Last Radio Call, written and directed by Isaac Rodriguez, not only tackles attempting to tell a unique found footage story, but also several other plot devices commonly seen in horror films. It’s a daunting and bold choice that could easily have fallen flat and lost the interest of the audience within the first frames. Instead, it kicks down the door of commonality and embraces well-known story points to deliver an unsettling, yet familiar tale.

The opening minutes give off the feeling of a first person horror video game, complete with heart-pounding paranoia and chills. We’re shown body cam footage from police officer David Serling (Jason Scarbrough) as he and his partner investigate the creepy, abandoned Yorktown Memorial Hospital. We move along with Officer Serling through his perspective as he moves through each room, gun drawn, and the only light coming from his flashlight. For an opening introduction to a pivotal character, the opening act provides a truly terrifying experience, making the audience immediately feel a connection to Serling, even when we don’t ever see his face. 

A year later, Serling remains listed as missing and the only evidence left behind is his aforementioned body cam. His partner, Giles, (Ali Alkhafaji), is traumatized and reportedly left with little to no memory of the night’s events. Serling’s wife, Sarah (Sarah Froelich), wants answers, but is met with a resistant police department and avoidance from anyone with knowledge of the night he disappeared. She decides to take matters into her own hands, and hires a documentary crew to follow her as she investigates for herself, which provides the cinematography for the bulk of the film.

While she does attempt communication with his partner and the department, both of those routes lead to more roadblocks, as well as additional trauma for her and the film crew. With little options left, she begins to uncover the history of Yorktown, which includes several visits to the dilapidated hospital. Even in daylight, the hospital is a frightening place to be, and it doesn’t take long to piece together that there is something sinister afoot on these grounds. This creates needed tension in the middle of the movie, when the audience begins to feel antsy for more adrenalized moments like in the opening act.

As answers begin to be pieced together, it’s increasingly evident that the direction the story is going is one seen in countless horror films before it. While this could easily have been Last Radio Call’s downfall, it somehow finds a way to be compelling enough to impressively stand out. There’s something about this movie that grips you from the start and never fully lets go, even when that grasp weakens slightly in the middle act. 

Froelich portrays Sarah’s desperate anguish with aching believability, taking opportunities to look directly at the camera in stunned silence to allow the scene unfolding to tell the story. The action accelerates again during the final act, delivering more pulse-racing moments that place the audience squarely in the middle of what transpires. 

Last Radio Call is meant to be experienced in the dark with people who appreciate a good old fashioned, paranoia-filled, white-knuckle romp. It makes no excuses for what it is, and instead lets the story unfold with the ups and downs of a thrill ride, leaving you breathless until the final moments. 

8 out of 10