Precursor Review! Released in 1979, When a Stranger Calls takes off from the old urban legend about a baby-sitter receiving ominous calls asking if she's checked on the children lately. The hysterical sitter (Carol Kane) calls the police—only to discover that the calls are coming from inside the house. Director Fred Walton stages the old chestnut with skill and makes it suspenseful even though you know the outcome, but it only constitutes the first 20 minutes of the movie. After that, Stranger becomes a boring revenge crime drama, only to pick up the terror again in its final 10 minutes.
The remake, which opens this week, looks like it's updating more than the technology (circumventing caller ID is prominently featured in the trailer). Although no hot young actress can compare to Carol Kane, the new film certainly promises more action, more running and, quite possibly, more phone calls. Maybe if it's successful we can look forward to a remake of the original's 1993 sequel, When a Stranger Calls Back.