| When a Stranger Calls | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Credits | |
| Title: | When a Stranger Calls |
| Genres: | Thriller |
| Directed by: | Fred Walton |
| Written by: | Steve Feke; Fred Walton |
| Produced by: | Barry Krost; Melvin Simon; Doug Chapin; Steve Feke |
| Music by: | Dana Kaproff |
| Cinematography: | Don Peterman |
| Edited by: | Sam Vitale |
| Production | |
| Distributed by: | Columbia Pictures |
| Released: | October 26th, 1979 |
| Rating: | R |
| Running time: | 97 min. |
| Country: | USA |
| Language: | English |
| Budget: | $740,000 [1] |
| Gross: | $21,411,158 [2] |
| Navigation | |
| Previous: | — |
| Next: | When a Stranger Calls Back |
When a Stranger Calls is an American horror film of the suspense/psycho-thriller subgenre. It was directed by Fred Walton and produced by Columbia Pictures. It was released theatrically in the United States on October 26th, 1979. The film stars Carol Kane as Jill Johnson, a babysitter who has the misfortune of becoming the target of a serial killer. After surviving the initial assault against the madman, Jill attempts to get on with her life, but her world is quickly turned upside down as the maniac comes back for her a second time.
A sequel film, When a Stranger Calls Back was released in 1993, also directed by Fred Walton. When a Stranger Calls was remade in 2006 and was directed by Simon West and starred Camilla Belle in the role of Jill Johnson.
Cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Carol Kane | Jill Johnson |
| Rutanya Alda | Mrs. Mandrakis |
| Carmen Argenziano | Doctor Mandrakis |
| Kirsten Larkin | Nancy |
| Bill Boyett | Sergeant Sacker |
| Charles Durning | John Clifford |
| Ron O'Neal | Lieutenant Charlie Garber |
| Heetu | Houseboy |
| Rachel Roberts | Doctor Monk |
| Tony Beckley | Curt Duncan |
| Colleen Dewhurst | Tracy |
| Michael Champion | Bill |
| Joe Reale | Bartender |
| Ed Wright | Retired man |
| Louise Wright | Retired woman |
| Carol O'Neal | Mrs. Garber |
| Dennis McMullen | Maintenance man |
| Wally Taylor | Cheater |
| John Tobyansen | Bar customer |
| Sara Damman | Bianca Lockart |
| Richard Bail | Stevie Lockart |
| Steven Anderson | Stephen Lockart |
| Lenora May | Sharon |
| Randy Holland | Maitre d' |
| Trent Dolan | Policeman #1 |
| Frank DiElsi | Policeman #2 |
| Arell Blanton | Policeman #3 |
| De Forest Covan | Officer #1 |
| Charles Boswell | Officer #2 |
| Dick Warlock | Bartender |
| Cheryl Wilson | Mrs. Shifrin |
Notes & Trivia[]
- The tagline to this film is "Every babysitter's nightmare becomes real...".
- Production on When a Stranger Calls began in June of 1978 and concluded in August.
- Fred Walton also directed April Fool's Day in 1986, the remake of I Saw What You Did in 1988 and When a Stranger Calls Back in 1993.
- When a Stranger Calls is often erroneously cited as the progenitor of the "killer is inside the house" horror film trope. In fact however, the Bob Clark holiday slasher Black Christmas used the exact same formula five years earlier in 1974.
- "When a Stranger Calls" is also the title to episode 2x12 of Scream: The Series.