Ah, Death, sometimes known as the Grim Reaper, has been depicted in so very many unique ways, with the most traditional being of the lineage of Victor Sjöström – who made the silent horror film The Phantom Carriage (1921). . . which then inspired his protégée Ingmar Bergman (who watched the feature every year – usually on New Year’s Eve) with making his classic Black Death plague set film The Seventh Seal (1957). Having a laugh at that always winning Reaper, the 2011 horror comedy short The Coldest Caller, written and directed by Joe Tucker, is a four minute humour-filled foray into one such harrowing scenario.
Exhuming some fun in a Monty Python-like sketch (specifically Monty Python’s Meaning of Life), when the ominous list-carrying Grim Reaper (Noel Byrne) – your typically towering, hidden gaunt figure dressed in all black, arrives on the cozey doorstep of one Mrs. Evans (Sheila Reid), the punctual old lady almost seems like she has already been waiting for him all day.
Inviting the scythe-wielding harbinger of death into her flat, it immediately becomes clear as to why. . . as she has misconstrued the gargantuan gent for the plumber she has called up to deal with her leaky kitchen sink issue.
Finding himself in a most unusual and perplexing conundrum, what will the Grim Reaper do when asked to fix that pesky plumbing? Might the newfound work distract Death from his ever-growing reap list for some time? Also, what might come of the sweet and seemingly still quite spry Mrs. Evans? Does she have any chance of evading her greatest foe yet?
A silly, fun, and playful comedic take on the dark horror premise, The Coldest Call gets the most out of its short runtime. Playing with each and every viewer’s own preconceived notion, not all is what it seems. Featuring a strong performance by Sheila Reid and some cool shots of the always baleful Grim Reaper (funnily enough, at first shown from the first person perspective as he continues with his mission), it all comes together for a couple of cockamamie guffaws and chuckles. Also featuring some great sight gags, you might notice when the Reaper must show his ID, it says, ‘Department of Corporeal Relocation’. So, don’t slash this short one off your watch list, it has definitely still got some legs.
Get your hands on this short film right here: Short film about f**king with death | “The Coldest Caller” – Dark comedy by Joe Tucker