Movie Details
| Title: | When a Stranger Calls Back | |
| Director: | Fred Walton | |
| Year: | 1993 | |
| Genre: | Thriller | |
| Times Seen: | 1 | |
| Last Seen: | 11.01.25 |
Other Movies Seen By This Director (1)
- April Fool's Day
| Date Viewed | Venue | Note |
| 11.01.25 | Internet | This Screening is part of event: Virtual All Night Horror Movie Marathon 6 What an interesting pick. This is the sequel to Carol Kane's well-known late-70s original famous for the whole "the call is coming from inside the house" shtick. I've seen the original but never saw this sequel. It starts with a protracted introductory scene which plays with the events of the original, which is doubly familiar since Scream and several of its sequels also used the same trope. Although, I have to say, the early-digital ring of a 90s phone does not have the same menace as that of a 70s analog clunker. Kinda funny to try and make this muted pitiful ding-a-ling-a-ling sound ominous. So, I have to say, I don't remember much about the original other than the first 20 minutes and they use the THX sound a couple times and CHarles Durning's private eye, like, walks down the street at one point? In any case I don't think I missed too much context for the sequel. After a babysitter has the kids she was looking after disappear out from under her - this time tormented by a mysterious visitor knocking at the front door - she tries to move on with her life by going to college in Vancouver only to be stalked by someone leaving subtle clues that they have access to her apartment. Her case falls into Carol kane's lap who's... I'm not really sure what her job is per se but she's gone the Linda Hamilton route where she's turned into a self-protection expert. Anyway, she calls in Charles Durning after the cops show little interest in objective evidence that someone has been in this girl's home and it goes from there. Um, imdb trivia tells me this was a Showtime original movie, which in the early 90s didn't immediately mean it sucked. There were several HBO movies in the early 90s that I remember enjoying... one with Rutger Hauer in a prison where everyone has to wear explosive collars that blow up your head if you escape. Classic. But You do see that tv-movie vibe hit here. The cutting's pretty loose, some of the lighting is very suspect, many of the scenes feel slow, there wasn't much budget for more than a few locations or sets. But again I feel like that follows in the footsteps of the first one where Charles Durning walked down that street. I think this movie's biggest flaw is in its choice of antagonist. SPOILERS It's a ventriloquist. Durning works out that the kidnapper can throw his voice, so it must be a ventriloquist. Once he follows that thread, there's only like one ventriloquist in all of Vancouver because they're so fucking lame and tada it turns out to be a creepy guy that paints himself all black for his act in this weird cabaret where the waiters wear tuxes and the waitresses are topless... and the college guys make a show of looking at their fully clothed asses as they walk away. The tits certainly feel early 90s, just there all of a sudden for no reason other than it was 80% of why subscribers paid for Showtime. So while they do some fun stuff by panning the guy's voice in the stereo mix to mimic him throwing his voice, I'm unsold that's what ventriloquists do? I know they're supposed to not move their lips but is throwing your voice like a required skill for the profession? And also, this guy has Peeta levels of camoflage paint skills. He's there singing Someone I Used to Know in the climax of the movie. And also... uh... where are the kids he kidnapped? Are they just gone? I confess to not paying 100% attention 100% of the time so maybe there was a line of dialogue explaining it but... he did kidnap the kids right? Otherwise Durning shoots a guy who's at worst a trespasser? So on a certain level, that being logic, the movie falls flat in several places. And the whole call-inside-the-house thing I think was doone better in Black Christmas anyway so This franchise is not really near and dear to my heart, but I do like Carol Kane and Charles Durning, so I guess it's nice they got paid. Ok, it's 2:18 which is really 3:18. I think I only have time for one more which means I'll have to watch the last mystery movie tomorrow night. Let's see though. What's up next? |
