"When A Stranger Calls" is one of the creepiest movies I've ever seen. It's so scary, I get the chills just thinking about it. Two reasons why it's so scary is that it could happen and the film's opening is extremely intense.
The first act: Ordinary girl next door Jill Johnson is babysitting for the Mandrakis family. The children are upstairs, tucked safely into their beds. And Jill is able to make herself feel right at home. Until the calls start. At first, Jill isn't worried. But then the caller asks her "Have you checked the children?" over and over again. Scared out of her wits, Jill calls the police and has them trace the call. Jill is shocked when she finds out that the calls have been coming from inside the house!!!! The second act: After seven years, private detective John Clifford is hired to catch Curt Duncan, the stranger from that fateful night. Curt now roams the street, taunting a high-strung woman named Tracy. After Tracy has her encounter with Duncan, he disappears. The third act: Jill is now a mother of two kids and a loving wife to her husband, Stephen. She has forgotten about that night seven years ago, and is living a happy life. Until Curt Duncan tracks Jill down and the calls start all over again.
The original "When A Stranger Calls" is very underrated. Some have said that the movie falls downhill after the opening. But that's where they're wrong. The first act is absolutely bone chilling. I was biting my nails, it was so scary. The second act is very suspenseful. Not scary, but suspenseful. Then, the third act returns to the wonderful effectiveness of the first act.
One of the things that makes the opening of "When A Stranger Calls" work so well is the setting. We watch in fear as Jill sits on that couch, the light dimmed on her, and the rest of the house pitch-black. The first act becomes more and more claustrophobic as it progresses, leaving our nerves fried and wondering where the calls are coming from.
The cast is amazing, especially Carol Kane as Jill. Her eyes are so wide and her screams are so gut-wrenching. She should've gotten an Oscar. Charles Durning is very good as John Clifford and so is Colleen Dewhurst as Tracy. And Tony Beckley is really frightening as Curt Duncan.
Another thing that keeps the movie scary is its amazing score by Dana Kaproff. The music is so foreboding and adds a lot more tension and dread to the movie.
Director Fred Walton would go on to make "April Fool's Day," an 80's slasher bomb. It's too bad, because here, he has a lot of talent. "When A Stranger Calls" is very well-made, and Walton knows that every horror director should never let the viewer breath.
People need to realize that there's a lot more to "When A Stranger Calls" then just a fantastic opening. It stands on its own as a great thriller with tons of suspense, a remarkable cast, and a disturbing score. Avoid the remake at all costs. "When A Stranger Calls" is the invention of a masterful modern horror/thriller.
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