When a Stranger Calls (1979)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Jeff "

  
  When a Stranger Calls is a pulse pounding horror film. This is one of those films that use suspense to build effective horror to create the tension on-screen. Director Fred Walton crafts a tension filled horror film that combines suspense, terror with a few slasher film elements and… More
  When a Stranger Calls is a pulse pounding horror film. This is one of those films that use suspense to build effective horror to create the tension on-screen. Director Fred Walton crafts a tension filled horror film that combines suspense, terror with a few slasher film elements and crime film rolled into one film. The thing that impressed me about When a Stranger Calls is the fact that director Fred Walton keeps the gore on a down low, unlike so many other horror films in the slasher genre of the 1980's, this one relies more on the suspense factor to build up the terror and tone of the entire film. Like with every viewer, I have to say that the first twenty minutes of this film are the most terrifying and intense; ion other words, it starts the film off with a bang. I enjoyed this film and I think it's a very good concept for a horror flick. I think the fact that the film limits its gore factor much like Halloween did, adds a lot more credibility to the film. The acting is good here, and the actors deliver memorable performances. When a Stranger Calls is different, and it's a film that blend psychological horror with a few slasher elements, but isn't a straight forward bloodbath. When a Stranger Calls is a terrific horror flick that uses traditional horror elements to create the horror that we see on-screen. The result is a terrifying and memorable film

• Lee ?

  
  After being locked up for seven years in an insanse asylum for murdering two children, a psychotic Englishman escapes his confines and is loose on the streets of New York. The opening 15 minutes are a real nail-biter and the film ends in a similar fashion too with a couple of… More
  After being locked up for seven years in an insanse asylum for murdering two children, a psychotic Englishman escapes his confines and is loose on the streets of New York. The opening 15 minutes are a real nail-biter and the film ends in a similar fashion too with a couple of genuinely frightening moments. The suspense lets off during the middle parts and things move along at a slower pace, but the menace and threat is always there with the chilling performance by Tony Beckley, which would be his last film after passing away due to cancer just after completing the film. A real good thriller for those that don't mind low body counts and zero gore.

• AJ V

  
  A terrifyingly realistic slasher movie, starring Carol Kane, who gives a fantastic performance. This is a great horror movie, and I recommend seeing it.

• Adam M

  
  Like two movies strangely fused together. The first is the better one, although Carol Kane has a strange accent and seems kind of distant for a teenager. It would be a great short film on its own (and the camerawork of the remake is much dumber). The second part of the composite… More
  Like two movies strangely fused together. The first is the better one, although Carol Kane has a strange accent and seems kind of distant for a teenager. It would be a great short film on its own (and the camerawork of the remake is much dumber). The second part of the composite movie is more of a 70s thriller-drama, which humanizes the unseen killer from the first part and asks whether being treated like a monster will make him kill again or is it just inevitable. The actor Tony Beckley makes this an interesting question. The director does a 180 degree on his horror movie and sees things from the monster's POV as he tries NOT to kill. Has this been done before? Beckley gives a great performance; still, it's hard to believe that he is the same bogeyman-like creature from the opening segment. Along the way, the movie forgets some things, like plot logistics, but remembers what's scary about nightmares intruding on real life.

• Cassandra M

  
  When a Stranger Calls" is a somewhat entertaining horror-suspense-thriller that starts off great, loses steam in the middle, then comes back for a good finish. The beginning of this movie is outstanding, with babysitter Carol Kane receiving obscene phone calls from an unknown… More
  When a Stranger Calls" is a somewhat entertaining horror-suspense-thriller that starts off great, loses steam in the middle, then comes back for a good finish. The beginning of this movie is outstanding, with babysitter Carol Kane receiving obscene phone calls from an unknown maniac. This is far and away the best part of the film. It's scary, creepy, and downright eerie. But it doesn't sustain that level through the entire film. The mid-portion of the movie is rather dull, featuring a few lazy supporting performances. But "When a Stranger Calls" redeems itself with a nail-biting climax, even though the conclusion doesn't top the film's opening in terms of scariness. Carol Kane and Charles Durning are good in the roles of the terrified babysitter and the private detective searching for the killer when he's on the loose. "When a Stranger Calls" is not a great horror movie but a good one. And its better than the cable-made sequel that came out fourteen years later, "When a Stranger Calls Back".

• jay n

  
  The most frightening first 15 minutes I've ever seen in a theatre, the last 15 also pack a wallop, in between the film sags but what a jolt nonetheless!!

• Lafe F

  
  Watch it for the beginning and ending, which are truly terrifying and well done. The mid-section is somewhat interesting with Officer Clifford (Charles Durning) tracking down the madman, plus a tale about the madman meeting and stalking his next victim; which was very Hitchcockian.

• Daniel D

  
  " Did you check on the children?"While I do have some horror movies higher then this, this one is by far the scariest. The 2006 remake is BS! But this one is great. I don't give a damn that it has a 40% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. I like horrors a bout phsyco killers.… More
  " Did you check on the children?"While I do have some horror movies higher then this, this one is by far the scariest. The 2006 remake is BS! But this one is great. I don't give a damn that it has a 40% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. I like horrors a bout phsyco killers. Because it can actually happen. Not like all these zombie movies. I was terrified during the whole movie. "I want your blood all over my body." God how does that not give you the chills. Seeing John Clifford's body covered in the children's blood. The phone call in the restaurant. And of course the end. The weird and chilling ending. The only thing I did not like was the acting of the teenage baby sitter it was just to fake. But wow what a scary movie this is.

• Lord N

  
  This one wasn't really a slasher it was more of a... I don't really know what it is. It isn't a horror film and it isn't a slasher film it isn't anything that it says it is really. Anyway the story behind this is I went to go see a play called Scary Musical… More
  This one wasn't really a slasher it was more of a... I don't really know what it is. It isn't a horror film and it isn't a slasher film it isn't anything that it says it is really. Anyway the story behind this is I went to go see a play called Scary Musical and the whole thing was just one inside joke and reference for horror fans so I had to watch a horror movie. This was one of the big ones that was referenced and the only one I hadn't seen so yeah, I watched this. On another note, This one will not be as creative as my review of T3. If I get another good idea for an original review I will utilize it. Sorry. Well, I must give the film props for keeping an urban legend alive far longer than it probably would have otherwise. And if the whole movie had been just like the first 23 minutes, this one would have gotten 98% on RT (there's always one...) and would be lauded as one of the greatest horror films of all time. As it is, the first 23 minutes is only 1/5th of the film so it goes downhill very fast from there. I'm not gonna do my regular structure for this because the movie is styled in a way that I can't. At the very least, I would be repeating myself. as I mentioned before, if the whole movie was just the first 23 minutes, it would be lauded as one of the greatest horror films of all time. It is an absolutely fantastic scene. One of the best opening scenes I have seen for a horror film. It is deservedly iconic. But...That's the last shred of quality that this film has. The film then drastically changes genres. it goes from an excellent horror film to a chase movie. Kinda like The French Connection or Soylent Green or something. It isn't horror. Then in the last 15 minutes it changes back to horror but by then, no one cares anymore. It isn't scary. Overall, this film is kinda like a reverse Sleepaway Camp: It has a great Beginning that everyone loves and then it dies...that's it (as opposed to Sleepaway Camp which starts dead then has an iconic ending everyone loves). So, my overall advice is this: watch the first 23 minutes and shut this off and pretend that there isn't anything else to the movie. If you do that it will become a favorite horror film of yours. If you don't like to leave things unfinished, well, you're in for a pretty crappy film. Final Score: 8/40 20% (S) TRIVIA TIME: 1. Star Tony Beckley was terminally ill throughout the production and passed away just after the principle photography was shot. Director Fred Walton dedicated the film's 1993 sequel 'When A Stranger Calls Back' to the memory of Beckley. 2. Fred Walton originally shot this film as a short entitled 'The Sitter', which was essentially the opening 20 minutes of 'When A Stranger Calls'. However after the huge success of Halloween Walton saw the potential of expanding the short into a full-length feature. The script was then expanded into a feature length film about the pursuit of the villain. 3. The character of the disturbed killer was based on a college acquaintance of director Fred Walton who somehow could just enter a room and automatically make others in the room uncomfortable.

• Sunil J

  
  Carol Kane is believably terrified without being over the top.

• Kevin L

  
  The first 15-20 mins of this film are the most intense moments I ve seen in a horror movie, after that the movie falls quite a bit, but still decent.

• Lee K

  
  the original is the one to watch, scary movie w8ith loads of edge of your seat moments

• John M

  
  The best of parts of this movie are the first 20 minutes that are very tense and the last 15. The middle of the movie is a little bit lousy. More a thriller than a horror flix.

• Eduardo C

  
  Widely regarded as having the most tense opening of any genre picture, I would be hard pressed to disagree. The first 20 minutes consist of a girl, a room and a phone. The suspense is palpable (aided in no small way by the creepy voice on the line) and created pretty much by the… More
  Widely regarded as having the most tense opening of any genre picture, I would be hard pressed to disagree. The first 20 minutes consist of a girl, a room and a phone. The suspense is palpable (aided in no small way by the creepy voice on the line) and created pretty much by the direction and performances. There is no artificiality here, no jump cuts or loud noises. I'm sure everyone knows how the scene climaxes, but I won't spoil it just in case. It is a heartstopping moment. Almost immediately after, the film switches genres. It picks up 7 years later when our esteemed stalker escapes from a mental hospital. The next 50 minutes or so consist oin his ackward attempts to relate to other people and survive in the outsid world, and his miserable failures. Most people criticize this segment for deflating the tension from the beginning, for being slow, boring and pretty much just a mistake. While the writing is not always the sharpest here (lock needles, anyone?) I found it interesting. The film was clearly not content to be a slash-em-up and in these scenes we actually begin to empathize with the very disturbed multiple murderer. Yes, it is true that much of the terror from the opening dissipates once we see who the stalker is and watch his day-to-day interactions, but it makes for a change of pace from typical genre fare. The last 20 minutes are a return to the suspense-horror from the beginning. A particular phone call, with about 15 minutes to go, is bloodcurdling. The ending may not reach the highs of the beginning (it would be hard to) but in some ways it equals the feeling of invasion of privacy. Carol Kane is very, very good in her role. She is nuanced, can scream with the best of them. She is likeable, which is a must, but she also feels like someone who is genuinely terrified, as opposed to someone who is being asked to run and shout. Tony Beckley is very good as the stalker as well, the film requires a more complex performance than usual and he delivers. Fred Walton apparently went on to do nothing but TV work, except for the amusing genre entry "April Fool's Day". This is a shame, since he showed a great talent and refreshing style for suspense. He did direct a TV sequel to this, "When a Stranger Calls Back" which I intend to see.

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