Plot: What’s it about?
Jill Johnson (Carol Kane) didn’t expect much to happen after she tucked in the kids she was watching, but little did she know what awaited her. She planned on spending the evening working on her school papers and such, since she had fulfilled most of her duties as a baby-sitter by this time. But when the telephone rings and a strange man answers on the other end, Jill’s night takes a horrific turn for the worse. The other person remains silent at first and Jill assumes it is a friendly prank, so she doesn’t get worried in the least. A couple of calls later and still no answer on the other end, Jill starts to become annoyed with the caller, but still has no clue as to who would do such an unusual prank to her like this. After a while however, the caller finally speaks and in an ominous tone, asks if Jill has checked on the kids of late. Of course, this sends Jill into a panic and after she shuts off the lights & closes the curtains, she alerts the police to the events. Now Jill must stall the caller long enough to allow for a trace by the police, but can she withstand the torturous calls long enough to ensnare the mysterious caller?
This is one of those movies where things kick off in grand form, but then as the film moves ahead, the wheels begin to fall off. The first part of When a Stranger Calls is superb, with all the pieces in place, an excellent example of suspense in cinema. Carol Kane (Scrooged, The Princess Bride) is good in her role, but the real focus is on atmosphere, which is so thick with suspense, it is sometimes almost unbearable. But while the film opens in strong, memorable fashion, it slowly unravels as time passes, as the tension is gone and the same sense of atmosphere is nowhere to be seen. The writing, direction, and overall levels of success simply aren’t found after the excellent start, which is a real disappointment. Kane and fellow cast members Charles Durning (State and Main) and Colleen Dewhurst (Ice Castles) try to keep it afloat, but it all ends up being mediocre, if not worse. I do love the start to When a Stranger Calls however, so the disc will remain with me because of that, but for no other reasons. I recommend this film as a rental to those interested, as both the movie and this disc offer little incentive in terms of purchase.
Video: How does it look?
When a Stranger Calls is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, with a full frame edition included on the disc’s flip side. I’ve never been too pleased with home video editions of this movie and while this one’s not perfect, it is an improvement in all respects. I’m glad to own a widescreen version to start with and the image seems cleaner & sharper here, which is also terrific news. There is a moderate amount of grain present, but it doesn’t lessen the impact much, save a few isolated instances. The main improvement is contrast, which sports much more refined black levels and by turn, a higher level of detail is present. The colors look rather plain, but I’ve never seen them look too bright, so no worries there. This transfer shows more grain than I would like, but there’s not too much than can be done there, so I am quite pleased with this visual effort.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio is vital in this film, as the musical score is fantastic and hammers home the tension. The music sounds wonderful here and even though this is a mono track, I heard no distortion or signs of restraint in the least. Although not as sharp or refined as more modern tracks, this one more than holds its own, I think. The dialogue is clean and crisp from start to finish, while sound effects are basic, but effective in presentation. This disc also includes a French language track, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc contains no bonus materials.
