The Waking Call
PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR
A late-night radio host receives a series of eerie calls that blur the line between memory and reality, leading him into a haunting confrontation with grief, guilt, and the voices that never truly leave us.
WATCH
“THE WAKING CALL”
DESCRIPTION
The Waking Call is a 13-minute psychological horror short that unfolds entirely within the confines of a single room. A man at a desk, a radio broadcast, and a mind unraveling.
What begins as a late-night show host’s quiet shift spirals into an escalating inner nightmare as strange transmissions blur the line between memory, guilt, and delusion.
With no jump scares, no monsters, and no escape, the film traps the viewer in the suffocating intimacy of a fractured psyche.
Shot with no production company backing, The Waking Call is a raw, independent exploration of grief, isolation, and the voices we can’t turn off, made on a shoestring budget with a skeleton crew, but executed with cinematic precision and emotional weight.
Starring Michael Maggi (Those About to Die - Directed by Roland Emmerich )
Written & Directed by Riccardo Suriano
If you love psychological horror that favors dread over jump scares — welcome to The Waking Call.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
I’ve always believed that horror doesn’t need to scream, sometimes it just needs to whisper the right words at the wrong time.
I’m drawn to stories where reality frays, not with spectacle, but with silence. The Waking Call is a study in psychological decay: one room, one man, and the unbearable weight of internal noise.
I wanted to craft a film that doesn’t explain itself. A film that stares. That breathes in real time.
That suggests something awful is happening, but never tells you exactly what , because ambiguity is the most faithful mirror to the human mind.
We often overbuild in order to impress. This was an exercise in restraint. No tricks. No cuts to escape. Just time, space, sound, and a presence that may not even exist.
I approached it more like a chamber piece than a horror film. The horror here is the kind that grows in a still frame.
To me, The Waking Call isn’t about a man losing control. It’s about what control even means when the voice whispering in your ear sounds like someone you love.
Riccardo Suriano
Cast
ALEX – MICHAEL MAGGI
CALLER 1 – CLAUDE CLAYBROOK
CALLER 2 – CHEYANNA LAVON ZUBAS
CALLER 3 – MAGNUS JACKSON DIEHL
CALLER 4 – CAMRYN SURIANO
CALLER 5 – EMILIA DI CESARE
Tech Specs
Runtime: 13:17 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Resolution: 4K
Language: English
Country of Origin: Italy / USA
Year: 2025
Crew
writer / director – RICCARDO SURIANO
executive producer – RICCARDO SURIANO
director of photography – DANIELE TOFANI
first assistant director – ANDREA VALVASORI
script supervisor – MATTEO STIPA
camera assistant / focus puller – MATTEO BONGIOVANNI
camera assistant / data manager – TINA RINALDINI
gaffer – ENRICO LICANDRO
lighting assistant – PIETRO FANTON
production runners – ALESSANDRO RAPESTA, MATTIA MECATTI
production designer – VIRGINIA FIGLIUZZI
assistant production designer – FULVIA CORSO
costume designer – AIDA GHAFOURI
assistant costume designer – CHIARA BOCCI
makeup artist – ALICE BARILLÀ
sound recordist – DANIELE INGRATI
boom operator – GABRIELE COSTABILE
editor – EMILIANO BELLARDINI
sound design – ALDINA VITELLI
music composed by – ALESSANDRO SARTINI
additional music collaboration – ALDINA VITELLI
vfx artist – PIERO PERILLI
vfx artist - XANDER ROSS
colorist – FILIPPO PANTALEONI
color grading by – REEL ONE
graphics and titles – MANUELA PICCIOTTO
bts video – LUCA FIORINI
set photographer – MATTEO RASERO
set photographer – AGNESE DI VICO
social media manager – ELENA PENNA
technical gear sponsor and partner – CAMERA SERVICE FACTORY
location – CINECLUB ROMA
additional sponsors – DZOFILM, HOLLYLAND, OSEE, MOMAN, VIDEO VILLAGE
special thanks – CAMRYN SURIANO, DANIELE TOMASSETTI, MARIO PARADISO, DAVIDE MANCA, FRANCESCO SOLANO, GIORGIO MARCONI
