When a Stranger Calls

A babysitter (Camilla Belle) is stalked on the telephone by the guy from Braveheart only to discover he’s making the scary telephone calls from within the house she’s occupying. The original When a Stranger Calls had about 10 good minutes in it. The remake of the 1979 movie starring Carol Kane takes those 10 minutes and tries to stretch them into 90. The result is a couple of good scares buried within a movie that’s mostly padding. This sucker feels mighty long. For those horror buffs out there who were hoping the PG-13 horror-lite trend had come to an end with films like Wolf Creek and Hostel, your optimism has not been rewarded. This is a horror film suitable for the kiddies, or better phrased, children’s milk money. No blood, no gore, but plenty of shock scares to traumatize babysitters, future and present.