When Michael Calls
When Michael Calls is a 1972 American made-for-television horror-thriller film directed by Philip Leacock and starring Elizabeth Ashley, Ben Gazzara and Michael Douglas. It was adapted from John Farris' 1967 novel of the same name. Plot. Helen Connelly is a woman whose nephew Michael died 15 years earlier. She is separated from her husband, Doremus. She is close to Michael's brother, Craig. When mysterious happenings began taking place and she begins receiving phone calls from the supposedly dead Michael, Helen begins to wonder if Michael is really dead or if she is losing  touch with reality. Filmed in October - November 1971. Release. The television film was first broadcast as an "ABC Movie of the Week" on February 5, 1972. Home media. The film has been released on VHS and DVD by various small labels. It also appears under the title Shattered Silence.