When a Stranger Calls Back (1993) (TV)

Director:

Fred Walton

Writers (WGA):

Steve Feke (characters) and
Fred Walton (characters) ...

Release Date:

4 April 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Before there was "Scream," there was... the stranger.

Plot:

A young babysitter, all alone in the house with two children asleep above, is bothered by a stranger. Unfortunately, the phone's dead...

Plot Keywords:

Babysitting | Sequel | Urban Legend | Phone Terror | Ventriloquist

Cast

Carol Kane	...	Jill Johnson
Charles Durning	...	John Clifford
Jill Schoelen	...	Julia Jenz
Gene Lythgow	...	William Landis
Babs Chula	...	Agent
John B. Destry	...	Detective #1 (as John Blackwell Destry)
Duncan Fraser	...	Club Owner
Jennifer Griffin	...	Club Girl #1
Gary Jones	...	X-Ray Technician
Terence Kelly	...	Medical Examiner
Michelle Lonsdale Smith	...	Center Woman #1 (as Michele Lonsdale-Smith)
Kevin McNulty	...	Dr. Schifrin
Sheelah Megill	...	Center Woman #2 (as Sheelagh Megill)
Rebecca Mullen	...	Club Girl #2
Bobby Stewart	...	Detective #2

MPAA:

Rated R for terror/violence, and for some nudity and language.

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Australia:M | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

The Producers Entertainment Group Ltd.

Trivia:

The film was dedicated to actor Tony Beckley who played the villain in the original When a Stranger Calls (1979).

Goofs:

Continuity: The deadbolt on the door in the beginning keeps changing from horizontal to about 45 degrees every time the camera zooms in and out.

Quotes:

Jill: I'd be willing to bet that her apartment is pretty bare, not cluttered. You would know if a book had been moved.

Movie Connections:

Follows When a Stranger Calls (1979)

Not if you have a weak heart !

I managed to get a DVD of this from the USA - it's not available anywhere else. Picture and sound quality are superb - put on the DVD and play sound through the hi-fi or home cinema at high volume !! Every sound will scare you out of your wits. Continuous tension is maintained from beginning to end and there are alternating periods of silence and violent sounds ( even a door closing is frightening ). This means that throughout the film you are in a state of continuous nervous tension, for this reason I don't think it is recommended for those who have a weak heart!

My logical mind discerned a few holes in the plot and several things unexplained - what happened to the 2 children - why was this man persecuting her - how did Charles Durning manage to find the culprit so quickly - why did the baby sitter shoot herself of was it someone else etc etc........ This said, these considerations are secondary when you consider the principal aim of the film is to provide undiluted suspense to the viewer and to have him or her feeling edgy throughout !!

Also the ending is superb as is the disguise of the culprit. Ideally, one would have wished a slightly longer film which explained the character of the culprit a bit more and provided a clue to some of the "open" points listed above, but despite this, the film rates very highly with me. I have not yet seen the original film but after seeing this one, I'm going to doubtless enjoy that too.......in fact come to think of it I'm quite a fan of those films featuring burly American actors such as Charles Durning and Brian Dennehy ..............