Killer on the Air — Killer on the Air (VOD)

Killer on the Air (2025) is a psychological thriller directed by Haylie Duff (Danger in the Countryside) and produced by Hybrid and Cartel Pictures. The film follows Sarah Williams (Jessica Morris, One Life to Live), a closed-off psychologist turned late-night radio host who receives a chilling on-air call during her broadcast. A man claims that a murder will occur by the end of her shift, forcing Sarah into a race against time to uncover his identity and motive before it's too late.

The film wastes no time getting into the action and dropping clues; whether they all go anywhere, I shall not say. It starts with establishing the characters, really setting up who they are and where this story is going. We see Sarah at work, and her boss introduces her to someone offering her a new job. When a sudden bomb threat forces an evacuation, a very angry man confronts Sarah in the car park. Red herring? Maybe. The police arrive, arrest the man, and there seems to be a slight spark between Sarah and the officer as he promises to get to the bottom of it. The story continues, and we see that Sarah and her husband live a rather tangled, secretive life.

Things escalate when Sarah finds the words DIE scribbled repeatedly across her notebook at work. Who could have gotten that close? Then comes the creepy caller, accusing her of interfering with the collapse of his marriage through ill-given advice. Now, as revenge, he's going to make sure someone dies because of what she did. I'm frantically trying to pick up clues to see if I can work out who he is and whether his voice sounds familiar. He has made sure that all the other lines are tied up (clever!) and they are stuck on air. He claims to have kidnapped Alice (Carly Diamond Stone), Sarah's husband's girlfriend (yes, told you it is a tangled web). Don't worry, you'll understand this relationship by now, so I'm not spoiling anything here. The threat becomes imminent when he releases Alice's scream live on air, and he has now brought Sarah's daughter into the conversation.

This is where Sarah has to step up with her psychology training, using every tactic she knows to keep the caller talking and buy time. Meanwhile, despite the caller's strict 'no police' warning, the officer from earlier, Sarah's ex-husband, and others begin working frantically behind the scenes to track down Alice and unmask the caller before it's too late.

To explain more would spoil any watch for you, but I will tell you, as you can probably imagine, that there are twists and turns. Even though there are some predicted turns, there are also some unpredictable ones, which makes the whole thing rather thrilling. Beyond the plot mechanics, though, what really works here is the execution.

For a film with limited locations, this works brilliantly. They make excellent use of what they have, turning constraint into strength. The lighting and cinematography are particularly striking. Fresh, bright, almost romcommy, which actually adds to the suspense. Some films use colours for danger, others use grainy tones to reflect something dirty or dank, but this fresh, bright colouring made it impossible to predict what was coming. Every bit of suspense landed because the film gave away very little visually.

The plot is solid, with some excellent characters played well. It's not groundbreaking, the trope is fairly familiar, but the execution is strong. My favourite part of any thriller is watching them work it out, and this one doesn't rush the conclusion. Some films put so much effort into building tension that they run out of room and rush the wrap-up, but this one gives full satisfaction.

There are a couple of telltale killer movie moments. Telling her daughter to go home from a crowded school hall? Absolutely not. No way would I send her off alone. Running from danger and then just stopping without looking back? Classic.

If you like a cryptic clue before you watch, there's a little storyline at the beginning that felt odd when it first appeared, and as the story got deeper, I kept thinking, "Why was that there?" I made a note to remember that, and sure enough, my instinct was right. I won't say any more, but keep your eye on the details that don't quite fit.

Great ending, satisfying all round. Killer on the Air is a solid psychological thriller with a proper tie-up at the end. I'm not going all in with a 5/5 because it didn't blow me away, but it was well written, well performed, and the execution was good. It's the perfect Saturday night thriller with popcorn, wine, and a dog or two curled up on the sofa for backup. It isn't scary, but the suspense is enough to raise your blood pressure.