When a Stranger Calls Back (1993) (TV)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

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)

I agree: Creepy & Better Than The Original

The headline above seems to sum up some of the other reviewers' opinions of this film and I totally agree with them: I liked this sequel better. I will always remember this film for the first 20-25 minutes which really scared me the first time I saw it. It gave me the creeps, and always will if I don't watch it too often.

After that, the movie settles down, and the excitement leaves, but it still keeps you interested, picking back up again at the end with another suspense scene.

This is a "scare" movie - a sequel - that works although there are a few noticeable holes in the storyline. I liked the camera-work in here with the closeups of the door lock or the phone, the slowness of camera movement here and there to build suspense, etc. The ending, in which the killer blends into a wall, is very neat.

The main actors are interesting to watch and a main plus is the lack of profanity, especially surprising with Charles Durning in the film. The "R" rating had to be for a couple of topless waitress scenes.

Jill Schoelen gets third billing and she's the star of the movie. Carol Kane, the star of the first film: When A Stranger Calls, helps out on this case, too, and it's nice to see her again.