When a Stranger Calls (2006)

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

Director:

Simon West

Writers:

Jake Wade Wall (screenplay), Steve Feke,

Stars:

Camilla Belle, Tommy Flanagan, Katie Cassidy

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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
Kate Jennings Grant	...	Kelly Mandrakis
David Denman	...	Officer Burroughs
Arthur Young	...	Will Mandrakis
Madeline Carroll	...	Allison Mandrakis
Steve Eastin	...	Detective Hines
John Bobek	...	Officer Lewis
Brad Surosky	...	Boom Boom
Karina Logue	...	Track Coach

Storyline

Jill Johnson is being forced to babysit at a BIG house all by herself for exceeding her telephone minutes. Then all of a sudden a stranger calls making these weird remarks. Jill decides to call the police to trace the call. Jill is freaked out when she finds out that the call is coming from inside the house! Jill runs in a hurry trying to get the children and leave. Will Jill make it in the house in time? Will she live? Well you just have to watch the movie to find out!

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Plot Keywords:

babysitting | cell phone | high school | high school student | babysitter | 

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Taglines:

Whatever You Do, Don't Answer The Phone.

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Gaumont Columbia Tristar [fr] Official site [au]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 February 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cuando un extraño llama

Filming Locations:

Bellarmine-Jefferson High School, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$80,566 (South Africa) (7 July 2006)

Gross:

$174,153 (South Africa) (7 July 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Screen Gems, Davis Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Even though the stranger is played by Scottish-born actor Tommy Flanagan, the voice in the phone-calls is actually Lance Henriksen's. Henriksen fit the voice, whereas Flanagan fit the build of the stranger.

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Goofs

When Jill is running back from the guest house, before dropping the flashlight, you see a straight, continuous beam of light in front of her however, when the camera angle changes, it reveals her flashlight bobbing up and down as she pumps her arms to run.

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Quotes

Jill Johnson: Where is he?
Officer Burroughs: We got him. He's in that police car right over there. In ankle cuffs, handcuffs. Enought sedatives to kill a horse. We're gonna take him to the hospital. We'll have four cops guarding him around the clock.
Jill Johnson: That's not enough.

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Connections

Remake of When a Stranger Calls (1979)

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Soundtracks

"Lock It"
Written by Joe Faraci
Performed by Faraci
Courtesy of Kid Gloves Music

User Reviews

More Generic PG-13 Horror

I'm starting to wonder if all these PG-13 horror movies are just glorified screen tests for young and emerging talent. Get a first-time screenwriter, an inexperienced director, a few TV actors looking for their bigscreen break and see what they can do. 'When a Stranger Calls' is a little better than most such recent offerings, but is still completely by-the-book; riddled with plot holes and genre clichés.

The story is unbelievably simplistic. The slim 87 minute running time is heavily padded with inconsequential friends and a pointless cheating boyfriend. The killer is devoid of even the token motivation of Jason or Michael or even the original movie's killer, and as a result is never particularly frightening. The police behave in such an unbelievably ineffectual and lazy manner as to verge on professional misconduct. Simon West brings the same attractive banality to proceedings that he managed with Lara Croft, but his style of directing is decidedly generic, possessing no indicators of real talent or vision. The performances are routine, dark hallways replace genuine horror, and the scares are of the tired cat-in-the-closet variety.

The cinematography and production design, however, are above average for this kind of film. The house is beautifully designed, all dark wood and glassy reflections, and there are a few moments that are of visual interest.

Though lacking an ounce of dramatic originality, it acts as a reasonably satisfying 'dark house' thriller, and maintains interest longer than most of its ilk.