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When a Stranger Calls

PG-13 Released Feb 3, 2006 1h 27m Horror Mystery & Thriller List
9% Tomatometer 91 Reviews 43% Audience Score 250,000+ Ratings
Far away from the site of a gruesome murder, a teenager named Jill Johnson (Camilla Belle) arrives at a luxurious home for a baby-sitting job. With the children fast asleep, she settles in for what she expects to be an ordinary evening. Soon, the ringing of a phone and the frightening words of a sadistic caller turn Jill's routine experience into a night of terror. Read More Read Less
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When a Stranger Calls

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When a Stranger Calls

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Critics Consensus

When a Stranger Calls ranks among the more misguided remakes in horror history, offering little more than a rote, largely fright-free update to the original.

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Critics Reviews

View All (91) Critics Reviews
Nell Minow Movie Mom Rated: C Feb 18, 2012 Full Review Nigel Floyd Time Out 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. Jun 24, 2006 Full Review Matthew Leyland BBC.com You know a horror movie's in trouble when the fake scares outweigh the real ones. Rated: 2/5 May 16, 2006 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Middling suspense tale. Rated: C+ Aug 11, 2021 Full Review Felix Vasquez Jr. Cinema Crazed It's a safe dumb film for safe dumb audiences. Apr 29, 2009 Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com Amateurish direction by Simon West ("Laura Croft: Tomb Raider") contributes to the utter failure of this pathetic update of the original film of the same title. Rated: D Apr 20, 2009 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Julian M Though When a Stranger Calls has its virtues through stirring production design and an intriguing premise, the film largely suffers from poor performances and saddening writing. Mild thriller enthusiasts should pay a visit to Simon West's babysitting nightmare, but those pursuing true terror should shy away. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 06/16/24 Full Review Mike P Weak sauce remake of the classic original. I mean, the original wasn't perfect; but it's WAYYY better than this. It even screws up the classic and iconic "The call is coming from inside the house" moment. 👎 Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/11/24 Full Review Sean R The only joy to be had is mocking its terrible acting, dumb decisions on behalf of the characters and repetitive nature. The whole thing is so under cooked that it lacked all the ingrediance of a "good" horror movie. Suspence, scares, charactors you care about, none is to be found here. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 01/09/24 Full Review Carmen S I was shocked this movie only recieved a 9%. Yes, it does't deliever all the gore and shock everyone wants these days but I thought it was rather decent for its time and deserves much more than an 9%!!!! Damn, Leprechaun Returns gets 45%! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/30/23 Full Review Capella N I fell asleep during this one, no joke. When I woke up she was still doing the same thing and nothing was happening though, which is hilarious to me. The third act was fun watching her fight the killer off and whatnot, but I could have missed it and not missed much. Eh. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 10/11/23 Full Review William D This is one of the worst movies ever made. Do not watch this. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 08/10/23 Full Review Read all reviews
When a Stranger Calls

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When a Stranger Calls

When a Stranger Calls: Official Clip - Death in the Shadows When a Stranger Calls: Official Clip - Death in the Shadows 2:08 When a Stranger Calls: Official Clip - Trapped in the Greenhouse When a Stranger Calls: Official Clip - Trapped in the Greenhouse 2:27 When a Stranger Calls: Official Clip - Driven to Madness When a Stranger Calls: Official Clip - Driven to Madness 2:24 When a Stranger Calls: Official Clip - Have You Checked the Children? When a Stranger Calls: Official Clip - Have You Checked the Children? 2:39 When a Stranger Calls: Official Clip - The Guest House When a Stranger Calls: Official Clip - The Guest House 2:17 When a Stranger Calls: Official Clip - Nowhere to Run When a Stranger Calls: Official Clip - Nowhere to Run 2:47 When a Stranger Calls: Official Clip - Fighting the Stranger When a Stranger Calls: Official Clip - Fighting the Stranger 1:52 When a Stranger Calls: Official Clip - What Do You Want? When a Stranger Calls: Official Clip - What Do You Want? 2:26 When a Stranger Calls: Official Clip - Missing Maid When a Stranger Calls: Official Clip - Missing Maid 2:21 When a Stranger Calls: Official Clip - Car Won't Start When a Stranger Calls: Official Clip - Car Won't Start 2:43 View more videos

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When a Stranger Calls

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Movie Info

Synopsis Far away from the site of a gruesome murder, a teenager named Jill Johnson (Camilla Belle) arrives at a luxurious home for a baby-sitting job. With the children fast asleep, she settles in for what she expects to be an ordinary evening. Soon, the ringing of a phone and the frightening words of a sadistic caller turn Jill's routine experience into a night of terror.
Director
Simon West
Producer
John Davis, Ken Lemberger, Wyck Godfrey
Screenwriter
Jake Wade Wall
Distributor
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Production Co
Screen Gems, Davis Entertainment
Rating
PG-13 (Some Language|Intense Terror|Violence)
Genre
Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 3, 2006, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$47.9M
Runtime
1h 27m
Sound Mix
SDDS, DTS, Surround
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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