- Phyllis "Phyl" Carlson is a character in the original 1974 film. She was one of the sorority sisters, and was shown to be a good friend of Jess Bradford's, as well as Clare Harrison. She is also shown to like Barbara Coard as well, though at times they fight (the dinner scene where Barb is drunk, and also one time where Barb offends Clare after the first phone call, Phyl is seen giving Barb a dirty look). She is shown to be very paranoid after Clare has gone missing, even having an emotional breakdown in Jess's arms in one scene. Much like Clare was, Phyl was somewhat shy and bookish. It is shown during the opening christmas party scene that she was in a relationship with Patrick Cornell at the time. She is portrayed by Andrea Martin, who would later play the role of Mrs. Mac in the 2006 remake.
Death
After two men stop by the house to warn her and Jess about a killer on the loose, Phyl is told by Jess to go lock the doors and windows. While doing so, Phyl decides to check on Barb first, not knowing that she has been murdered. As she enters the room, the killer whispers "Agnes..." to her before he shuts the door behind her. She is never seen again until Jess finds out that the caller is in the house. She goes upstairs and breaks open Barb's bedroom door, and the bodies of Phyl and Barb are lying spread across the bed. It is unknown how the killer murdered Phyl, as Barb's corpse blocks most of Phyl's, but you can still see her face, and the only clue is that her glasses are off.