Movie Review When a Stranger Call (2006)

 

When a Stranger Calls | 2006 | 1h 27m
Genre: Psychological Thriller/Teen Horror/Horror/Thriller | Country: US
Director: Simon West | Writers: Jake Wade Wall, Steve Feke, Fred Walton
Cast: Camilla Belle, Tommy Flanagan, Katie Cassidy
IMDB: 5.1
My Rate: 7/10

Jill, who is working as a babysitter, receives continuous strange phone calls that make her scared and tense, especially when she realizes that the caller is inside the house.

Warning:

Contains scenes of violence and strong language.

 

Synopsis:

Jill Johnson (Camilla Belle) gets punished by her father. Instead of attending the bonfire organized by her school, Jill has to work part-time as a babysitter for Dr. Mandrakis' children while Dr. Mandrakis and his wife go on a date. Even though the house they live in is far from the city, Jill is still amazed by the luxurious condition of the house.

After Dr. Mandrakis leaves, Jill explores the contents of the house to look around until she is startled by a sudden sound. Jill returns to the living room and makes sure the sound came from the housemaid named Rosa. Rosa is feeding the fish and birds in the glass room.

Jill starts to feel uncomfortable and worried about being alone in such a big house. Jill starts receiving strange silent phone calls and feels someone's presence in the house. Especially after the house alarm goes off. Jill still thinks that Rosa accidentally activated the house alarm when she came home from work. However, she is startled by the presence of Tiffany, her friend, who is suddenly in the house.

Jill continues to receive strange phone calls after Tiffany leaves. Jill finally realizes that the phone calls are not ordinary. Jill gathers the courage to report to the police. However, the police can't take action yet and ask Jill to hold the conversation for at least 1 minute so that the police can detect the source of the phone call.

Will Jill succeed in finding the mysterious caller?

 

Review:

When a Stranger Calls is a remake of the same-titled film from 1979. The film was originally adapted from the short film The Sitter (1977) which was inspired by urban legend. The difference from the 1979 film is a shorter plot and a different ending. The 1979 film tells a longer story where it also presents Jill's story after the incident. While in this film, it only tells until where Jill escapes from the situation she faces.

I don't know why many people give less than satisfactory ratings to this film. Because it feels like this film is not that bad. The story idea is presented very well and the audience can feel the tension in the scenes shown. The acting of the actors is also very good to see and the expressions shown are not stiff and appropriate for each scene.

The story is presented systematically and easy to understand with a little twist at the end of the story. The camerawork is pretty good, and the color composition is done well. The makeup used is also not excessive, appropriate for the characters played.

However, this film is not without flaws. There are some scenes that don't make sense where a house as luxurious as that doesn't have adequate security. It is proven where Jill can easily enter Mandrakis' main bedroom and try on the jewelry there. Tiffany can easily enter the house environment where the distance between the fence and the entrance is already very far. So it feels reasonable if there is an intruder who enters the house.

Also, the scene that doesn't make sense is when Jill sees someone in the Guest House. Jill immediately contacts the Guest House. Even though Mandrakis said that his child might have come home without their knowledge, with the condition she's experiencing, Jill should be a little wary. The phone connected to the voicemail doesn't make Jill suspicious, she even tells the other side that she has contacted the police, etc. It doesn't make sense to go to the Guest House without thinking twice.

The audience might also be a little confused where the distance between the Guest House and the house is quite far. Where Jill has to run towards the house, but the intruder can run quickly to the main house without intersecting with Jill. Initially, the intruder is shown as if he is already in the main house with an indication of the incident experienced by Jill. However, suddenly the intruder is in the Guest House. It seems like the intruder is very active in going around the house. Hehehe

Overall, this film has an interesting idea and can be an option for psychological thriller lovers. This film is also not boring to watch.

 

Memorable Scene:

The stalker seems to know and see Jill's movements inside the house. Jill quickly realizes this and closes all the windows and rushes to call the police again. This scene teaches that even when we're scared and panicking, we need to stay calm and find a way out. Jill acted quickly to realize her situation. This is something that's actually difficult to do.

 
Memorable Dialogue:

"It's coming from inside the house."

 

Ending:

Plot twist

 

Recommendation:

Must Watch

 

(Aluna)