When a Stranger Calls

2006 Mystery & Suspense

A teenage girl becomes a demented serial killer's prey in this big-budget remake of the 1979 thriller that became a TV late-show favorite. When a Stranger Calls takes its title and basic premise from the original, which -- for its first 15 minutes or so -- featured Carol Kane as a frazzled babysitter plagued by creepy, invasive phone calls. This time around, the doe-eyed Camilla Belle plays Jill Johnson, a high-schooler dealing with the usual set of crises: an unfaithful boyfriend, a bitchy best friend, and an over-the-limit cell phone bill. In order to pay for the latter, her father (Clark Gregg) has committed her to a babysitting gig with a wealthy family. At the isolated, palatial house, Jill settles in for a night of no-stress kid-watching. But it isn't long before someone starts anonymously calling the house with creepy, increasingly specific messages. Jill doesn't rule out anyone, but it becomes clear that whomever it is, he or she is watching her, and may be closer than she even suspects. more..

Director: Simon West

Starring: Camilla Belle, Tommy Flanagan, Tessa Thompson, Brian Geraghty

Reviews

  • Designed to capitalize on the title and premise of the original but offers little to those who fondly remember it.

    Frank Scheck - The Hollywood Reporter

    11 May 2013

  • Loud, noisy, flashy but too rarely chilling.

    Kim Newman - Empire

    11 May 2013

  • Rather than remake the entire original movie, Simon West and screenwriter Jake Wade Wall have taken only that now-classic first act and padded it out into a dull, filler-filled feature that's remarkably void of any new ideas.

    Ken Fox - TV Guide

    11 May 2013

  • When a Stranger Calls is ba-a-a-a-c-k, in frightless form, updated for the age of anytime minutes and caller ID.

    Lisa Schwarzbaum - Entertainment Weekly

    11 May 2013

  • Even the element of surprise isn't enough to save this film, which has too many slow parts and features an ending that's extremely tepid by 21st century horror movie standards.

    Peter Hartlaub - The San Francisco Chronicle

    11 May 2013

Awards

  • Best Thriller

    Golden Trailer Awards (2006)