If you liked Fede Alvarez’s Alien: Romulus, you’ll love his seriously underrated horror series with a near perfect Rotten Tomatoes score

Calls
(Image credit: AppleTV+)

As praise for director Fede Alvarez’s latest project Alien: Romulus grows, fans are urging others to look back at some of his earlier work, including a seriously underrated Apple TV Plus show that seems to have slipped under the radar.

"Really wish more people saw Fede’s Calls. Best Apple TV+ show no one watched," tweeted one fan. Alvarez’s 2021 horror thriller series titled Calls is a genre-pushing project that boasts a star-studded cast that focuses on chilling telephone calls with little to no imagery.

Based on the highly popular 2017 French series of the same name, Calls is a "groundbreaking, immersive television experience," that proves "the real terror lies in one’s interpretation of what they cannot see on the screen and the unsettling places one’s imagination can take them," as per Apple TV Plus. Unlike Romulus though, the series keeps the gore at bay and looks at nine creepy short-form stories told using audio alongside some minimal abstract visuals. 

The official synopsis reads: "Each episode follows a darkly dramatic mystery that unfolds through a series of seemingly average, unconnected phone conversations that quickly become surreal as the character's lives are thrown into growing disarray."

Despite flying under the radar, Calls has proven to be a big hit with those in the know, earning a rather impressive 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The show boasts a stellar cast too, including Lily Collins, Ahsoka’s Rosario Dawson, Pedro Pascal, Aubrey Plaza, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ben Schwartz, Jennifer Tilly, Joey King, Riley Keough, Stephen Lang, and many more. 

Alvarez’s most recent sci-fi horror project Alien: Romulus hit screens to rave reviews too, earning it the best Rotten Tomatoes score since James Cameron’s Aliens. Set between the original 1979 movie Alien and its sequel, the new movie follows a group of young space colonizers including Rain (Cailee Spaeny) and her brother Andy (David Jonsson) who set foot on a derelict space station and face the most terrifying lifeforms we were first introduced to over 40 years ago.

Calls is available to stream on Apple TV Plus right now. For more check out the best Apple TV Plus shows, or keep up with new TV shows heading your way soon.

Editorial Associate, 12DOVE

I am an Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering TV and film for SFX and Total Film online. I have a Bachelors Degree in Media Production and Journalism and a Masters in Fashion Journalism from UAL. In the past I have written for local UK and US newspaper outlets such as the Portland Tribune and York Mix and worked in communications, before focusing on film and entertainment writing. I am a HUGE horror fan and in 2022 I created my very own single issue feminist horror magazine.