A Screen Gems Release
Story - $9.75
Acting - $8.75
Directing - $8.75
Production Design - $10.75
Special Effects - $7.75
Score/Music - $10.75
*"REEL" VALUE - $9.42 = Unlike it’s Sony Pictures PG-13 cousins, “The Grudge” and “The Exorcism of Emily Rose,” this movie about a babysitter is targeted to that audience.
SYNOPSIS: In 1978, one of the scariest movies of its time did for babysitters what “Psycho” did for showers or “Jaws” did for a day at the beach. Today… in a remote hilltop house, high school student Jill Johnson (BELLE) is settling in for a routine night of babysitting. “With the children all nestled all sound in their beds,” she has a beautiful home to explore. She locks the door, sets the alarm, Jill settles herself in for the night. But when a series of eerie phone calls from a STRANGER insists that she “check the children,” Jill begins to panic and fear escalates to terror when she has the calls traced. The calls are coming from inside the house! Jill must summon all of her inner strength if she is going to fight back and make it out of the house alive.
REVIEW: WHEN A STRANGER CALLS, as far as remakes go, has a lot going for it, but unfortunately its has little going on. More sophisticated urban crowds will be bored by this PG-13 film, that could have probably gotten a PG rating. There is no blood or gore, superficial violence, and bad teenagers who talk about their issues but never doing anything about it on screen.
Jake Wade Wall’s screenplay is a far cry from Steve Feke & Fred Walton’s original film. There is very little substance to the film, other than it’s initial premise that is modernized in terms of technology and how contemporary act. The script plays to the audience and the main character, which we think might be smarter, actually makes some clichéd heroine mistakes along the way. One would think that Wall would have come up with a new spin in updating the film, but even that seems a bit clichéd and the story tries too hard to play to a younger audience.
Actress Camilla Belle comes across as your typical babysitter, except that she looks a tad older than the character she is playing. Because she is playing younger, there are some scenes where she is stressed out that her fear seems more like whining and is annoying. When the action starts, Belle does have a strong screen presence to counter the Strangers threat, but that accounts for the last 15 minutes of the film. In terms of the other characters, the film is so short that there is very little time to develop anything about them, and their only purpose is to set up some superficial background material for Belle’s character or there would be practically nothing to her, and no one else for the Stranger to kill. In fact, take that away and this could have easily been a short film, about 20 minutes, and it might have worked a bit better.
What ultimately saves this film for becoming a straight to video release are the skills of director Simon West, James Dooley’s score, and a great location. West’s ability to build tensions and suspense in this spares wasteland of a screenplay is amazing. He pulls out all the stops in trying to keep the audience on edge. He works odd camera angles, manipulates shadows, and makes his location as terrifying as the killer. His work in creating the lighting around the Stranger is so skilled that he makes this unmasked figure as intimidating as Michael Meyers, the killer in the “Halloween” franchise.” West’s direction is enhanced by Dooley’s screenplay. The composer comes up with some inspired score that adds to the tone of the film and manages to punctuate the shocking moments with musical cues that accentuate the moment without being obtrusive.
WHEN A STANGER CALLS is yet another film in a series of PG-13 genre films that is attempting to be more ratings friendly in hopes of drawing in a larger, younger audience. The film almost feels like instead of hiding your eyes from the on screen horror, the story is doing that for you. I also thought it was kind of strange in terms of a subliminal message the film may be sending by the characters who we see and are murdered. That’s up to you to decide! Still, what could have been a date movie is more a kiddy matinee, and even a better value as a family movie night DVD rental.
CREW: Director – Simon West; Screenplay – Jake Wade Wall; Based on the film written by Steve Feke & Fred Walton; Producers – John Davis, Wyck Godfrey, & Ken Lemberger; Director of Photography – Peter Menzies, Jr.; Score – James Dooley; Costume Designer – Marie-Sylvie Deveau; Production Designer – Jon Gary Steele; Special Effects Coordinator – Steve Galich; Visual Effects – Asylum.
CAST: CAMILLA BELLE… Jill Johnson; TOMMY FLANAGAN… Stranger; TESSA THOMPSON… Scarlet; BRIAN GERAGHTY… Bobby; CLARK GREGG… Mr. Johnson; DEREK DE LINT… Dr. Mandrakis; KATE JENNINGS GRANT... Mrs. Mandrakis; ARTHUR YOUNG… Will Mandrakis; MADELINE CARROLL… Allison Mandrakis; DAVID DENMAN… Officer Burroughs; STEVE EASTIN… Detective Hines; JOHN BOBEK… Officer Lewis; LANCE HENRIKSEN… Voice of the Stranger.
* Based on the regular $10.75 ticket prices of a Manhattan theater.
Reviewer: Joseph B. Mauceri
Score:
Related web link: www.HaveYouCheckedTheChildren.com