La cabina (The Telephone Box)
Directed by Antonio Mercero
Written by Jose Luis Garci an Antonio Mercero from Mercero’s story
1972/Spain
IMDb page
First viewing/YouTube
One of 1000 horror films on theyshootzombies.com
“But you, children of space, you restless in rest, you shall not be trapped nor tamed.”
― The Prophet
Made for Spanish TV, this 35- minute movie packs more existential horror than many feature length films.
An unnamed man sees his son off to school and then decides to make a phone call from a new booth in the courtyard of his apartment building. He enters, the door closes, the phone is out of order, and he is unable to open the door. A crowd slowly begins to assemble. There are many helping hands but the door will not budge and the glass will not break. Things get worse and worse as the film builds to an unforgettable climax. You will have to watch the movie to see what it is.
This movie is unique and very well worth seeing. It’s pretty clearly an allegory about modern life, which makes it even more horrifying, and probably more specifically about life in Franco’s Spain. I watched the film on YouTube without subtitles. They are absolutely unnecessary to the enjoyment of the film. Recommended but possibly not for claustrophobics.
Trailer – spoilers galore
