When a Stranger Calls (2006)
When a Stranger Calls (2006)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: What's fitting punishment for running up the phone bill? Why have that person baby sit; that'll teach them. Or better yet, make that person through this poorly acted, fright-free remake of the 1979 movie of the same name. Camilla Belle is a looker, but she got nothing on Carol Kane, the actress who originally played the part, when it comes to range. The final straw is that the payoff isn't worth the tedium that comes before. Just hang up on this one.
When a Stranger Calls Photos
Movie Info
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Cast
as Jill Johnson
as Scarlet
as Bobby
as Tiffany
as Mr. Johnson
as Dr. Mandrakis
as Mrs. Mandrakis
as Officer Burroughs
as Will Mandrakis
as Allison Mandrakis
as Detective Hines
as Officer Lewis
as Rosa Ramirez
as Stranger
as Stranger
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Critic Reviews for When a Stranger Calls
All Critics (92) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (8) | Rotten (84) | DVD (11)
If you've seen either Black Christmas or Halloween, there's nothing new here: the hyped-up score keeps telling us we ought to be scared, but the suspense feels mechanical and fake.
The film is not quite suspense-free, but almost. When finding a dead body underwater isn't scary, something is very wrong.
The original should have been a short film; the new version shouldn't exist at all.
This version is a thin, protracted study in shifting Hollywood strategies.
A production that never comes close to realizing its potential to tweak the viewer's primal fears.
If there's a single dead-wrong instinct in this movie that isn't pursued with the blind determination of an amorous terrier during high-scent season, darned if I can remember it.
Audience Reviews for When a Stranger Calls
No plot, no scares. You might as well just fast-forward to the last ten minutes; everything before is utterly pointless. Not saying that the ending is anything special. None of the tension in this film is real. It's just fake scare after fake scare, and it gets old real fast.
Super Reviewer
When a Stranger Calls is one of the worst remakes that I have seen. The film has some very bad acting, a bad story and bad directing. As a horror film, When a Stranger Calls fails to deliver effective jolts. The scares are cheap and expected. I thought that this film was awful and I felt like it was a waste of time. This film is pure crap, and as far as remakes are concerned, them being dull and inspired compared to the first, well this one fits the description perfectly. I love horror films, horror films are my passion, my addiction and I was very disappointed in this film. I thought it was purely a waste of time, and celluloid. Remakes are much hit and miss, and this remake misses the mark entirely. The cast and story awful, and you just know how this film will end. The element of surprise, which makes horror films worth seeing, is absent, and thus, this film is very predictable and awful. This film scraps the bottom of the barrel and it's not fun, scary or entertaining. This is yet another unfortunate remake of a classic film that never should have been made in the first place. Hollywood is running out of ideas, and trash like this shows that they're willing to green light anything to make a quick buck. Some remakes are good, effective at delivering scares. However this one fails to deliver, and belongs along with the rest of the horrible sequels in the dollar bin at Wal-Mart. A terrible film, which you're not missing out on. Avoid.
Super Reviewer
Great horror flick that makes you scared to ever answer a phone ever again. I was terrified after the movie when my dad called the house to scare us. If you want to be completely freaked out then watch this movie.
Super Reviewer
When a Stranger Calls Quotes
| Jill Johnson: | What do you want me for? Why are you doing this? |
| Voice of the Stranger: | I want your blood all over me. |
| Jill Johnson: | Stop calling me you sick...... |
| Jill Johnson: | Stop calling me you sick... |
| Officer Burroughs: | Jill, we've traced the call it's coming from inside the house! Get out of the house, get out of the house!!!! |
| Officer Burroughs: | Jill, we've traced the call it's coming from inside the house! Get out of the house, get out of the house! |
| Detective Hines: | Keep him on the phone for at least 60 seconds and we'll be able to trace where he is. And when we do it'll take us 20 minutes to get down there. You think you can manage? |
| Jill Johnson: | Yeah. I guess.... But he never stays on the phone longer than a few seconds |
| Jill Johnson: | Yeah. I guess.... But he never stays on the phone longer than a few seconds. |
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