When a Stranger Calls
A psychopathic killer terrorizes a babysitter, then returns seven years later to menace her again.
- Director: Simon West
- Genre:Horror / Thriller
- Runtime:87 minutes
Cast
Charles Durning : John Clifford
Carol Kane : Jill Johnson
Colleen Dewhurst: Tracy
Tony Beckley : Curt Duncan
Ron O’Neal : Lt. Charlie Garber
The plot of the story begins to develop when Jill Johnson (Carol Kane), goes to babysit the children of a doctor at their home. When the children are asleep, Jill receives a telephone call from a man who asks her questions that are uncannily relevant to her actions. At first, Jill dismisses the telephone calls as a practical joke; however, as the calls become more frequent and threatening, Jill becomes frightened and telephones the police, who promise that they would trace the call if Jill would keep him on the telephone line long enough.
Jill, frightened to extreme measures, arms herself as she receives one final telephone call from the nefarious caller. Soon after her conversation with him, Jill receives a conversation from the police, only to find out that the stalker is calling from inside the house. The suspense of this part of the movie climaxes when a light turns on at the top of the staircase, which allows Jill to see the shadow of the stalker. Jill immediately runs to the front door to scream for help.
Officer John Clifford (Charles Durning) is then shown at the police investigation. At this point, the viewer learns that the children had been murdered by the perp several hours earlier. Also, the murderer is identified; he is an English merchant seaman named Curt Duncan (Tony Beckley), and is subsequently sent to an asylum. Seven years later, Duncan escapes from the asylum, still psychopathic. Dr. Mandrakis hires ex-cop Clifford, now a private investigator, to find Duncan.
Still not knowing Clifford is after him, Duncan is now a homeless, vagrant loner. He gets into a fight and is beaten after disturbing a middle-aged lonely woman, Tracy (Colleen Dewhurst), in a tavern, and later follows her to her apartment. Feeling sorry for his disastrous appearance and for the fact that his attempts at a conversation with her started the fight in the first place, Tracy makes light conversation with him. While they are in the doorway talking, Tracy’s phone rings forcing her to excuse herself so she can go answer it. While she is on the phone, Duncan lets himself into her apartment. Tracy doesn’t tell him to leave her place right away nor explicitly rebuffs his awkward proposal to visit her for coffee the next night, assuming or hoping it will be the last of him she will see. Read more
