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this is a greaaaat thriller
it creeped me out in theaters and still
does on dvd.....
this is a must have!!
Posted By: groundgamer at 12:54pm, August 24, 2009
These types of movies will never succeed in the horror market. They are not that suspensful (except One Missed Call), and basically don't do enough to win me, or everyone else over. The acting is horrible, but the scares are great and there is some great death scenes to watch out for, and they will make you jump!
This one got under my skin. Having never seen the original (which I will remedy as soon as I can track down a copy), I can't compare the two.
I can wholly relate to the main character, having done a LOT of rural overnight babysitting before I could drive! Even when there is no lunatic calling, every little creak, every scrape of branches against windows, every unexpected sound makes you feel as if you're being stalked. Even when you know there's nothing there, there's just something about being in a strange place, alone (except a couple little kids that would be useless against intruders), which is the only reason this movie works for me.
It was a good movie, I kept my interest. But their was some scenes that I didn't like. I thought some scenes was boring, The only part that I liked was the ending. It was worth going to see it in the theatres. I bought it when it first came out cause it was good enough to buy it on dvd.
I have to say I really loved this movie. it's really simplistic and doesn't try to be anything it's not. it's scary and the central performance from camilla Belle is really solid. The film offers nothing new but what it does offer is classic horror thrills done to near perfection.
I am very surprised of all these good comments about it. Acting was very bad, those kids could not act for a toffee apple and were very annoying. But the thing that madethis film so bad was that it didn't get going until the last 15 minutes! The killer tried to kill her in the last 15 minutes, it should have been the first 15 minutes, like Eden Lake but the bit before the last 15 minutes were very slow and you just sat there waiting for something to happen! But the last 15 minutes were very good but you were too bored to notice!
*
Out Of
*****
oh my god, this film kept me on the edge of my seat the entire way through and the words "it's coming from inside the house" has terrified me ever since. Tommy Flanagan played the part of the insane killer inside the house perfectly and realy created an intense atmosphere. And that final revealing shot of him in the police car shows just how creepy he reali is, but the fact that his face is hidden the entire time adds to the effect. And the glass house, common, as if anyone would buy one after seeing this film.!
No other film has created the same air of tension when a phone rings as this one does.
A deffinite watch!
Cheesy as hell but I loved it, lots of like spooky suspense, even better when he actually gets into the house. Strange ending tho I have to say, as the lingering shot on the killer's face suggests you should recognise him.
This is a remake that is connected but original in it’s own way. I love how the plot is the first five minutes of the original layed out into a full length feature. It was scary so when something was expected nothing happened but when something wasn’t expected something did happen. The one thing that stands out in my mind that is a fault is that Jill doesn’t call the cops to make them come over anyway.
The plot is scary and has suspense which is hard to do when their is loads of cast but in this case there was lots of chances to have a twist because it was one actress. The plot also has a style that want’s you to feel scared even when something is not happening which isn’t very appealing to the eye. When comparing the plot of the remake to the original’s this stylish remake wins. The original had only the first few scenes that were scary and the rest of the film was plain boring. I think the writer of the remake knew this and brought a whole new meaning to the film.
The Acting was something that was hard to digest because when looking at Camilla Belle (Jill) i don’t find that she would actually be someone who would pursue the role as well as others among the young cast. Camilla done a great job but casting her in a smaller role and having another actress take on Jill would be in my opinion a better choice.
Overall this stylish remake has your eyes drawn to the screen majority of the time. My rating is 3/5
Posted By: horrorfan25 at 5:09pm, February 1, 2009
When a stranger calls is no where near a good film. It's a dumb remake that's neither scary nor interesting. The opening sequence leads you to believe it's a decent film that will have a few chills and it doesn't. After the opening sequence, you have to wait until the last 10 minutes to see the action. The whole film just has phones ringing and a babysitter looking bored and tired. Overall, When a stranger calls might have it's moments, but in the end it's an old, tired effort that has been done before.
Posted By: J0hnnyD3pp<3 at 3:30pm, January 25, 2009
i really liked this movie most people i talk to say they hate it. sure it has its annoying phone ringing moments
Posted By: BRLAXATTACK22 at 11:42am, November 14, 2008
Okay, i do not know why everyone seems to hate this movie but i thought it was pretty damn scary. I saw it in 8th grade in an empty movie theater in westminster MD. I was all alone in the dark theater which scared me and made it feel like i was in the same situation as the girl. I think that i liked this movie because it is so realistic and believable that things like this can and do probably happen. It scared me alot more than any zombie movie and i was very tense the whole time, and i still am when i watch it. I really enjoyed this, the only thing that could have been done better is if they hadnt revealed that the call came from in the house because that would have made it even scarier for people who had never heard of the original
This movie was dreadful for a number of reasons. For one, Camilla Belle shows nothing here that proves she can act (but shows differently in the incredibly underrated thriller The Quiet). She is, however, the best actor in the film, and that alone should tell you something right there. Also, the original is much more efficient in dealing with its length; the phone call and the police arriving happen within the first ten minutes, and it is completely terrifying. It finished things off with one of the most frightening conclusions I've ever seen. Other than that, the original was essentially a film about a detective tracking down a killer. In this remake, that detective storyline is completely absent. Instead, they work on expanding the first ten minutes of the original into an hour and a half, and they fail miserably. There was almost no tension or fear the entire time, and the movie was mostly just a huge letdown. At times, it was so awful that it was funny. The conclusion leaves something to be desired, although it is probably the best twenty minutes of the movie. Every time there is a phone call, it's not terrifying like it was in the original, but it simply seems like we've been there, done that. Nothing is terrifying about a girl who can't act and doesn't know when to just go up, take the kids, and leave. This was a dreadful mess of a movie, and one of the worst of all time.
Posted By: stewietantrum at 3:19am, October 20, 2008
i liked this movie. its had the suspense; the dark house, the big open windows, and camilla belle was really good too. but i think it could have used more suspense at times. still, awesome
Posted By: Protecious at 3:09pm, September 30, 2008
The worst movie i saw in theaters...
there most have been absolutly nothing interesting in the theaters at the time this was out or i would have not seen this one.
this was completely awful
This movie ranks right between the remake of "April Fool's Day" and the remake of "The Fog". Go rent the original version or even the sequel, just not this one.
You know what makes me really angry? that films that are really really good are not reviewed positively for example this film is said to be the worst remake of all time but average score is a bit high and people still say is good and other thing the film blowed up the box office by making 66.5 million dollars worldwide so is it really bad, lets see if the fucking critics are right. First the original was rated R and this one is PG13 so what? the original wasnt gory or bloody it was suspensful and i have i told you that in the days of the original there was no PG13 so if movies were a little bit gory they just put it the R logo. Second people have been comparing this to the abysmal prom night remake now that really sucked because the original of that one is really gory and scary but the remake is boring, the killings are allmost off screen, that really should of been R not a fright free remake with laguna beach characters getting killed in the less grisly way by a killer who doesnt even knows what hes doing. Third this movie haves remaked the most scary 20 minutes of the original and it actually made it good so why are people bitchin all the time about it. So those are all the points i had to touch with thie movie now lets go with the negative the film is actually boring in the middle of the movie i was actually angry when nothing had happened in the first 40 minutes but after them the movie got scary and suspensful so give it a chance and youll be preasently susprised.
Posted By: DarKnightmare at 10:05pm, August 11, 2008
Really great horror flick. After many times of watching it still makes me jump. AWESOME MOVIE!
Noone I know really liked this movie. But I did, I've watched it several times since it was released. I seen it twice in theatre's and the movie overall is good. If you are looking for something to watch when your home alone I recommend this. it will get you looking around you and double checking that you locked the front door. This movie was a good movie. The original wasn't all that good to me.
What a bad movie the only reedeaming thing in it was the HOUSE and too bad it was a sound stage!!! Camilla Bell has never made a good movie EX (10,000B.C) so just seeing her name should be more then enough to keep you from watching this one. As far as remakes go it was nothing like the original, like the remake of BLACK CHRISTMAS and PROM NIGHT it failed to scare you! Besides the typical cat in a closet jump and go BOO, WHEN A STRANGER CALLS is not a horror movie, it's a week drama like CAPTIVITY or daer I say P2 (MAKING BARF SOUNDS). In the original I was scared even in the original sequeal WHEN A STRANGER CALLS BACK I was more scared then watching this one. I really don't recomend this movie to anyone over the age of 12. With it's PG rating it's practicly a family film!!! I give WHEN A STRANGER CALLS 1 crazy baby-sitter killer out of 10 crazy baby-sitter killers!!!
Really boring at the beginning i almost falled sleep but in the middle of the movie it got really suspensful and scary so for the people who havent seen it give it a chance and be pacient at the beginning.(By the way PROMNIGHT2008 seriosly man what is wrong with you i think you parents throw from the head when you were little you give PROM NIGHT a bigger score than to this fuck shit,Prom Night was boring,cheesy,stupid,idiotic and please a PG13 slasher film what a pile of shit)
It's one thing to have a Hitchcock-style, slow-boil suspense movie. I think that is what this movie tried to do, but it failed miserably. There is no sense of dread, there is no suspense, and Camilla Belle was awful in this movie (although she was great in The Quiet).
Thus, all I can see is this: What the hell? How is the user rating so high?
They made a whole movie out of the first 15 minutes of the original. I wished they'd made the remake true to the original plot all the way through. Not a single drop of blood was in this movie, DISTURBIA was better than this. At least Shylo Buff scares me...
I thought this was gonna be like prom night when i watched it but as it progressed it scared me to hell i think this movie needs more apreciation for its great suspense.
thia was the very 1st horror movie i ever watched and when i watched it, it scared me to hell. the only fear i have in life is getting strange phone calls or a home invasion. now after this i have to have caller id on a phone i useand hate when i have 2 answer a phone from a restricted caller or a phone /o caller id at night. this movie is a really good remake and camilla belle is very hot. i do hope the sequel is rated "r" so there can be more blood and i hope theres more of the killer in the 2nd 1.
