Cheap When a Stranger Calls Back (DVD) (Fred Walton (II)) Price

Related Products

Customer Reviews of When a Stranger Calls Back

"hello Jill"
How do you top When A Stranger Calls? Well, you don't because that's absolutely impossible. How do you equal it? Come out with a sequel that's every bit as entertaining and suspenseful, but do it in different ways. many have said that again this movie like its' predecessor has a terriffic opening and ending with a slow going central piece. Others think the central piece is better here than in the original. I feel that When a Stranger Calls Back is a thrill ride all it's own that builds upon premises and themes that the original helped Hollywood capitalize on in numerous films after the original Stranger. As such a movie it can only do better than all those that followed the original stranger since stranger was the standard. In When a Stranger Calls Back we see a much hardened Jill played by Kane, now an advocate for women taking charge of themselves and not depending on dismissive men around them to keep them safe. while the transformation is a wonderful thing to see, you still feel the presence of the original scared girl that had us so riveted in the first movie. In comparison, our young heroine in "Back" that Kane's character Jill befriends never really manages to push the button of that nerve Kane so brilliantly did in the first movie, she only touches on it. Still, Back is an unending supply of suspense and mindplay that keeps you just as riveted as the original did. The climax is more reminiscent of the brilliant Wait Until Dark, but is just as intense as the original When a Stranger Calls. All in all, When a Stranger Calls Back is a must see thrill ride that is equally as great as the first, but has terror that is more distributed than concentrated. 5.5 stars

---

The sequel is actually better than the first!
This is one of those absolutely rare sequels that outdoes its predecessor in every way. The first one was very good, don't get me wrong. It was a classic. But it is here outdone. The first film was only scary at the beginning and end and had a long, drawn-out, yawn-inducing middle. The sequel is consistently terrifying and exciting throughout. Most of the characters in this movie are smart and the acting is great for a horror film. It makes excellent use of locales, and the fact that it was shot in the fall really adds to the overall effect. On top of being a very creepy film, this movie also has a good plot, presenting an almost Agatha Christie-type mystery (though the mystery is solved rather early in the film). The villian in this film is very, very creepy. The scene where he comes out of hiding in the hospital room and starts hitting the girl in the coma is downright disturbing. The first 20 minutes of this movie will not disappoint (they are absolutely unnerving!) I have seen (and own) hundreds upon hundreds of classic horror films. I say "classic" because I must say there is nothing at all scary about most new horror films. Movies that rely solely on startle effects (loud sounds, things jumping out suddenly) may occasionally achieve "startling" a viewer--but that does not make a film scary. Horror is about mood, pacing, build-up, and the construction of creepy and unnerving atmosphere. Most modern, MTV-style horror flicks are way too fast-paced to build up the kind of atmospheric effect that is necessary for a film to be creepy, let alone scary. Horror at its best is a slow and brooding menace. This film is one which is effective even to the most jaded of viewers. Enjoy this as a halloween treat!

---

2.5 STARS: This sequel pales in comparison to the original.
The movie "When A Stranger Calls Back" is no where near as good as the original classic "When A Stranger Calls". The movie starts out very similar to the first and is pretty good in the beginning, but this villain is a panzy. The actor who played the villain did an absolutely horrible job in this movie, but so did the director as well. For instance, the part where the villain lifts his arms and hands up and goes after the young baby sitter provokes laughter from any sophisticated horror movie audience. <
> <
>Indeed, the movie could have been good, but like so many times with horror movies, the movie fails to live up to what was a promising beginning. The best part about the movie was the suspense building up to the killer when he is first revealed and attempts to attack the babysitter...after that, it is all downhill pretty much. <
> <
>The acting in this movie is stellar like the original. In fact, Charles Durning is one of my favorite actors...he is so believable as Detective Clifford and likewise for Jill (Carol Kane), the babysitter in the original "When A Stranger Calls". In this movie, Jill is a counsellor for such victims of attacks like these and she does try and help the babysitter in the sequel after her emotional trauma. <
> <
>The problem with this movie is simply that every phase of the movie is subpar compared to the original and the movie is not unique or creative enough to stand on its own. As I said, the villain does not scare the viewer at all...he acts like he is retarded and except for his ventriloquism performance in the beginning, he simply fails in every way to evoke horror in the audience and lacks credibility as a realistic foe/villain in the movie. The villain is completely unconvincing. <
> <
>The babysitter in "When A Stranger Calls Back" does fall prey to some extent to the so called villain (although not fatally), but it is not fully explained how this happened as the film glosses over that part. And, the flick gets quite boring after the first part and unlike the original "When A Stranger Calls", the ending of this movie leaves a lot to be desired. Neither the beginning, middle nor the end of this movie are even 10% as good as the original. <
> <
>The horror and suspense the audience experiences in the original "When A Stranger Calls" is clearly lacking in the sequel "When A Stranger Calls Back". I think this movie is a victim of poor directing really...not even Charles Durning and Carol Kane can save this movie. It's really interesting how Fred Walton can be so good as a director/writer in the original flick and so bad in the sequel, but it is very understandable that Walton was unable to duplicate his effort in this sequel that he produced in the original "When A Stranger Calls". After all, you can not improve on perfection. <
> <
>In conclusion, while "When A Stranger Calls" is one of the best horror movies of all-time, this sequel struggles mightily in comparison and is average at best. Like most sequels, the original is better and this movie is certainly no exception to that rule. 2.5 STARS is the most I can give this movie.