WHEN A STRANGER CALLS (2006)BACK COVER SYNOPSIS: Terror is just a phone call away WHEN A STRANGER CALLS in this frightening new thriller from the director of TOMB RAIDER and CON AIR. To Jill Johnson (Camilla Belle), it was the perfect babysitting job. The parents were away, the fridge was stocked and the children were tucked into bed. But then the phone rang and an ominous voice asked, “Have you checked the children?” Now, locked in with the lights out and the curtains drawn, a panicky Jill phones the police, who trace the calls – only to inform her they’re coming from inside the house. And as the frightened teenager goes upstairs to check, Jill’s quiet night of babysitting is about to turn into a nerve-shattering nightmare of suspense, horror and dread.
FILM REVIEW: Looking at the cover of this DVD, “When A Stranger Calls” gives the impression of another teen horror flick but from the outset in the creepy and atmospheric opening sequence, this film is not cut from the same cloth, instead offering a more cerebral, subtle and intense experience which leaves much to the imagination in terms of what is going on. While this works effectively for much of the film, it also works against the film in that there is too much of it. The entire film plays out like the opening scene for a horror film stretched out to ninety minutes. At a certain point, you want something to happen but alas, nothing does until the climax when the killer finally pounces. There is much to admire in the approach taken by director Simon West in creating a more Hitchcock like feeling to the film but more needed to be done with the narrative to make it compelling viewing; or in other words, it takes too long to get going (about an hour too long), and when it does, it’s all over in ten minutes.
Camilla Belle plays Jill Johnson, a teenager who is grounded by her parents and is required to pay her dues by babysitting for a rich couple who happen to live in a remote house in the middle of nowhere; after all, where else could a babysitter find herself if not in the most spooky and remote environment possible? In the sequences setting up Jill’s character, we get to see her typical home and school life, particularly a teen melodrama or two which are almost laughable. Belle is at her weakest in these scenes, almost as if she had to struggle through them to get to the good scenes.
Once Jill is alone in the house, the film begins to set a very spooky atmosphere, one note at a time. It starts with the creaks and groans of the big empty house, moving to the wind rattling outside, to the mysterious prank phone calls she starts to receive. Much of this is what works best in this film as it uses subtle thriller conventions to really put you on edge, waiting for the inevitable to happen. However, the problem with this is that the majority of the movie turns out to be these techniques only. Belle shows off some excellent acting skills in creating the fear required, but at the end of the day, she spends over an hour reacting to strange noises, heavy breathing on the phone and mis-directed mild scares such as the obligatory black cat running down the stairs. At some point during this hour, the tension becomes boring and the film loses you after thirty odd minutes of this because there is no pay off. When that pay off does come, it is not scary because the novelty of what is happening has completely evaporated. The subsequent scenes of the killer finally showing up then become perfunctory rather than thrilling.
This film looks glorious. The visuals are quite outstanding; a lot of care went in to the creation of all the images to create a rich visual tapestry. This is no small feat given the entire film by and large takes place in one location. The use of the animal/bird sanctuary is a nice touch that adds further atmosphere to the visuals, particularly in the final scenes of Jill and the kids hiding from the killer. The soundtrack is also top notch, largely thanks to its creation of atmosphere and dread, particularly with the use of specific sound effects and the moody and dark musical score.
“When A Stranger Calls” is an admirable thriller that uses old fashioned atmospheric techniques to create tension and suspense. However, the film does not hit the mark simply because it does not pay off and spends too much time focusing on the lead actress reacting to strange noises and red herrings.
TECHNICAL REVIEW: The image clarity on display in the video transfer is top notch. The colours, textures and richness of the original images are preserved in pristine condition to display a rich visual environment. The audio transfer is likewise top notch, and given the atmospheric nature of the film, the use of the surrounds is extremely effective, particularly the wind, storm, footsteps and creaking sounds present throughout the film coming from all corners of the surround channels. Overall, this DVD has been given an excellent transfer.
EXTRAS REVIEW: The extras package is very good, including two audio commentaries, a making-of documentary and some deleted scenes. The first audio commentary is from director Simon West and star Camilla Belle who bounce off each other quite well to offer an interesting scene-specific commentary as you watch the film. The second audio commentary is from writer Jake Wade Wall who offers a somewhat drier narration of his contribution to the film, with more pauses, but nonetheless offers some good insight in to the film from his perspective. The making-of documentary is just under twenty minutes but manages to cover a lot of ground, including good cast-crew interviews and behind the scenes footage which go far beyond the usual promotional fluff you might otherwise expect from a piece like this. There are only three minutes of deleted scenes which do not really offer to much extra to the film and you can see why they were cut out. Overall, a decent extras package that complements the film nicely.
BOTTOM LINE: Rent it.
FILM RATING: 7/10 -- EXTRAS RATING: 7.5/10 -- OVERALL DVD RATING: 7/10
(Read Less...)Todd Murphy <br />
http://www.allaboutmovies.net
