph! This one really got my heart going, and I'm a hardened horror fan - it's just not expected from a TM movie.
Bravo, good sir! Bravo!»
«A definite must watch film! It draws you in, creates a thick atmosphere, makes you think one thing is happened until BOOM - the ending!
Excellent production values, a definite contender for the 2010 Ollies in my opinion. Great VA's, great cinematography - and knowing how difficult it is to do effects - some superb effects that are very seamlessly integrated.
Great job!»
«Such Talent! Great shots, great score, well written. It's nice when it all comes together creating a treat for the viewer. Well Done!»
«Another well writen story by Joseph!
A number of supurb visual effects, and a good ending or should I say a new beginning for the villian. Sound was good and most voices were excellent. Over all a great short. You always bring life to the darker side of the screen.
Take care old friend. Can't wait to see some more great movies.»
«Brilliantly written and brilliantly filmed. Another classic JosephKW film there! I especially liked the scene with the blowing curtains and also the chilling final scene. All I can say is; what a perfect ending.
Great job Joseph!»
«There are always huge and innovative steps forward in Joseph's movies and everyone can clearly see his passion and incredible attention to detail in them.
Like myself, he still use 'The Movies'...unlike myself, he manages to make it look like he's getting new expansion packs exclusively for every new movie he makes!
I think I've watched every movie he's made since the early days of TMO...and they just keep getting better in every department with each new release...'The Movies' never looks old or tired in his hands.
Onto 'The Calling'
Beautiful and quite frankly, given the media, amazing visuals.
This is something he has truly mastered and by god, it shows here.
Little (but by no means easy) details like the fog behind the windows create a wonderfully creepy and believable atmosphere...and this really does hilight his attention to detail in this field.
Music, although brilliant throughout, lacked those shock moments that are essential in complementing the shock visuals...agreeing with Goofparade here.
Jazzx and LucindaMc are wonderful VAs, but there are a few lack lustre readings from them here that really could have used second takes...unfortunately, they are at key moments in the movie and occassionally turn tension and scares into 'just plodding along'.
Bella, Goofparade and Joseph are at the usual high standards we've come to expect.
Story?
It's typical Joseph Kwong...It's excellent and completely draws you in start to finish.
Great characters, nods to Lovecraft, build up and climax...it's all there and brilliantly told.
One or two nitpicks aside, The Calling is the reason I'm still here making movies...I watch something of such incredibly high standards like this and I'm inspired and ready to go again...such is the influence here.
Inspirational, passionate, creative and relentless are all in Joseph's list of qualities and The Calling is a shining example of all of them.»
«An excellent piece..
Well done Joseph.. Your Horror Movies are always top notch.
The effects were amazingly good. Great Story & visuals.
Really enjoyed this!»
«That was supurbe I loved it, it was great they story line, the effects, the sound effects, the shadows... EVERYTHING...»
«The music was super.. kudos on that.... and the sound design lent itself to the overall ambience. I do have to say bravo to all of the VA's. They each gave a great performance. I think that GP fella has the potential to be a super VA if he sticks with it (LOL). Maintaining a VA status is JazzX with a solid delivery. Bella was absolute desert! She is sweet icing on a cyanide cake! Joseph, you again have turned out a movie that creates a long, long line at the ticket booth. Everybody wants to see a JosephKW movie!!! WOW! You a definitely a master producer/director! Let's do lunch on the West Wing.
K4»
«Great, great stuff... impressive on soooo many levels... how the hell you're going to top this I don't know... mind you, we said that about SOI
»
«Thanks Joseph, now I need a new pair of shorts!
A very well paced and cleverly shot horror, with all of the usual detail to visuals and audio one would expect from a quality director such as Joseph.
The cast did a fine job overall, perhaps a couple of lines should have required re-takes but in general it sounded fine with a nod to Bella and JazzX for their convincing performances.. PRAISE THEM!!
The audio was very good but I felt that the butler's lines hovered about 15% above the volume of the rest of the cast. Also, the first butler lines were soaked in reverb whereas the rest were bone dry.This puzzled me a bit.
The music suited the project quite well yet i wished i had seen the work in progress in order to custom score a few key moments of terror.
All and all, another enjoyable romp into the macabre brought to you by the one and only
Joseph K Wong!
»
«The Phantom Says:
True horror and suspense is extremely difficult to portray on screen using machinima and, from what I have seen of your previous work, you are one of those few directors who can pull it off consistently, accurately and with malice aforethought.
There are some truly shocking sequences in this film, which show the care and attention you have lavished on the look and, as importantly, the feel of the movie. And it shows. Every drop of sweat you cast to make this is evidenced on screen and not a moment is wasted in allowing the viewer respite from the dread we all know is coming, but are waiting on the edge of our seats to experience.
The cast did an excellent job, with one exception. The actress who portrayed the medium was, I have to say, wooden; her delivery was flat and emotionless. Her lines sounded as if she was just reading them off cue cards with no thought, change in timbre or emotion. One letdown in the whole piece.
The main protagonist did a fine job, aside from the one crucial scene near the end where he too seemed to lose his flow momentarily, but other than that a fine performance.
The actor playing the butler was excellent, as you yourself did a great job with the old man’s portrayal.
Viewing of your films should be mandatory for every director wishing to make a movie using the movies software; the attention to detail, not only in the greenscreening but in every inch of the sets and camera work, is truly exceptional.
The Phantom says: a solid 5; a visceral feast for the eye and the brain. More, please!
»
«This is quality horror! I got the 80's horror feel to it.»
«very good i liked it a lot what did u use to get the sets was it another game
5 stars of course»
«This is just a great new horror classic and in this one you have taken your after effects and sound design to a new level. There were some nice visual effects with fog in the window, to the swaying curtains to the disintegrating ghost effect. As great as they were I thought the sound design was slightly better and did more to convey the atmosphere. All the voice acting was solid but for me Jazz and Bella really stood out. As others have said this film is due to be Ollie bound. »
«Ahh... nostalgic to me for some reason, despite me not watching many '80s horrors.
).
STUNNING VISUALS, the door opening was awesome, and the backgrounds were stunning too.
Again, amazing. Great script (stressing myself to not use "awesome," "amazing" or "stunning" a lot more since I've done that so above
Reminds me of Innsmouth (your movie).
To sum up,
Astonishing effects
Great cast
Great script
100 out of 5 stars.»
«I believe this is the first TM movie that has truly scared me. It's well written, the effects are splendid, voice actors did an amazing job, and the atmosphere is just really great and scary.
5 Stars!!! Amazing work!!»
«AMAZING!!!!!!! Brilliantly AMAZING!»
«First things first, you sure know how to make a freaky movie!!
This is my kinda horror, subtle when it needs to be, builds upon the tension whilst also providing some light and more importantly, brief humour before sucker punching the viewer with some heart stopping moments and this my friend, you did splendidly!
Loved your use of lighting and sound. These for me really set the mood and I would strongly encourage all to watch this with headphones (if they dare). The sights and sounds are amplified well and really hit the viewer where it hurts well!
Your cast did a tremendous job portraying their characters and I loved the story arc.
All in all, a very chilling presentation that I am likely to watch over and over again!
Fab Work!»
«Awesome as always Joseph. brilliantly written and brilliantly greenscreened. Great voice acting and I could go on and on, but enough said already.»
«Amazing Joseph, I really enjoyed this. It started slowly for me (though I realise it needed to in order to tell the story properly) but in the second half it became truly jaw dropping. So many creepy moments... You owe me a new set of underwear

The effects work was superb, along with the great use of greenscreening and wonderful 3D sets. The shadows and curtains were particularly well done. The musical score by GP was just perfect and the sound design excellent. I thought the acting was generally good, but I must be honest, Lucinda did not come across as very convincing at all for me, a lot of it seemed completely out of sync with the rest of the actors in terms of tone and expression. I also think most of the VOs could have done with a little more cleaning to get rid of some inherent background noise. However, the performances by yourself, GP and Jazz were all very good (though Jazz did have a shaky moment when "X" revealed herself to him, almost like he was deliberately acting badly). Anyway, I'm just trying to pick out points to improve lol, overall it was all superb.
Bravo Joseph, another superb film which will almost definitely be up for some Ollies. Another favourite of mine for sure!
***** - 5 stars»
«Another brilliant film from the master.
The special effects, the camera work, the script, the voice work and music.........all superb.
As I said before, anyone who thinks TM has no use anymore or is dead has never seen one of your films. Great stuff Joseph.»
«Well... what can I say Joseph? That was amazing... You show that TM is a software that is not dying out, but instead, expanding and becoming much better beating the restrictions that we once had. Wonderful visuals, they were just so great to watch, especially them curtains. The sound was also fantastic, gave the film a really eerie feel. Some great voice acting also from the cast! Overall this was a really wonderful film which was gripping and is great to watch in the dark! Horror at it's best!
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ - 5 Stars»