When a Stranger Calls
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Movie Reviews of When a Stranger Calls
Movie Review: "Have you checked the children?"
Summary: 3 Stars
When a Stranger Calls is a noteworthy 70's horror flick that is often overlooked by the horror community at large. Perhaps it simply got buried underneath the avalanche of horror movies that would soon come in the late 70's and throughout the 80's, but for reasons that will quickly become apparent upon viewing, it should not be forgotten.
I'm sure that I'm merely echoing the sentiments of others when I say that the first twenty minutes are the best part of the entire movie, and arguably the only real purpose of bothering to watch this movie at all. It's a simplistic story of a young baby sitter who receives numerous unidentified phone calls warning her to "check the children" she is sitting. What she first shrugs off as a prank quickly escalates into sheer terror as the caller persists and she finds herself alone in the dark, unfamiliar house fending off an unseen intruder. This is one of the best horror/suspense segments I have ever seen. Anybody who has ever been home alone at night time and has let their imagination run away with them after hearing some strange noise or from the darkness itself will easily identify with the scene. It's suspense at it's finest.
Unfortunately after this memorable and very effective opening, the movie dive bombs into the bland borefest that it largely is. Seven years later, the killer, Duncan, from the opening incident has escaped from the mental ward, and the detective that originally put him away vows to hunt him down and do it again. Furthermore, he decides that this time it's personal and in an act of vigilantism he sets out to kill Duncan before he kills again. I suppose this was intended to be some sort of commentary making us realize that the hunter has become the hunted so to speak and that we should now feel sorry for Duncan. It fails. Even looking past the fact that the man is a child killer, he is a hapless annoying bum who I personally couldn't wait to see get picked off. The conclusion attempts to reprise the horror of the opening scene with the previous babysitter now in the mother role. Things do perk up, but never to the extent of the beginning.
Overall an above average horror/suspense outing with an opening scene that will stick with you. But "the best horror movie ever made"?! C'mon people, get real. Nonetheless horror fanatics should consider When a Stranger Calls essential viewing.
Movie Review: Some Details I Haven't Seen Mentioned
Summary: 3 Stars
I thought I'd mention some things that bothered me about When a Stranger Calls that I haven't yet seen mentioned.
*The killer murdered two children with his bare hands - literally tore them apart. While the babysitter downstairs (doing homework, not watching TV or listening to music), doesn't hear a single thing? Come on.
*After the first act, the action jumps forward 7 years. But Jill (Carol Kane) was a teenager in high school and now she's a wife and mother of two kids who appear to be around 5 and 6. Possible? Yes. Likely? No.
*There are numerous feeble attempts to inject some sort of social commentary into the deadly dull middle section of the film. But they never actually commit to any particular point of view!
-The ex-cop (Charles Durning) rails at the injustice that the killer was judged insane and sent to a mental institution - apparently because whenever psychopathic killers are sent to mental institutions, the security is lax and they are allowed to escape. Huh? I mean, how often does that happen in real life? Mark David Chapman and John Hinckley are still under lock and key at their respective mental institutions.
-The administrator of the mental institution is presented to us as cold and callous when she casually admits that the killer was subjected to shock treatment 38 times. But wait a minute...I thought the point was that mental institutions are cushy and lax; now they're making the point that they are unnecessarily cruel? I'm confused.
-The ex-cop's friend who is still on the force tells him that he doesn't approve of the fact that he's turned into a vigilante who plans to find the escaped killer and murder him. But he also helps him to find the guy. So vigilantism is wrong...except when it isn't.
*A certain musical cue that is heard several times was apparently lifted to be used as the THX "the audience is listening" sound cue. Not a fault of the original filmmakers, but this makes it hard to sit through now without giggling.
*How does the killer keep getting into people's locked upstairs rooms? I thought he was a merchant marine, not a locksmith.
The bottom line? Neat opening act. It should've been a short film. The rest is a weak follow-up.
Movie Review: About that mid-movie...
Summary: 3 Stars
As generally pointed out, the beginning of this movie is one of the better Suspense sequences made, while the ending, if a bit weaker, is still well done and exciting.
But that notoriously "slow" middle section really is better than some credit it. It fleshes out the characters very well, creating some sympathy for the "psycho" and showing the darker side of the "good guys", while introducing the "bar fly" character played very well by Colleen Dewhurst. The pace is much slower than the rest of the movie, but adds frustration to the mix of emotions sparked by the movie. Perhaps the ending would not be as thrilling without the unsuccessful search to contrast it.
The real problem is that someone looking for a "scary" movie will be disappointed by the realism of the middle of this one; spoiled by the beginning and welcoming the ending, many will resent the in-between. But for those who can appreciate a little more "meat" to a scare-flick, this does a decent job.
It's not Hitchcock, but has some of those elements.
The DVD quality was good; there were no extras to speak of, but a good buy, if the price is low.
Movie Review: A Sitter's Worst Nightmare
Summary: 3 Stars
Even after nearly 30 years, the original "When a Stranger Calls" is still as frightening today as the day it was released. Again, I must strongly suggest not to watch the horrible remake from a couple of years ago, which totally ruins the tale. Part of the suspense of the original was the fact that we, along with Carol Kane, didn't know where the phone call was originating from. It's every babysitter's nightmare--and played so convincingly here. The beginning of the movie is really the reason for three stars here; the rest of the film can't live up to such a sensational opening. The ending tries to recapture the tension of the first twenty minutes, but it only succeeds in reminding us of that fantastic opening. As far as horror films go, this one still ranks near the top as having one of the best beginnings in the entire genre. Now go and check the children, before you watch the film of course.Movie Review: "When a Stranger Calls" - hang up
Summary: 2 Stars
Fred Walton's "When a Stranger Calls" has become something of a cult favorite among genre fans; the line "Have you checked the children?" is classic. Interestingly, it was originally planned as the third part in a planned trilogy, the first two parts being Bob Clark's "Black Christmas" and John Carpenter's "Halloween." It spawned its own sequel in 1993 as a TV-movie reuniting the cast and crew and titled "When a Stranger Calls Back," and it was remade in 2006. Truthfully, though, "When a Stranger Calls" is recommended viewing only for horror fans.
This is a film done wrong from start to finish. There are a few points in which it sets itself up for greatness, and it even delivers during the terrifying opening sequence, but for the most part it's a mess. The story: babysitter Jill Johnson (Carol Kane) keeps receiving phone calls from a stranger who asks only, "Have you checked the children?" She calls the police, and the next time he calls, they track the call.
It's coming from inside the house.
Cut to several years later: the stranger (Tony Beckley, who died a year after the film's release) escapes from an insane asylum and takes to the city streets, where he is pursued by the cop (Charles Durning) who arrested him years earlier. This whole section is pure nonsense. Dull and pointless, it sucks all the tension out of the film, and focuses so much on the killer himself that he loses any of the scariness he held in the beginning. In the last twenty minutes, Jill Johnson, now a mother of her own children, is out to dinner with her husband when she receives a call: "Have you checked the children?" This sets up a climax that manages to regain some eerieness before the film goes out with a whimper.
In the hands of an auteur, "When a Stranger Calls" could be a good or at least decent movie. In the hands of Fred Walton, it's a lifeless mass of potential and pointlessness. Dana Kaproff's score has its moments, but one cue so closely resembles the music which plays in the ads for THX sound that it's hilarious. The cast delivers robotic performances, with the exception of Carol Kane. She's no Jamie Lee Curtis, but she at least appears to be trying for greatness, even if she does walk through her scenes in a state of distanced dreaminess.
"When a Stranger Calls" has been a late-night favorite for decades, and that's understandable. It is quite frightening at times. However, if you're not a genuine horror fan, steer clear. There's none of the craftsmanship that made "Halloween" and "Black Christmas" so good - in fact, besides a ghastly opening sequence and one delicious line, there's not much of anything. Heed my advice: "When a Stranger Calls," just put the phone back on the hook and move on.