When a Stranger Calls (2006)

Director:

Simon West

Writers:

Jake Wade Wall (screenplay)
Steve Feke (1979 screenplay) ...

Release Date:

3 February 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Evil Hits Home

Plot:

During an otherwise routine babysitting gig, a high-school student is harassed by an increasingly threatening prank caller.

Plot Keywords:

Children | Police | Babysitting | High School | Babysitter

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Camilla Belle	...	Jill Johnson
Tommy Flanagan	...	Stranger
Katie Cassidy	...	Tiffany
Tessa Thompson	...	Scarlet
Brian Geraghty	...	Bobby
Clark Gregg	...	Ben Johnson
Derek de Lint	...	Dr. Mandrakis (as Derek Lint)
Kate Jennings Grant	...	Kelly Mandrakis
David Denman	...	Officer Burroughs
Arthur Young	...	Will Mandrakis
Madeline Carroll	...	Allison Mandrakis (as Madeleine Carroll)
Steve Eastin	...	Detective Hines
John Bobek	...	Officer Lewis
Brad Surosky	...	Boom Boom
Karina Logue	...	Track Coach

Also Known As:

Bell Ringer (Philippines: English title)
Cuando un extraño llama (Argentina) (video title) (Venezuela) [es]
Terreur sur la ligne (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Chiamata da uno sconosciuto (Italy) [it]
Cuando llama un extraño (Spain) [es]
Ismeretlen hivás (Hungary) [hu]
Kad stranac pozove (Serbia) [sr]
Kravges agonias (Greece) (DVD title) [el]
Quando um Estranho Chama (Brazil) [pt]
Stranger Call (Japan: English title) [en]
Telefondaki yabanci (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Unbekannter Anrufer (Germany) [de]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense terror, violence and some language.

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Australia:M | UK:15 | Singapore:PG | Ireland:15A | Norway:15 | Brazil:14 | Malaysia:U | Sweden:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | Hungary:16 | Argentina:13 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | South Korea:12 | Italy:VM14

Filming Locations:

Culver Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Screen Gems

Trivia:

The name of Jill's high school, Fernhill, was the name of director Simon West's high school.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Jill is lying in the hospital bed a pink balloon pops. In the next scene where it shows the floor, there is no popped balloon there.

Quotes:

Guy: Hi... What are you wearing?
Jill Johnson: Combat boots and a parka, you jerk. Who is this? This isn't funny!
Guy: Yes it is!

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "30 Rock: Corporate Crush (#1.19)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Lock It

Nice House

That's pretty much all I can say about this flat and uninspired remake of the 1979 Carol Kane vehicle. Camilla Belle isn't much of an actress, and she brings no energy and vitality to the role of Jill Johnson, the babysitter harassed by an anonymous phone caller.

But if you're looking for some great home architecture and interior design ideas, this movie provides more inspiration than anything you'll see on TLC or HGTV. Jill spends nearly 90 minutes wandering through the house of the rich doctor and wife for whom she's providing her sitting services, searching for the origins of strange sounds and things that keep going "bump" in the night. As she lurks around corners and peers down hallways, we get to see a beautiful master bathroom with his and hers sinks that look like Roman tubs, a huge kitchen with incredible back lit glass shelving, and the piece de resistance, a self-contained aviary and coy pond that feature a self-watering system.

Because the movie isn't compelling enough to draw us into Jill's fear, we're distracted by the grandeur of the house, which isn't something you should be doing when you're watching a thriller. Even as Jill is pursued by the faceless maniac, we cringe because she's breaking valuables and messing up the coy pond, not because she's about to get murdered.

The movie plods along as predictably as most teen slasher movies, and the ending is anything but original. By the time it was over, I just wanted to find out where the heck that house was and if it was real. Never mind Jill and the kids she was babysitting.

2 stars - both for the house.