Rotten
If you've seen either Black Christmas or Halloween, there's nothing new here: the hyped-up score keeps telling us we ought to be scared, but the suspense feels mechanical and fake.
Nigel Floyd, Time Out
When a Stranger Calls
Whatever You Do, Don't Answer The Phone.
2006 · 1h 27m · PG-13
Horror, Mystery
Directed by
Simon West
Overview
Far away from the site of a gruesome murder, a teenager named Jill Johnson arrives at a luxurious home for a baby-sitting job. With the children fast asleep, she settles in for what she expects to be an ordinary evening. Soon, the ringing of a phone and the frightening words of a sadistic caller turn Jill's routine experience into a night of terror.
Director and cast
- Simon West Director
- Camilla Belle as Jill Johnson
- Katie Cassidy as Tiffany Madison
- Tommy Flanagan as Stranger
- Brian Geraghty as Bobby
- Clark Gregg as Ben Johnson
- Derek de Lint as Dr. Mandrakis
- Kate Jennings Grant as Kelly Mandrakis
- Steve Eastin as Detective Hines
- Tessa Thompson as Scarlet
- David Denman as Officer Burroughs
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
9%
Tomatometer
Rotten
The film is not quite suspense-free, but almost. When finding a dead body underwater isn't scary, something is very wrong.
Anita Gates, New York Times
Rotten
The original should have been a short film; the new version shouldn't exist at all.
Scott Tobias, AV Club
Rotten
This version is a thin, protracted study in shifting Hollywood strategies.
Matt Singer, Village Voice
Rotten
A production that never comes close to realizing its potential to tweak the viewer's primal fears.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
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