When a Stranger Calls (1979 film)

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For the remake of the same title, see When a Stranger Calls (2006 film).
When a Stranger Calls
Directed by Fred Walton
Produced by Doug Chapin
Steve Feke
Larry Kostroff
Barry Krost
Melvin Simon
Written by Steve Feke
Fred Walton
Starring Charles Durning
Carol Kane
Colleen Dewhurst
Music by Dana Kaproff
Cinematography Donald Peterman
Editing by Sam Vitale
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date(s) 26 October 1979
Running time 97 min.
Language English
Budget $740,000 (USD) (estimated)
Followed by When a Stranger Calls Back
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

When a Stranger Calls is a 1979 horror/thriller film starring Carol Kane and Charles Durning, directed by Fred Walton. It is heavily based on the urban legend, "The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs". The original music score is composed by Dana Kaproff.

It is followed by the 1993 made-for-television sequel When a Stranger Calls Back.

Contents

[edit] Plot summary

In this classic thriller, we meet a babysitter named Jill Johnson (Carol Kane) who is babysitting for a doctor and his wife. The children are asleep upstairs and everything appears to be fine. A man starts calling her with frightening questions like "Have you checked the children?" Jill soon calls the police after more calls come, and Sergeant Sacher tells her that he will trace the call to its location after the next call. Arming herself with a fireplace poker in the dark house, Jill gets one final harassing phone call. After a macabre conversation, the caller hangs up. The phone rings again; this time it's the police who have traced the call. When Jill learns that the calls are "coming from inside the house," she drops the phone to escape. A light turns on at the top of the staircase, showing the shadow of the man. Jill nervously unlocks the front door and screams.

John Clifford (Charles Durning) is then shown at the police investigation. We learn that the children were murdered and the killer, Curt Duncan (Tony Beckley) is sent to an asylum. Seven years later - Duncan has now escaped from the institution he was sent to, and is now back on the streets. Dr. Mandrakis hires Clifford to find Duncan. However, Duncan has no desire to return to a padded room. His insane journey will lead both Duncan and Clifford to Jill Johnson.

Jill is now an adult, married with two young kids. One night, Jill and her husband Stephen go out to dinner in celebration of a promotion. A friend named Sharon babysits her kids. She references that she saw Jill in the newspaper. Curt Duncan happens to find the same newspaper in the city, and begins to look for Jill once again. While the couple is out. Jill gets a call at the restaurant. She answers, and gets another "Have you checked the children...?" Jill panics and calls Sharon. She says nothing is wrong. The police arrive and escort Jill back home. John Clifford tries to call Jill, but gets no signal. Jill and Stephen go to sleep. Later, Jill goes down for a glass of milk, when the lights go out. She goes back upstairs and gets in bed once again. The closet door opens a little, and she hears the voice of Curt Duncan. She tries to wake up Stephen, who turns around, revealing that Curt is actually in the bed. He rips Jill's nightgown and chases her around the room. Clifford arrives, and kills Curt, shooting him twice. Stephen is revealed to be in the closet, although he is alive. As Clifford comforts Jill, the last shot is of the house, in view of the frightening eyes of Curt Duncan.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Trivia

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  • This film was #28 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments.
  • The concept of a killer calling another telephone in the same house is a durable urban legend, and is also used in the films Black Christmas and Scream.
  • Although the movie is fictional, an incident similar to the plot was once shown on a TLC special where a man kept calling the babysitter from inside the house. The man called at least 5 times. Unlike the movie, however, Police came immediately. The young boy wasn't murdered but a sock was tied to his mouth, and the Police caught the intruder. The man's last words were slurred.

[edit] External links

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