When a Stranger Calls (2006)

When a Stranger Calls is a 2006 American psychological horror film directed by Simon West and written by Jake Wade Wall. The film stars Camilla Belle, Brian Geraghty, Katie Cassidy, and Clark Gregg. Belle plays a babysitter who starts to receive threatening phone calls from an unidentified stranger, played by both Tommy Flanagan and Lance Henriksen. The film is a remake of Fred Walton's 1979 horror film of the same name, which became a cult classic for its legendary opening 20 minutes, which this remake extends to a feature-length film.

The film was theatrically released on February 3, 2006. It was universally panned by critics but was a moderate box office success, grossing $67 million worldwide on a $15 million budget.

Plot
The film begins with a local sheriff entering a home where multiple homicides have been committed. The victims include three children and their babysitter, all slaughtered brutally by a murderer using his bare hands.

The film then jumps to the town of Fernhill, Colorado; 125 miles away from the scene of the crime.

To pay off going over her cellphone minutes, Jill Johnson has agreed to babysit for the wealthy Mandrakis family. When she arrives at the house, the parents show her around and tell her about their live-in housemaid, Rosa.

While the two children are asleep upstairs, Jill soon begins to receive anonymous phone calls from a stranger who, most of the time, doesn't say anything and then hangs up. She initially believes it is her friends playing a prank but when she calls them, they deny it. Jill's friend Tiffany stops by but Jill, in fear of getting into further trouble, asks her to leave. Outside while getting back in her car, Tiffany is ambushed. Strange events begin to occur, such as the house alarm going off for no reason, until Jill receives menacing calls from the caller, indicating he can see her. Alarmed, she calls the police, who tell her they can trace the calls if she is able to keep him on the line for sixty seconds. While waiting for the phone to ring, Jill sees a shadow moving in the guesthouse. Believing it is the Mandrakis' son back from college, she goes to investigate but finds the guesthouse empty.

Back at the main house, Jill searches for Rosa but finds only her belongings. The phone rings once again and the caller remains quiet on the other end as Jill manages to keep him on the line for a minute so the call can be traced. Jill then hears the shower running in the maid's room but, upon checking, the bathroom is empty. The police then tell her the calls are coming from inside the house. Horrified, Jill finds Tiffany dead on the bathroom floor and flees.

Jill goes to the children who are already hiding in their playroom. She looks up and sees the intruder in the loft. They all escape into the greenhouse and hide. Jill discovers Rosa's dead body under the water. The stranger enters and searches the greenhouse. Jill manages to lock him inside but he breaks out and attacks her. During the altercation, Jill manages to stab the assailant’s hand into the hardwood floor with a fireplace poker, before rushing out of the house into the arms of a police officer. The assailant is arrested and Jill and the children survive.

Days later while recuperating in the hospital, Jill awakens to a phone ringing. She gets out of bed and, while looking at her reflection in the mirror, the attacker appears behind her and grabs her. She begins to shriek hysterically, waking from her hallucination as the doctors and her dad desperately trying to stop her frantic panicking.

Cast

 * Camilla Belle as Jill Johnson
 * Tommy Flanagan as The Stranger
 * Lance Henriksen as The Stranger (Voice)
 * Katie Cassidy as Tiffany Madison
 * Tessa Thompson as Scarlett
 * Brian Geraghty as Bobby
 * Clark Gregg as Ben Johnson
 * Derek de Lint as Dr. Mandrakis
 * Kate Jennings Grant as Kelly Mandrakis
 * David Denman as Officer Burroughs
 * Arthur Young as Will Mandrakis
 * Madeline Carroll as Allison Mandrakis
 * Steve Eastin as Detective Harv Hines
 * John Bobek as Officer Lewis
 * Brad Surosky as Boom Boom
 * Karina Logue as Track Coach
 * Rosine Ace Hatem as Rosa Ramirez
 * Escher Holloway as Cody
 * Owen Smith as Officer
 * Jessica Faye Helmer as Additional Officer
 * Lillie West as Stacy (Voice)

​Production
Screen Gems first announced production of When a Stranger Calls in August 2004, with Jake Wade Wall penning the script. Screen Gems had plans to release both a remake of the original film and a sequel titled When a Stranger Returns.