FilmRPsychological Survival

The Night Listener2006

Name: The Night Listener
Genre: Psychological, Survival
Released: 2006-02-12
Rating: 5.7

“You never know who's listening.”

Directed by Patrick Stettner

5.7

Crypt Score

Blended from 4 sources

IMDb 5.9Rotten Tomatoes 40%Metacritic 51TMDB 5.5

✍ Review

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Year

2006

Runtime

91 min

Box Office

Budget

$4,000,000

Revenue (worldwide)

$10,639,686

Domestic

$7,836,393

🏆 2 nominations total

The premise

In the midst of his crumbling relationship, a radio show host begins speaking to his biggest fan—a young boy—via the telephone. But when questions about the boy's identity come up, the host's life is thrown into chaos.

Horror Vault's take

A late-night radio host struggling with personal upheaval finds unexpected solace in phone calls with a gravely ill young fan — until nagging doubts begin to surface about whether the boy is who he claims to be. What begins as a touching connection curdles into something deeply disquieting as the host travels to Wisconsin to uncover the truth. The film leans into psychological unease rather than conventional horror, letting ambiguity and dread do the heavy lifting. Robin Williams delivers a markedly restrained, haunted performance against type.

Content: Depictions Of Illness And Child Abuse Aftermath, Themes Of Aids And Terminal Illness, Emotional Manipulation And Gaslighting