![]() Spoiler alert – the 2006 remake of When a Stranger Calls is bad movie. When a Strangers Calls Remake A Wrong Number It’s an unnerving ending to what’s largely an uneven thriller. Even if you figured out what was going to happen, Dalton’s twist is executed in such a way as to elicit a decent jolt. When she tries to wake her husband, she discover’s it’s the killer himself who has been lying in bed with her. After a false alarm, the now adult babysitter, Jill, settles into bed with her husband, but then hears the killer’s voice coming from the dark. Though not quite as good as this opening, When a Stranger Calls’ finale still delivers a creepy surprise. The tension is expertly ratcheted up to a conclusion that completely subverts your expectations.įor the first 15 to 20 minutes, Dalton crafts one of the most suspenseful scenes in a slasher movie. Beckley’s repeating, ‘Have you checked the children’ will give you nightmares. It’s a very minimalist scene that relies on the familiarity of its setting and actor Tony Beckley’s chilling phone voice. ![]() For the first 15 to 20 minutes, Dalton crafts one of the most suspenseful scenes in a slasher movie. Technically, Wes Craven paid homage to the opening with Scream’s now classic introductory scene. Unfortunately, the only real challenge for updating When a Stranger Calls is its classic opening scene. A Killer Opening and Finale Define When a Stranger Calls In many ways, this is exactly the kind of movie that would benefit from a remake. Tonally, the movie is a bit all over the place. In fact, Dalton’s thriller borders on the boring side nearly a good hour. ![]() But for a good portion of its runtime, When a Stranger Calls alternates between standard police procedural and the kind of psychological study of killers popular in the late 70’s ( Maniac, The Driller Killer), albeit much less violent. It’s an average psychological thriller book-ended by two fantastic sequences. Personally, I’ve never regarded the 1979 thriller as a particularly good movie. Alongside Black Christmas, When a Stranger Calls popularized a favourite slasher trope – the ‘killer is in the house’. Director Fred Walton would go on to direct another minor slasher classic, April Fool’s Day. For many horror fans, When a Stranger Calls is a minor classic. ![]()
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