| When a Stranger Calls - Remake (2006)
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| Front Cover |
Actor |
Back Cover |
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| Camilla Belle |
Jill Johnson
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| Tommy Flanagan |
Stranger
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| Katie Cassidy |
Tiffany
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| Tessa Thompson |
Scarlet
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| Brian Geraghty |
Bobby
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| Clark Gregg |
Mr. Johnson
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| Derek de Lint |
Dr. Mandrakis
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| Kate Jennings Grant |
Mrs. Mandrakis
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| David Denman |
Officer Burroughs
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| Arthur Young |
Will Mandrakis
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| Kevin Wethington |
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| Plot |
| The smartest thing about the remake of When a Stranger Calls is that it strips the original 1979 version to its bare essentials as a primal exercise in stormy-night terror. While taking the original film's suspenseful first act and expanding it into an 87-minute cat-and-mouse game, screenwriter Jake Wade Wall adds a few clever updates involving cellphones and home-security services, as well as the maze-like menace of a lavish modern home that serves as the setting for mayhem when cute teenager Jill (Camilla Belle, in the role originated by Carol Kane) takes on a babysitting job that she may live to regret. Someone is stalking her in the big, expensive glass palace that her employers call home (a splendid set designed by Jon Gary Steele), and that creepy voice on the phone (belonging to Lance Henriksen, master of doom-laden threat) should've been her first clue to grab the pair of terrified kids she's supposed to be protecting and leave the house ASAP. But no, the script, the overwrought score, and the uninspired direction of Simon West (Con-Air, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider) insist that poor Jill be put through a Halloween-like night from hell, complete with a black cat as an omen of nasty things to come. Kudos to Wall and West for attempting to generate horror through suggestion (by keeping the homicidal stalker mostly off-screen), but let's face it: the original film is hardly a classic (its TV-movie sequel, When a Stranger Calls Back, is considerably better), and the remake takes too long to yield minimal rewards. Maybe Jill should've just unplugged the phone. --Jeff Shannon |
| Movie Details |
| Genre |
Horror; Thriller |
| Director |
Simon West |
| Producer |
John Davis; Wyck Godfrey |
| Writer |
Jake Wade Wall; Steve Feke |
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| Studio |
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment |
| Country |
USA
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| Language |
English |
| Audience Rating |
PG-13 |
| Running Time |
87 mins |
| Movie Release Date |
2/3/2006 |
| Color |
Color |
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| Personal Details |
| Format |
DVD |
| Seen It |
Yes |
| Index |
700 |
| Collection Status |
In Collection |
| Purchase Date |
7/17/2006 |
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| Product Details |
| Region |
 Region 1 |
| Screen Ratio |
 Widescreen 2.40:1 Color (Anamorphic) |
| Layers |
Single Side, Dual Layer |
| UPC (Barcode) |
043396145108 |
| Release Date |
5/16/2006 |
| Subtitles |
English; French |
| Packaging |
Keep Case |
| Audio Tracks |
 ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC]
FRENCH: Dolby Digital 5.1 |
| Nr of Disks/Tapes |
1 |
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Extra Features
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Deleted Scenes
Director and Cast Commentary
The Making of When A Stranger Calls Featurette
Writer's Commentary |
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