When a Stranger Calls (1979)

When a Stranger Calls is an American horror film of the suspense/psycho-thriller subgenre. It was directed by Fred Walton and produced by Columbia Pictures. It was released theatrically in the United States on October 26th, 1979. The film stars Carol Kane as Jill Johnson, a babysitter who has the misfortune of becoming the target of a serial killer. After surviving the initial assault against the madman, Jill attempts to get on with her life, but her world is quickly turned upside down as the maniac comes back for her a second time.

A sequel film, When a Stranger Calls Back was released in 1993, also directed by Fred Walton. When a Stranger Calls was remade in 2006 and was directed by Simon West and starred Camille Belle in the role of Jill Johnson.

Notes & Trivia

 * Production on When a Stranger Calls began in June of 1978 and concluded in August.


 * When a Stranger Calls is often erroneously cited as the progenitor of the "killer is inside the house" horror film trope. In fact however, the Bob Clark holiday slasher Black Christmas used the exact same formula five years earlier in 1974.