When a Stranger Calls (1979)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Fred Walton

Writers:

Steve Feke (writer)
Fred Walton (writer)

Release Date:

26 October 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

...Fear is the Message!

Plot:

A psychopathic killer terrorizes a babysitter, then returns seven years later to menace her again.

Plot Keywords:

Babysitting | Telephone | Babysitter | Murder | Psychopath

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Charles Durning	...	John Clifford
Carol Kane	...	Jill Johnson
Colleen Dewhurst	...	Tracy
Tony Beckley	...	Curt Duncan
Ron O'Neal	...	Lt. Charlie Garber
Steven Anderson	...	Stephen Lockart
Rachel Roberts	...	Dr. Monk
Rutanya Alda	...	Mrs. Mandrakis
Carmen Argenziano	...	Dr. Mandrakis
Sara Damman	...	Bianca Lockart
Richard Bail	...	Stevie Lockart
William Boyett	...	Sgt. Sacker
Kirsten Larkin	...	Nancy
Carol O'Neal	...	Mrs. Garber
Ed Wright	...	Retired man

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | France:-12 | Sweden:15 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Germany:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:18 | UK:15 | USA:R | Canada:A (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

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 (1978) 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 villain Curt Duncan.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the final scene, Jill goes to her bedroom closet to see if Curt Duncan is in there. She is about to open the door with her left hand. In the next shot, she opens it with her right hand.

Quotes:

John Clifford: Lets get something straight here, Doctor. I've been 33 years in the business of tracking people down and putting them away... spent almost a year alone on the case of Curt Duncan with the trial and the testimonies and the background investigations. Now, I didn't come here today to look in your God damn folders, in fact I probably wouldn't be here at all if you had done your job right.
Dr. Monk: This is a hospital, Mr. Clifford, not a penitentiary. Everything appertaining to one of our patients is meticulously recorded in that patient's folder, whether you can make sense of it or not.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Psych: Ghosts (#3.1)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

HUELGA EN GENERAL

A Very Scary and Real Thriller

Jill Johnson (Carol Kane) is babysitting two children, when a stranger insists calling her in the phone, asking her to see the children in the upper floor. She decides to telephone to the police, to trace the phone call. When the office on duty tells her that the call is from inside the house, Jill panics. Seven years later, the maniac escapes from the asylum and the private investigator John Clifford (Charles Durning) is hired by the father of the children to kill the man. It is almost impossible to write a summary of this thriller without spoilers, so I have to stop here. A couple of days ago, I watched 'When a Strange Call Back', a type of sequel of this film. I was amazed with the beginning of the story, one of the most scary I have ever seen. Yesterday I decided to see 'When a Stranger Calls' and it is indeed a tense and suspenseful thriller. The situation through which Jill passes is amazingly real and scary. When the police officer tells Jill that the phone call is from inside the house, he heart of the viewer 'jumps'. This part is too frightening. The greatest problem in both movies is the continuation of the story seven years later (five in the sequel). It breaks the tension and the viewer gets completely lost about what happened to the characters. With a better sequence, this film certainly would be considered a classic. The story is excellent, and the performances are very realistic. In my opinion, the famous 'Scream' copied the introduction of this film. In Brazil, it was released on VHS only, and the quality of the image is not good. It deserves to be released on DVD. It is really worthwhile to watch this film. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): 'Mensageiro da Morte' ('Messenger of Death')