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An awesome movie so much better then the original.
Verified purchase: No
A slick remake of the 1979 original, Simon West's WHEN A STRANGER CALLS is a modern update of a well-known suburban legend. When 16-year-old Jill (Camilla Belle) exceeds her mobile phone minutes, her parents force her to spend the night babysitting instead of attending a huge bonfire bash. As Jill's father drives her to Dr. Mandrakis's house for the evening, we are given the sense from the long drive, spooky music, and winding roads that the home is literally at the end of the Earth. Perched over the edge of a steamy lake, the mansion-like structure is made entirely of dark wood and glass. With an arboretum built into its centre, the palatial home feels both Zen-like and forbidding. With the children already asleep, Jill spends the first hour indulging in secret babysitter pleasures like snooping and trying on Mrs. Mandrakis's jewellery. Without a mobile phone or car, and all her friends' phones out of range, Jill is particularly isolated--the perfect victim for a psychopath on the loose. As she begins to get calls from a heavy-breathing stranger, what at first seems like a prank slowly becomes a real threat, creating a panic-filled evening that's any babysitter's nightmare. Using modern-day luxuries like caller ID, security alarm systems, and motion-sensor lights to its advantage, the film plays with themes of technology and wealth, pondering how much protection they actually provide. Clearly targeted at a teenage audience, the film contains relatively little violence--lacking some of the graphic scenes that most people remember the original by--and instead uses unfamiliar spaces and a sense of the unknown to keep audiences scared.Read full review
Having converted most of my old video collection to DVD I was thrilled to find this film gem in digital format. If you watch this in widescreen format, it really does the battle scene great justice; coupled with surround sound, you'll be gripped by the amazing cinematography. I would recommend the director's cut that includes scenes about the relationship between the lead character and his estranged wife and helps you to understand the motivation behind his decision. The run time is 183 minutes for the directors cut and 120 minutes for the cinema version. I was, however, disappointed by the lack of extras, which any fan of this classic would expect to be included. There's only a 20-minute interview with the director and other shot "making-of" vignettes.
This is one of my favourite films,i have it on sky+ too. Thankyou. Love a good thriller. Like the storyline and poor babysitter going through that experience but she did save them kids.
i have watched the old flim of this years ago an didnt expect this to be much good be it was great scary in parts an left me sitting on the edge of my seat great show
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