Apple TV+ has released a trippy and terrifying trailer for its auditory mystery series Calls, which hails from Don't Breathe director Fede Álvarez.
Based on the French series of the same name from creator Timothée Hochet, Calls is described as an immersive TV experience that uses audio and minimal abstract visuals to tell nine "bone-chilling" short-form stories.
Each episode of the genre-bending thriller will follow a dark mystery that unfolds through a series of seemingly average, unconnected phone calls that quickly become surreal as the characters face increasingly unsettling experiences.
The all-star cast that will bring these eerie conversations to life includes Pedro Pascal, Nick Jonas, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Aubrey Plaza, Lily Collins, Karen Gillan and Rosario Dawson, plus Mark Duplass, Ben Schwartz, Danny Pudi, Paul Walter Hauser, Judy Greer, Riley Keough, Nicholas Braun, Clancy Brown, Joey King, Danny Huston, Jaeden Martell, Edi Patterson, Paola Nuñez, Laura Harrier, and Jennifer Tilly. And don't worry, Álvarez's Don't Breathe star Stephen Lang will be along for the ride as well, though I am surprised that the director's lucky charm Jane Levy isn't involved. Maybe next season, should Apple renew the show...
Calls is an Apple Original series produced in association with Canal+, as well as Studiocanal and Bad Hombre. A French-language version of the series will premiere on Canal+ in select markets where the channel is available, and in select Latin American markets, the series will debut under the title Llamadas with Spanish-language custom graphics.
I'm very curious about Calls, which could either be very difficult to watch or absolutely thrilling. The concept reminds me of The Guilty, in which an embattled 911 operator fields a call from a woman who claims to have been abducted. That movie didn't work for me at all, but if it was a short film -- or in the case of Calls, a short-form series -- it very well might have. I'm eager to find out how long these episodes actually run because I don't know how long I can stare at a screensaver, no matter how engaging the story is. I mean, isn't that what podcasts are for?
For now, I'll give Alvarez the benefit of the doubt here, as I liked his Evil Dead remake and kind of loved Don't Breathe, which was positively twisted, and holds up well upon a second (and third) watch. It's a shame his Lisbeth Salander movie The Girl in the Spider's Web was such a mess, because he was well on his way to a major assignment.
Instead, he was most recently brought in to direct reshoots on Chaos Walking, which I have not heard encouraging things about, though that certainly isn't on him. Like Ron Howard on Solo, sometimes you just have to be a professional and step up when a studio needs a helping hand. I trust his genre instincts though -- he's producing the new Leatherface movie -- and look forward to checking out Calls, which will premiere its entire nine-episode first season on March 19th on Apple TV+.
Check out the trailer below, and try to keep an open mind... as well as open ears. Please forgive me for that one.