When a Stranger Calls Back (1993)

Very Cool!!!

Sadly Over-hyped

A Masterpiece!

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

This is a genuinely decent thriller. It manages to capture much of the suspense and terror of When A Stranger Calls (1979) while bringing back Carol Kane and Charles Durning to reprise their original roles. Overall the plot, acting, direction, script work, story and camera work are all very well done. Why then do I say it's hard to watch? The movie falls down in two ways, the first is the terribly dated nineties fashions and hair styles. Most of it would be forgivable if the main characters clothing and hairstyle weren't so bad. This may seem like a trivial complaint but in all seriousness, it makes the movie hard to watch. A woman with a mullet, the vests, the high wasted stone washed (or is it acid washed?) jeans, the white running shoes, I mean it just looks so bad that it actually distracts you from the movie. Most film makers are careful to avoid dating their movies in this way. Generally they try to have actors and actresses look good while still keeping enough distance from popular fashion that the movie still looks good twenty years down the road. In the case of this movie though, caution was apparently thrown to the wind.The second downfall of this movie is the ending, which I won't give away but I'll elaborate a little on why it hurts the movie. The original ended in a fantastically sinister way. Having watched it recently, the ending of When A Stranger Calls actually sent a chill up my spine. This film however fails to achieve that and instead offers up a sort of ho hum ending that's quite forgettable.There is also a strange scene in a strip club that must of been born out of the California hard body craze. Rather then spoil the joyous fun by describing it, I'll leave it up to those of you who are adventurous enough to watch this movie and find out what I mean.All of that said, Charles Durning is fantastic in this as he has been in most things I've seen him in. He plays the role of the worn out detective very well. Carol Kane is believable as the somewhat strung out victim of a psychopath trying to move on with her life and achieve something meaningful. Jill Schoelen provides a good performance and the rest of the cast, with a couple of exceptions, all do a good job. The movie really is worth watching if you can tolerate the fashion disasters of it's era...actually disasters may be to a light a word, horrors maybe?

in my mind,this sequel to the original "When a Stranger Calls"(1979)is actually a better movie.i thought the story was better,with a better, much creepier and more intelligent villain.Carol Kane reprises her role from the original,and i actually thought she did a convincing job in this 1.i think that's because she plays an adult,and not a teenager.there are some interesting twists and the villain has more dimension.the overall look and feel of the film is much eerier than the original.to me,there is more of a sense of danger and distress.i have to admit the hairs on my neck stood up more than a few times.there is 1 real nail biting scene which kept me on the edge of my seat.for other recommendations,check out the review i did on the original.as for "When a Stranger Calls Back",i give it 7/10

Made for television sequel of Walton's 1979 thriller ,When a Stranger Calls, surprisingly lives up to the original film in almost every way.Jill is now a PI herself, and with the help of her old friend hopes to save a young woman who believes she has been terrorized by a maniac for years.When a Stranger Calls Back mirrors the original film very much, but it's in a good way. It packs much of the same kinds of suspense and atmosphere of the original film, all the while telling a new and interesting mystery. Of course much of this is owed to director Walton, who returns to do another bravo job of molding this film.Charles Durning and Carol Kane reprise their original roles well.Intriguing and well-done all the way, When a Stranger Calls Back is a good sequel that isn't hampered by its television limitations. Those who enjoyed the original film will undoubtedly find it a worthy sequel.*** out of ****

Only reason it is 8/10 is because it is made for TV. It is a polished version of the original "When a Stranger Calls" 1979. The ending is brilliant and the beginning equally so. Imagine being terrorized by someone some 7 years later after you were already terrorized by the same person. Also add the fact that the stalker can get into your house when you are and are not home, and talk to you without you knowing where he is. The killer is what a killer should be, no remorse, no irony, no explanations, just someone wanting to scare and mutilate someone. No stupid psychologists and dumb jail scenes, this film, save for it being a second version of the 1979 edition, is original in substance and casting and definitely worth the time.