The Call Netflix Ending Explained: Can Edith Trap People For Eternity?

Netflix’s ‘The Call’ stands out as a horror masterpiece, all credits to its incredibly talented cast and the perplexing storyline. The movie stars Lin Shaye and Tobin Bell as Edith and Edward Cranston, as an elderly couple who are cornered by the locals because of an unfortunate event that happened a couple of years ago. When the local teenagers bully them for years incessantly and eventually vandalize their home, Edith commits suicide out of distress, but only after setting up a twisted revenge-game to play out as her body rests in a grave. Continue reading if you want to know everything there is about the ending of ‘The Call’!

The Call: Plot Explained

Chris (Chester Rushing) meets Tonya (Erin Sanders) after moving to a new neighborhood after his parent’s divorce. He gets invited to a carnival in the evening where Chris learns about Tonya’s missing sister, Laura, while getting high with her friends Zack (Mike C. Manning) and his brother Brett (Sloane Morgan Siegel). They tell Chris that Edith had something to do with the disappearance, and that’s why they vandalize her home as a ritual. Following this, they trash the old lady’s property, but Chris does not take part in all this, though. Later that night, due to declining mental health because of bullying, Edith kills herself.

Some days later, they receive a phone call from Edward, who invites them home to tell them that Edith has left all her wealth for them in her will. He explains to them that her last wish is that the four just need to go upstairs, make a call from the phone there, and stay on the line at least for a minute. In case they are able to do this, they will get $100,000 each, but if anyone puts down the phone before one minute, that person’s share of the money will be divided and given to the other three. The four agree and make the calls, and Zack is the first to do it, followed by Brett, Chris, and Tonya consecutively.

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Still from ‘The Call’
Image Source: Decider

The Call Ending Explained

Filled with jump-scares, The Call keeps spectators on absolute edge. We find out later that the rumor about Edith being a witch was true after all. With Edith by his side from beyond the grave, Edward, naturally affected by his wife’s passing, tries his best to get her plan right, as she deserved justice. When the three friends show up at the house, they are completely taken aback by Edith’s will. When Edward informs them about the money, Zack and Brett show immediate interest, as they grew up in a troubled and impoverished home. The two think that all this money will definitely fix their lives. Thus they are tempted to play the game. But to convince Tonya, Edward threatens her with Edith’s suicide note, which listed the names of all four of them.

The four are lead into perpetual hell as they get trapped on picking up the phone and hearing Edith’s voice. All of them get to relive their worst nightmares over and over again, till eternity. Edith basically traps them in hell by making them face the tragic events from their personal lives repeatedly. Zack and Brett suffer by reliving their childhoods with their abusive, cruel, and unforgiving father. Chris suffers by reliving the day his pregnant girlfriend Sarah (Ciara Hanna) dies in a car crash. Tonya gets a reality check, and her true intentions are revealed as she relives the day of her sister’s untimely death. 

A Dark Twist: Who Killed Laura After All?

Later in the story, ‘The Call’ reveals that Tonya is the true killer of Laura. Through all these years, Tonya actually lies to everybody and to herself- to avoid getting caught on account of murdering her sister. We learn that Tonya murdered her sister out of jealousy, as she felt her sister Laura was always favored over her. Laura was her father’s favorite, or at least that is what Tonya thought. Edith actually loved the little girl and gave her a heart-shaped pendant. Intimidated and enraged by the idea of being overshadowed by her sister for life, Tonya took Laura to a small bridge and killed her.

Tonya accused Edith of the murder as she knew someone had to take the blame and the fall for her actions. Consequently, an innocent Edith was deliberately pushed towards insanity and thus ended up committing suicide ultimately.

Chris’s Return: Supporting The Evil

Even though Chris, fortunately, finds his way out of Edith’s trap, he stays back to help Tonya, which can be judged as a misdeed. After all, Tonya was a murderer who led Edith to a life of death and misery. Tonya even tries to murder Chris thinking that he conspired with Edith. Chris murders Edward, but as he tries to save Tonya, they get separated, he realizes that it is too late to escape from his own evil actions, and ‘The Call’ now. He gets trapped in the house as well, along with the others, to suffer for eternity, much deservingly.