One of the last minute effects Zoic had to work on was this digital baby.

And nothing can eat up those resources more than needing to change directions in a big way. In this case, it wasn't just a matter of enhancement but much more.

"There was big stuff added very late in the game like a photoreal baby. When you start adding characters like that, it's challenging," states Gannon.

"There's a very creepy moment, where she's (Shannyn Sossamon) running through that same abandoned hospital," Goux remarks, "and she hears a cell phone ring and she slowly walks into this room. The room is empty and it's all scorched out and there's a gurney in the middle of the room, and there's a babysitting in there. The baby turns and looks at her, and she's holding the cell phone that (Sossamon) thought she had destroyed. And there's definitely something wrong with that baby, and it's really creepy. It's not cute."

That's one dropped call that no one will miss. On the other hand, thanks to the visual effects team, One Missing Call is now missing very little in the way of impact. Ramping up those subtle moments with needed shock value illustrates how visual effects can improve a story and deepen an audience's emotional involvement.

J. Paul Peszko is a freelance writer and screenwriter living in Los Angeles. He writes various features and reviews, as well as short fiction. He has a feature comedy in development and has just completed his second novel. When he isn't writing, he teaches communications courses.