When A Stranger Calls, be sure you tell him to avoid this DVD. The only thing about this film that reminds me of “Horror” would be having to watch 87 minutes of one of those PBS phone-in auction fundraisers. PG-13 horror shouldn’t exist and this film is a perfect example of why it shouldn’t.
When Jill Johnson (Camilla Belle) is grounded from her cell phone and her car, she feels as if her life is over. To teach her responsibility, her father volunteers Jill to baby-sit over the weekend. When Jill arrives to the Mandrakis’ somewhat secluded home, she begins to believe the gig isn’t so bad after all. The house is quiet, the kids are in bed, and Jill is ready for an easy night.
Jill begins to receive random phone calls throughout the night. First believing the calls to be pranks, Jill dismisses the calls and blames her friends. The calls begin to become more frequent and Jill begins to become frightened. The night takes a turn for the worse when the menacing voice asks, “Have you checked the children?”
The first problem with remaking a film, especially a horror film, is that if you stray too far from the appealing elements from the original, the film is bound for disaster. The original When a Stranger Calls was adapted from an urban legend that scared kids home alone for decades. What the original did so well, that its predecessor failed at miserably, was kept a high level of tension and suspense. Also, the original continued the story past the fateful night of the babysitting incident, using all 97 minutes effectively. Director Simon West’s newest endeavor features 87 minutes of painfully boring dialogue from Camilla Belle.
PG-13 Horror should be considered an oxymoron. Believe me, my next statement is meant in the best possible way, but why can’t children die horrible deaths in horror movies anymore? Another aspect of this film is somewhat unsettling. The very essence that made the urban myth so scary is that the myth hit close to home. The fact that you could imagine the scenario happening in your very home adds suspense to the film. In the case of this remake though, the film takes place in a lakeside mansion-like home that you might see on MTV Cribs. I’m sorry, but nothing is scary about sitting fireside, watching a 70” projector and listening to a Bose surround system (except maybe the whole Bose thing, that’s a bit frightening). The film is a back and forth phone-call orgy, not Horror and definitely not a thriller. The film is a bust.
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