why do horror movies always have a phone in them?

Answer 1

we depend on phones, especially in emergencies. one reason people carry cell phones is to feel more secure when alone in the big bad world. so, if the phone doesn't work, which often happens in horror movies, it removes that security blanket and isolates the character.

Answer 2

Phones bring us closer to other people, to the contrary it is usuaally people we KNOW and want to be close to. When somone calls we idnetify them, and we know who it is we are speaking too usually who they are and feel safe. That trust is abused in a classic horror film. The raspy voice caller is usually a stranger, someone they can't identify them, who will tell you he's close, he's in the house etc.. Somewhere that will either make you uncomfortable or damn straight scared because they suddenly don't feel safe. Instead of using the phone to call for help now they are afraid therefore corneered left to hide in some dark shadowed part of the house where the killer is usually waiting.
Here the fact of knowing that someone is coming to kill you (or is in the house) is more scarier than a surprise. because the victim-to-be is a sitting duck waiting to die. So what do the killers so ..call before they arrive..

Answer 3

You never know who is on the other end (because in horror movies there is no caller id)
Also, the sound, especially in a quiet scene, is shrill and shocking and gets the viewer all worked up and their heart racing.

Answer 4

In real life phones often bring bad news. They ring abrubtly and have the abilty to startle. Wrong numbers on my cell phone often startle me.

Answer 5

Dial M for Murder!