When a Stranger Calls Back (1993)

Very well executed

hyped garbage

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

The sequel to the hit horror movie When a Stranger Calls was given the prototypical title that many horror film sequels contained in the 90's, by adding a subsequent word, in this case "Back". When a Stranger Calls Back is a made for TV-movie that was just another rehash of what we have already seen with the first. The film's helm is led by the same man who created the first, Fred Walton, but even he couldn't really save his work given the chance. Carol Kane and Charles Durning aged and didn't have the screen presence they did and the first and the new edition of Jill Schoelen wasn't a great choice as the main female lead.The most cringe worthy aspect of the film though is towards the end when the killer becomes more part of the story line. His ability to blend in any environment was corny and laughable at times and just didn't provide any creepy angles to the film. Even when the film picks up after the initial dull periods it just doesn't have enough suspenseful juice to satisfy a fan of thrillers or horror. What the film doesn't even come close to holding a candle to is the introductory phone series that the first one perfected and this one tried to duplicate. Skip the sequel to When a Strange Calls Back, the remake of the original is actually for once a better watch.

You can't judge a DVD by it's cover and you certainly can't judge a horror movie by the fact that it's made for TV. Time and time again I am proved wrong, TV movies can be good. Not only good but phenomenal. When a Stranger Calls Back is that movie. Heart pounding suspense, original story line along with a must-be-seen-to-be-believed ending, this TV movie will change your brain.Five years later, after Julia was harassed by a kidnapper, the man has come back into her life, or so she thinks. Little things in the house have been moved, the window is open and now a child's shirt in the closet. As things become stranger for Julia Jenz the police bring her Jill Johnson a woman with her own equally strange past to help her solve the mystery and stay alive! The first 15 minutes of the film, much like the original When a Stranger Calls, are some of the most terrifying moments you will see on TV or in any movie. While some might argue the movie falls short of the first 15 I would disagree. While not as intense, the second half of the film keeps you reeled in and stays interesting in ways you will never believe. Hokey is in the eyes of the beholder and this s--t ain't hokey, it's genius. While I don't want to give away some major plot points to the film, it's a must see I promise.The film is directed by Fred Walton who did the original When a Stranger Calls. It also stars the main babysitter, now much older, and the original detective. Fred Walton has been making a series of TV movies that seem to be doing well, several have won Emmy's, and after watching Stranger I'm ready to see what other secret nuggets he has left in his filmography. The acting is a little terrible at times but it's really the only weak point to the film. If you can get past the bad reads you will love this film.While When a Stranger Calls Back wont make your brain melt with eye gouging special effects or supernatural squirrels but it is a very interesting thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat and brings something original to the table.

The headline above seems to sum up some of the other reviewers' opinions of this film and I totally agree with them: I liked this sequel better. I will always remember this film for the first 20-25 minutes which really scared me the first time I saw it. It gave me the creeps, and always will if I don't watch it too often.After that, the movie settles down, and the excitement leaves, but it still keeps you interested, picking back up again at the end with another suspense scene.This is a "scare" movie - a sequel - that works although there are a few noticeable holes in the storyline. I liked the camera-work in here with the closeups of the door lock or the phone, the slowness of camera movement here and there to build suspense, etc. The ending, in which the killer blends into a wall, is very neat.The main actors are interesting to watch and a main plus is the lack of profanity, especially surprising with Charles Durning in the film. The "R" rating had to be for a couple of topless waitress scenes.Jill Schoelen gets third billing and she's the star of the movie. Carol Kane, the star of the first film: When A Stranger Calls, helps out on this case, too, and it's nice to see her again.

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.