When A Stranger Calls 1979: Most Misunderstood Slasher **Retro Review**
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- Опубліковано 21 сер 2024
- When A Stranger Calls (1979) is a slasher that BEGS another look. Boasting an opening so iconic that it overshadows what's to follow, there is MUCH more to study in terms of tension and horror than meets the eye. #WhenAStrangerCalls
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Ok you guys have convinced me. When A Stranger Calls Back review coming soon.
Leeeee, When A Stranger Calls back is CHILLING!!! Legit scared me when I first watched it a couple years ago. The opening is even more effective in my opinion. Good stuff
@@onelastscare_ Wow! I’m so intrigued to watch this now Jill!!
@@DrumdumsMovieReviews can't wait to hear your thoughts 😍
@@onelastscare_ completely agree, the opening to me is more terrifying than the original. Scared the hell out of me as a kid and it still does.
@@MrHorrornerd yesss so genuinely creepy!
To me, the opening 20 minutes is still the most terrifying In horror history.
This movie will never be erased from my brain.... As time goes on and horror movies become less and less scary to me, THIS ONE can still instantly send extreme dread and chills up my spine the second I hear that voice- every single time. There's no other word but horrifying.
I'll NEVER forget it....
Yep. This is how it's done.
I absolutely love when a Stranger Calls Back. It’s a solid sequel.
I love this movie. Suspense is something that is missing in today's horror movies.
Agreed.
because this was a thriller/horror
(When a Stranger Calls 1979) is an intelligently made psychological horror film. Far removed from a Slasher.
Unpopular opinion I love the squeal when a stranger calls back that movie scared the shit out of me as a kid
The opening scene is legit scary and I as well always thought it was the whole movie until I had a 1st watch a few years ago. Also I like that you put an image of the movie you are reviewing over the tv screen, nice touch.
This was an AWESOME review!! I saw it during my babysitting years and it was TERRIFYING! Carol Kane is such a great comedic actor, she was so unexpectedly perfect for this role that is so serious! Thank you for giving this such high praise! Now I want to watch it again. 👍🏼👍🏼
Must have been so surreal to watch this in those years Kimberely. It's a classic.
Such a good movie. I remember when the remake was released when I was in high school and so many kept talking about it. I just got annoyed because it sounded like none of them had seen the original or knew it even existed. Definitely the best opening in horror history.
I have never watched this in its entirety, but you have inspired me to give it another chance, Lee. I love horror with earned, built tension and a "shaky" or vulnerable killer is always more interesting than one who's unstoppable. Have you ever seen "Dark Night of the Scarecrow"? Charles Durning was in that, and he plays such an evil character, that it has to be seen to be appreciated.
This is a under seen classic. While I’m still in the camp saying the whole movie should’ve been about the initial night like in the remake, this still holds fond memories for me like watching it around the middle of the night back in high school waking the whole house up when I screamed at the final scare. Good times. I also have the soundtrack on cd. Such a great score.
The opening and ending of this movie are some of the most scariest sequences in horror movie history and the sequel comes very close to matching! I have learned to appreciate the middle portion but I still think it would have been better not to see the killer until the very end! I really like the remake and I well defend that movie and I still don't get why critics trashed it!
Completely agree. I like the middle, but it does feel out of place between the rest of the movie.
Really well said
I love the whole movie, but the first 20 minutes is in another league! I also really liked the remake. Thought it was pretty effective. I definitely seen worse remakes....
The film was inspired by a old urban tale called the babysitter and the man upstairs which is about a sitter who gets obscene phone calls from a maniac calling from somewhere in the house she is babysitting at.
Yes I've heard this before. Probably the most popular urban legend.
*Urban Legend, Yu dumbass.
I have lost count how many hidden gems I've discovered through your channel. I will definitely check this one out.
One of the best slasher openings I’ve ever seen. I think the opening and the third act are great, the middle…..it kinda bored me if I’m honest.
I finally have grown to really appreciate the middle.
@@DrumdumsMovieReviews Maybe I need to rewatch it myself. It's been a while.
Omg. This was my experience word for word last night. Great video 🙏
Bro I just love your channel thank you, it just helps me get away from all the b.s. going on.
Thank you!
Excellent review, Lee. I think this review is one of your best. I love your insights. I’ve always thought this movie had more to offer beyond just the first 20 minutes. It’s good to see someone else champion it too.
Thanks so much David!
Owes its entire plot device to Black Christmas, which was scarier.
Haven't had the chance to watch it, but now I really want to.
I've just realized that the THX sound is "borrowed" from this film.
Yeah I thought it sounded familiar.
Dude!!!! This movie doesn't get the respect it deserves. Thank you!!
That voice you did at the beginning was pretty cool. One of my favorite episodes you've done. I don't know why, but you did it!
Thank you!
My earliest memories of horror were of when a stranger calls. My older cousin was a big fan of it.
So, I've seen the remake, and I kinda saw When A Stranger Calls Back as a Rifftrax, but I've never seen the original. However, looks like it's available free with my Amazon Prime. May have to check it out. Thank you, Lee.
You should Watch Silent Night, Bloody Night It Doesn’t Get Enough Attention.
"Humperdinck, Humperdinck, Humperdinck!"
I just watched Scrooged yesterday!🧚♀️ Haven't screened this one yet tho.
Love this movie! This score gets a chefs kiss… chills!
That score is amazing Kathy!
Excellent review! This is one of my favourites. I’m a 70’s horror, sci-fi, thriller movie junkie lol!! So glad you covered this, loved hearing your perspective✌️
Thank you! Yeah my favorite era of horror is 70s/80s. Love talking this stuff.
@@DrumdumsMovieReviews really? Most people are all about 80’s and up. Nice to know I’m not alone lol!!
@@spiritsnscreams 60's Horror flicks are underrated.
One of the most underrated horror movies of all time. Great review, Lee👌🏼
Glad you finally did a review of this one. It’s one of my favorite openings of a movie!! It was so scary as a babysitter when I was younger. I always thought about this movie and made sure I checked the children. If kids were asleep when I got there I checked them before parents got out the door.
Yes that opening is one of the best ever. So iconic.
That opening is chilling
I just remember that the sequel, “When a Stranger calls back” scared me so much as a kid it was something creepy about that guy
I keep hearing this.
Hey Lee!! This is such a classic movie. People don’t realize the impact it made on so many levels, on horror.
Fred Dalton (director and writer) did a short film of this, The Sitter, in 1977 for like 1000. It was 21 Minutes and was released in a small span of theaters. Movie studios didn’t care for shorts then. That was when they decided to reshoot it became what it is today. It was on UA-cam and I have seen it. It basically was just the first 20 minutes of the film you see in this one but with different actors and look. It’s a great watch if you can find it. It’s great to see, how it became a huge hit later;)
Preach Gabe!!!
I saw this movie in the theater when it first came out and loved it! I'm glad that you watched it again and appreciated it! The actor who played Kirk was phenomenal! That music score was on point !
Damn I'm so jealous Kelli!
I saw the original on tv as a kid. Scared me to death.
I always viewed the middle of the movie as the killers “decent back to madness” the 3 things that stuck out to me to make me think he was somewhat reformed were 1) when he first forced his way into Tracy’s apartment she asks him where he’s from and he struggles to answer it suggesting he might have memory loss, 2) later when he sneaks into Tracy’s apartment and grabs her, he probably could’ve killed her but instead he asked to be friends and even trusted her enough to let her go which she wisely used to scream, the fear that he accidentally brought her reminded him of his past in the bathroom scene and then 3) when John the incompetent PI claims he won’t hurt the killer he surrenders himself only to be attacked which pushes him to the scene where he says he doesn’t exist and wasn’t born and can’t be touched
Really great points Anthony!
In some ways, his character arc reminds me of Norman Bates in Psycho 2.
That musical swell really brings to mind the THX stinger.
I have to wonder if that monologue about how no one can see him inspired the lyrics to Danzig's Stalker Song: "No one knows my name, where I come from...no one can see my shape in the shadows."
I was thinking the same thing about the THX stinger.
it deserves to be experienced on a QLED HDTV with a great sound system with great bass
It felt like A True Serial Killer Movie....Especially coming from A Big House..
Gosh I just love the way you create vids, it just gets better and better, and that music in the intro is like a symphony! lol, just gets me all amped up! lEtss goo! lol :)
When I 1st saw that Creepy .movie...I couldn't sleep for a month...🤯🤯😳..Especially the music score..
Loved them little gem … didn’t care too much for the remake 🤘🏽🤘🏽
After seeing you posted this vid ti paused before spoilers and racked this one down just seen it today and it was so much better than i expected it got that intensity that builds to that end scene you dpnt see coming and its got that emotional side to the killer that was done really well would absoultley recommend this maybe in a double bill with halloween that would be a great movie night
The worst part of the movie is that both trailers for the original and the remake give away the fact that the killer is calling from within the house. Like WTF! That's probably the biggest twist in the movie and it's in the trailers!
Yeah I heard about that. That’s crazy.
@@DrumdumsMovieReviewswell I mean same goes for Carrie 1976, I think it's more on the fact that 70s movies give away that much in its trailers, not sure tho.
I saw this in the theater when I was a kid and it scared the crap out of me. The beginning and ending are so scary. Too bad the middle drags.
And it's too bad Siskel and Ebert (Siskel in particular) were biased and therefore generally worthless when it came to horror films, like this one. Siskel even said this movie wasn't scary, which is a complete lie.
Yeah Siskel and Ebert were like a virus to slashers back then.
@@DrumdumsMovieReviews Ebert would go on long-winded morally outraged tirades, but at the same time he was clear in stating that he never endorsed censorship of art. He loved the OG Halloween '78, but detested Friday the 13th, haha. I was also genuinely surprised that Ebert gave a favorable review to The Devil's Rejects.
Ive watched a lot of Siskel and Ebert reviews and they tend to ramble on and take forever to get the point half the time, and also had a lot of stupid opinions
I’d miss out on so many great movies if I gave a damn what they thought 😂 Ebert even hated on Dream Warriors which is a masterpiece of a sequel.
It's not a lie if it didn't scare him. "Scary" is about as subjective as "funny."
So glad you did this review. I remember watching this on tv when they used to do horror movie marathons on TNT I believe or TBS. I saw this one and the sequel. The sequel scared me more. But the first portion of this film, when the tell her the call is coming from inside the house mad your hairs come up after the realization.
I love talking classics.
Lol the opening, and i love this and the background!
This movie is psychological horror. It shifted to the killer so you can see a mad man's mind. So that the final act makes you care about Carol's character more.
Completely agree.
Great review. I really liked this movie. The openingscene is very tensionfilled and after that it becomes a great characterstudy of the killer.
Ps: You really should watch ''When a Stranger Calls Back'' I think that movie is even better then the first one.
Definitely an improvement upon this one.
@@opaque4742 It's a very underrated sequel. One of my favorite 90s horror movies
Nice Review Mr. Lee
I Remember Watching This When I Was Younger
That Opening Was So Intense
But Than It Seemed To Me It Fell Apart After That
Maybe Now That I’m Older
I’d Appreciate What They Were Trying To Do
I May Have To Give This Another Try
That cop looks so scary lol when she opened the door like he's got flat affect lol. Another spot scream paid omage to when she runs open door and screams at cop standing there same as what Sydney did lol. Funny in scream cause then Dewey screamed too lol.
One of my favs! The middle portion may be a bit slow but it’s interesting enough. Besides it’s Die Hard compared to the entire remake.
I really enjoy this film. Carol Kane is incredible.
She really is!
Good review, buddy. I much prefer the sequel When a Stranger Calls Back to this. A lot better pacing and midsection than this one, while still having the strong ending and beginning. That's just me, however. I know a lot of people consider this suspense royalty
Knew you would work in that Halloween 4 scene lol. Nice.
I had to.
“THX surround sound” is all i heard from the score. Look it up, they used to play this all the time on openings of the old DVDs
Haha yeah at least now we know where it comes from.
I actually shot a remake of the first 20 minutes last year with some friends for fun. I can’t say if it’s better than the original (it most definitely wasn’t) but we had fun trying to differentiate it and give it its own style, separate from its original counterpart. I did have to copy that one shot from outside the window though, it was too good to leave it out.
As for the original film itself, I think it’s a fantastic movie that continues to inspire and influence filmmakers and horror fans alike all over the world.
I actually think the middle section is pretty good unlike most fans, if it had focused on Jill the whole movie, I feel like we would have gotten some Micheal Myers style stalking scenes with Curt Duncan in his place and the whole thing would have felt like a rip-off, not to mention silly, because Curt isn’t that type of character.
So having Curt and Jill separate from each other until he snaps at the end of the second act was a pretty good decision in my eyes. It allows the film to explore him as a character, and he *isn’t a stranger* (pun intended) to us by the end of the second act, which makes it tragic for both him and Jill, when he loses it and attacks her again. He’s a very compelling villain played brilliantly by Tony Beckley. That bathroom scene is chilling.
The original is available on UA-cam. It's a twenty minute short film from 1978 called The Sitter. It has almost the exact same dialogue.
@@cjmiller6741 Yes it’s really good! A slightly different atmosphere to the original, but I still really liked it and I took some inspiration from that version when I made mine! It’s not as consistently creepy as the film, but there are some moments of pure eeriness!
I’ve gotta watch it later see what this brings us
When A Stranger Calls (1979) is one of the most greatest psychological horror movies of all time. The story, perfomance's, music, images, direction, tension, atmosphere, and cinematography was so suspenseful, haunting, frightening, mysterious, thrilling, intense, eerie, scary, creepy, and spooky 😰😱 which absolutely and positivity works perfectly for the movie. The opening scene is consider one of the most greatest, iconic, memorable, and scariest sequences in horror cinema as it kept me on the edge of my seat. 😰😱 That line " Have you check the children?" 😈 is so simple yet frightening as hell as it send shivers through my spine.😰😱 It was decent and to this day the twist ending still gives me chills and goosebumps 😰😱 and I still watch it. When A Stranger Calls (1979) is such a true blue ultimate masterpiece in horror cinema. Fred Walton directed a classic that will be in our hearts forever. It never gets old. 😍😎💯👍
Couldn't agree more!
@@DrumdumsMovieReviews When A Stranger Call (1979) is a true blue ultimate masterpiece. Fred Walton directed a classic that will be in our hearts forever. 😍😎💯👍
@@DrumdumsMovieReviews
Black Christmas is much better. The middle hour of the movie sucks
I feel exactly the same as you, bro. My first experience with the film was on VHS around 20 years ago and while I totally grooved to the chilling opening (the scariest of all time?), I found the stuffy middle to be out of place and tone. I was so wrong.
Having viewed it again recently, I completely fell in love with it. It's a damn masterpiece of horror cinema, combining classically thrilling slasher bookends with an interesting character study. I could riff for hours about how much stronger the focus on the antagonist makes this film and how much more of an impact it has on the powerhouse finale when he's reunited with our original final girl.
Definitely get on the sequel. It's not as good but a damn fine effort. The original short The Sitter is a fun watch too, even if only to compare the similarities with the feature length's opening.
Yeah brother that’s exactly what happened with me. This last watch it’s like everything just clicked.
the first 20 minutes is basically a adaptation of that urban legend the babysitter and the man upstairs
Yep. And it portrays it perfectly.
@@DrumdumsMovieReviews honestly feel like giving all 3 movies another watch my sister's cat looks like she wants to join me watching movies so looks like I have a interesting weekend ahead
at 13:18 RIP to Tony Beckley he sure will be missed and he did a great job too as the stranger and he died after my birthday mine is on April 18 1995 but i wasn't born in the 1980s though and it sucks too he couldn't return in when a stranger calls back 1993
Yeah he gave a great performance, especially considering he was sick while filming this.
Enjoyable film, it took the "Black Christmas" twist but didn't handle it as well.
I just watched this movie. To be honest, I just read the urban legend story which is called The Babysitter & The Man Upstairs, before. I never knew there was a movie until I recently discovered this and know that the movie is basically based on those urban legend story
Carol Kane is fantastic as Jill Johnson and Charles Durning is fantastic as John Clifford. 😀👍
This is by far the scariest movie I’ve ever seen in my life!! The first time I saw it (I was 12 or 13) I had nightmares for a month!! It’s why I never took a job babysitting!!
That opening is nightmare fuel!
Love all the When A Stranger Calls movies, even the remake. When A Stranger Calls Back (1993) has one of the scariest opening 20 minutes I've ever watched in a horror movie. Carol Kane is in the sequel, and Jill Schoelen (The Stepfather) is the babysitter.
Damn that’s high praise!
You should really watch when a stranger calls back and do a review, I like it as much as I like this one.
Lee have you checked ur children!!!!
Great review for a great movie! I hope you have a great 2022!
You too Seth!
@@DrumdumsMovieReviews 🤗
All three versions are soooooooo good!!!
I watched the remake first also since I wasn't born when the original came out and was a young man when the remake came out and remember thinking wow, this movie is terrible so I never even gave the original a chance since I thought the whole movie was gonna be about the baby sitter in the house which I found boring. I was surprised at how good the original was and how much better it is. I loved the part where he's stalking his next victim and how creepy he acts. And how it shows how crazy the city looked in the 70's. Those parts where so cinematic. The 70's just have such a creepy vibe to them. I just didn't fully understand who the woman he is stalking is and why he is stalking her and why she just disappears without her back story. The original was an incredible movie. All of it from beginning to end. The remake sucked.
Underrated movie with great performances.
Lee, have you ever seen Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments? Released sometime ago (2004) but a very rewatchable miniseries
No but I have heard of it. Need to check it out.
The remake was underated
This movie is good except after th4 first half hour I lost interest. Black Christmas I think is a similar story done much better
Scared the crap out of me when I was a kid
Watched this today for first time ever. Loved everything about the first 20 minutes and last 20 minutes. Will admit I did find it boring though during the middle. Still liked it especially the beginning and end
Yes the first time you watch it, you will be bored by the middle part. But give it a few tries. It turns into a whole new experience.
This is a classic. Just watched it last night on Tubi
Definitely!
this movie is pure gold and the sequel the first part is one of the scariest things ever. Its crazy.
Very cool movie. I recommend the Tony Beckley Horrorr Beware My Brethren. The Vinegar Syndrome release is excellent.
Ooh interesting. I'll look that one up.
It's quite something.
I also recommend Assault aka In the Devil's Garden. 1971 Suzy Kendall movie featuring Mr Beckley. Easily found on the UA-cams 🤟
I saw this years ago. I consider this more of a psychological thriller with slasher elements.
People don’t realize 70’s if you had two phones (1 ph#) it was possible to call 1 phone from the other. The best part of the sequel is the end. Freaky how they did that.
Great point actually Mary!
I used to watch When a Stranger Calls Back. The original sequel. Never saw the first one. But part 2 is very suspenseful. The body paint. So creepy. I also watched the newer remake. It was ok. Wouldn’t watch it again.
Man when I was a kid that movie scared the crap out of me. Hell, it still does lol
The 1993 sequel is even better than this, IMO.
@@opaque4742 definitely, more scary moments in it
i actually really liked what comes after the first 20 minutes. the city scenes are some of my favorite parts from the film
I'm glad I gave it another chance. I did too.
I love the opening but the rest of the film just didn’t quite reach that level of quality again. It’s not a bad by any means but it felt like a short film stretched out too far. I’d still watch it again though.
A very similar film to this is a British film called Fright (1971) starring Susan George. It’s a bit dated and gets a bit silly towards the end but the first 25 minutes or so is still creepy and atmospheric. It scared me when i was a kid. I recommend seeing it as a very early example of the babysitter stalker slasher.
Jennifer love Hewitt is an awesome actress
It funny that, of all the films from my birth year(1979), I still haven't seen this one. I even haven't seen the remake either. I'll definitely check it out when I have an opportunity. But I've been on a action film kick as of late watching films like Dolemite (1973), Shaft(1971), The Bourne Identity (2002) & The Bourne Supremacy (2004). I just watched a very funny film last week, Cannonball Run (1981). Highly recommend it.
Jolene looks great!!
I was waiting on your opinion Beth!
I like this one more than remake.
Sir, you leave me no choice; I now have to buy this movie.
Off to Amazon I go!
Go get it!
Pleeeease review the sequel When a Stranger Calls Back. It is so good and so underrated
Definitely happening.
I still joke with my mom till this day. When i call her i ask her if she checked the children. She always told me that move freaked her out in the moves with my dad. Now i know why she always was checking on me as a kid lol
DD god I hope you see this in time, the comments are coming from inside the house!!
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Need to check out the sequel it's good as well
Great topic!! I love the first 20 to 25 minutes of the movie, I was a babysitter at that time myself. But ,,, the rest of the movie where we follow the dull life of the killer...snoozefest. And oh did I hate the boring remake
I’m. going to see the original.
this is one of the classics i have never seen i bought it on blu ray recently with the sequel on it .
im curious to watch it at some stage in the near future only ever seen the remake which i know gets trashed but i like it its decent enough .
I recently watched and reviewed the 2006 version and I Loved it more than the original. Maybe because I saw the 2006 film first. But after watching your review I may have to give the original another watch.
I'm about to watch the remake again now. Haven't seen it in years. But it was the first one I saw too.
@@DrumdumsMovieReviews I love how much tension and suspense the 2006 version has, I feel like it just kept building and building and building.
2006 remake is as Lee would say "Hot Relish"