RETRO REVIEW: "WHEN A STRANGER CALLS" (1979) - 45 Years Later And We Are Still Scared Of Picking Up The Phone

Being alone in a house can be unnerving, especially at night. Every noise seems to be more relevant that danger is nearby, such as the ice machine, or the family pet suddenly jumping up from out of nowhere. Put yourself in someone else’s house where you're not too familiar with your surroundings and you're responsible for tiny humans, and that danger can seem heightened.  Add a dangerous entity trying to cause harm, and you get “When A Stranger Calls.”

Carol Kane stars as Jill Johnson, a babysitter hired by the Mandrakis family for a night out. Soon after settling in, she begins receiving threatening phone calls from a strange man. As the danger heightens, Jill leaves an impression on the stalker, who comes back seven years later to finish what he started. 

Director Fred Walton and screenplay writer Steve Feke came up with the idea after reading the 1950 true crime story of the horrific murder of Janett Christman, who was babysitting for the Romack family in Columbia, MO. They arrived home three hours later to the eighth grader lying dead in their living room, strangled to death by a cord. Luckily, their young son was still upstairs sleeping soundly, unaware of the danger outside his bedroom door.  

The first 15 minutes of the film have become iconic within the horror genre, so much so that Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson paid homage in 1996’s “Scream.” What’s more impressive is it was done without any violence or gore, just vibes. Kane’s performance is tremendous, channeling her character in a way to makes the traumatic event that much more real. Tony Beckley as psychopath Curt Duncan was interesting, as director Fred Walton painted him in a somewhat sympathetic light before reminding the audience what kind of a person he is.

Much like the character Duncan, the color palette is dark and washed out, detailing the surroundings, which was shot in downtown Los Angeles. The second act does slow down quite a bit, following Duncan after he escapes from the insane asylum and tries to find his way. As he is chased by Detective John Clifford (Charles Durning), it’s not as tense as Duncan being a stalker, but Beckley does give it his all for his final film before passing away the following year from cancer. He left behind an impressive resume as a veteran actor, performing in over 1000 stage productions and television shows. 

What began as a 22-minute short film, studios picked up on the story and decided it could work as a feature film. It’s nowhere near perfect, as it book ends with the protagonist seven years apart, and focuses on Duncan for the middle portion on the run from law enforcement, causing it to slow down quite a bit. The interaction between Kane and Beckley stands out far more than the chase scenes with Duncan and Clifford. But that doesn’t mean you should stop halfway through. The film in its entirety deserves a horror fan full attention at least once, and they will hopefully understand why this film is a staple of the genre 45 years later. 

Director

Fred Walton

Writer

Steve Feke & Fred Walton

Starring

Carol Kane

Charles Durning

Tony Beckley

You can currently rewatch this film on Prime, Tubi, & Freevee

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