Julian-Film
The atmosphere was resonant and intriguing in the introduction, with the vibrant atmosphere of the fair injecting some much needed originality into the film. However from this point I found the film dull and uninspiring due to a flat story line, poor script, bland and repetitive cinematography and amateurish acting. The tension was incredibly forced seemingly inspired by the 'aspiring director's handbook for crappy tension' which used all the cliché tricks such as stumbling for keys meant to create suspense, but I kinda found it laughable instead – this was repeated for most the movie. The plot build up seemed to lead nowhere leaving me disappointed at the not so climactic climax. Even though the movie was only 90 minutes it seemed to drag on and on because of the nothingness story. However, the chosen locations are to be praised as they invoke a feeling of hopelessness and isolation mirrored by the character.I wouldn't really recommend it, unless you are really scraping the bottom of the barrel for horror films. I guess it's a pretty good comedy if you like screaming cliché at the top of your lungs like I do.
zkonedog
There are some movies that, when you move past a certain age, you really struggle getting into the drama/suspense of the plot and characters. "When A Stranger Calls" is exactly that kind of movie.For a basic plot summary, this film sees babysitter Jill Johnson (Camilla Belle) terrorized by a mysterious caller who won't seem to leave her alone. As the calls keep coming in, Jill gets progressively creeped out and decides to take action.Like I said in the opening, the trouble with this movie is that once you are over about 15-16 years of age, the suspense themes of the film will no longer truly creep you out. Simply put, this is a "tween" flick through and through, as there really isn't enough "real" suspense to suck in those who have seen these types of efforts before.The other dramatic problem with "Stranger" is how they deal with Jill's antagonist. Instead of leaving anything to mystery, pretty much the whole scenario of what will happen is laid out in the film's opening scene. A bit more mystery might have been the way to suck in those viewers who aren't necessarily enraptured by the "babysitter in peril" angle.Overall, then, "When A Stranger Calls" is a below-average effort in the suspense genre, doing just enough to avoid a dismal rating. If you want any enjoyment from it at all, watch it with a young or pre-teen. Otherwise, this one can easily be skipped.
bethkelly-40155
I stumbled across this movie as new arrival on Netflix, I've never been a fan of these teen babysitting 'horror' movies, I find them rather dull and boring. Now I'm not sure if because I was so tired when watching that I found it to be enjoyable, or if I genuinely think it was good. The house it is set in is beautiful and I was mad at myself for being sucked into the jump scares. The main character to me wasn't very likable though and I was rooting for her death which unfortunately never came, and I would like to have seen more of the killer and there to have been more than a motive rather than he was just a psycho killer. The ending was garbage and again was upset the the main character didn't die. I started this review liking this movie but the more I go on the more upset I am that she didn't die, oh and the fact you don't get to see anyone else die, their bodies are just discovered. The more I think about it the more I don't think I liked this movie at all. There is a lot of heavy breathing and nothingness happening for a lot of the time, and the people you want to die just don't. Worth a watch though, even if its just to get annoyed about the survivors.
Jacqueline Avis
This is quite different to the original, they can't really be compared apart from the names and general situation being the same. But, the 15 mins suspense of the original is extended throughout this film once it gets into it. The house is creepy, the music builds the tension and I think it's refreshing to not have all blood and gore but just get a film that makes you jump and makes you tense. I love it and actually can watch it over again because of how atmospheric the house is. The only downside for me is that I don't really buy Camilla Belle in the role, I don't think the acting was up to par, and as she carries the whole film I think we needed to buy into her fear more. But all in all, it's a well made film with, as I said, loads of atmospheric tension.
AD
