Verdict
Summary
One of the all-time great modern era thrillers with a deep, dark slasher undertone, When a Stranger Calls is a fascinating character study of a killer in the mold of Maniac or other grindhouse horror films, but it’s also a great thriller and procedural mystery that has you on the edge of your seat.
Plot:
A psychopathic killer terrorizes a babysitter, then returns seven years later to menace her again.
Review:
After a horrifying ordeal that leaves a babysitter named Jill Johnson (Carol Kane) emotionally scarred for life when a psychotic killer named Curt Duncan (Tony Beckley) brutally murders the children she’s watching over one fateful night, she realizes how close she came to being his next victim. Seven years later, Duncan escapes from the mental institution he was incarcerated in and wanders the streets as a transient, his mind itching to continue its devastating, destructive path once again. The detective who originally caught him seven years ago – Detective Clifford (Charles Durning) – is on his trail once again, and by a strange twist of fate, Jill Johnson becomes Duncan’s next target, and so Clifford uses her as bait to lure him out.
One of the all-time great modern era thrillers with a deep, dark slasher undertone, When a Stranger Calls is a fascinating character study of a killer in the mold of Maniac or other grindhouse horror films, but it’s also a great thriller and procedural mystery that has you on the edge of your seat. It starts with a classic prologue that has been emulated and copied so many times before and sets the standard for home invasion movies. Beckley, in his final performance before he passed way, is truly one of the best on-screen killers in cinematic history, and both Kane and Durning made a great pair and would reprise their rolls for a sequel years later called When a Stranger Calls Back (which is an excellent film in its own right). Co-writer and director Fred Walton did a fantastic job elevating a grindhouse-style thriller to an “A” level.
Mill Creek’s new standalone blu ray release of When a Stranger Calls comes in high definition, but without special features. It was previously released by Mill Creek in a double feature blu ray that paired it with Happy Birthday to Me, so if you missed that one, now’s a good time to snag it. It’s been packaged in a retro-style VHS sleeve.
