When a Stranger Calls (2006)

Director:

Simon West

Writers:

Jake Wade Wall (screenplay)
Steve Feke (1979 screenplay) ...

Release Date:

3 February 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Evil Hits Home

Plot:

During an otherwise routine babysitting gig, a high-school student is harassed by an increasingly threatening prank caller.

Plot Keywords:

Children | Police | Babysitting | High School | Babysitter

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Camilla Belle	...	Jill Johnson
Tommy Flanagan	...	Stranger
Katie Cassidy	...	Tiffany
Tessa Thompson	...	Scarlet
Brian Geraghty	...	Bobby
Clark Gregg	...	Ben Johnson
Derek de Lint	...	Dr. Mandrakis (as Derek Lint)
Kate Jennings Grant	...	Kelly Mandrakis
David Denman	...	Officer Burroughs
Arthur Young	...	Will Mandrakis
Madeline Carroll	...	Allison Mandrakis (as Madeleine Carroll)
Steve Eastin	...	Detective Hines
John Bobek	...	Officer Lewis
Brad Surosky	...	Boom Boom
Karina Logue	...	Track Coach

Also Known As:

Bell Ringer (Philippines: English title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense terror, violence and some language.

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Australia:M | UK:15 | Singapore:PG | Ireland:15A | Norway:15 | Brazil:14 | Malaysia:U | Sweden:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | Hungary:16 | Argentina:13 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | South Korea:12 | Italy:VM14

Filming Locations:

Culver Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Screen Gems

Trivia:

When Tiffany (Katie Cassidy) first appears in the movie, she's stirring a jar of red paint while standing next to Scarlet - behind them are several jars of red tinted paints. The name for a woman who is promiscuous or loose is is often referred to as "a scarlet woman", a subtle reference to what Tiffany has done to betray Jill.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Jill is running back from the guest house, before dropping the flashlight, you see a straight, continuous beam of light in front of her however, when the camera angle changes, it reveals her flashlight bobbing up and down as she pumps her arms to run.

Quotes:

Officer Burroughs: Jill, we've just traced the call... its coming from inside the house!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "HBO First Look: '10,000 BC': The Making of an Epic World (#15.4)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Lock It

i watched this film out of morbid curiosity....

and i really wanted to hate it. i so adored the original and found it offensive that it was being remade, that whole 'you cant mess with perfection' idea in my head. i came away from it with the distinct impression that the director had only the highest regard for the original film and total respect for the filmmaker. the new version tries to update the story for the 21st century and actually has some interesting takes on how modern technology can be used for scary elements. the smart house motion sensored lights added a nice touch as did caller id when its not who it says it is! although they tried too hard to bulk up the story with unnecessary side nonense and the timing was off, i give the man high marks for effort and his obvious attention to the integrity of the original work.