Review of When a Stranger Calls (2006) by Johnny T — 04 Jun 2011

"When a Stranger Calls" is a somewhat entertaining horror-suspense-thriller that starts off great, loses steam in the middle, then comes back for a good finish. It is genuinely nail-biting. As a tongue-in-cheek popcorn entertainment, "When a Stranger Calls" achieves what it sets out to do. There are enough medium-sized thrills to excite the preteen, teen and twentysomething audience, and a big helping of filmmaking style goes a long way in making up for the picture's glaring inadequacies, including a finale that is anticlimactic, and then an ultra-lame epilogue that should have been excised long before the finished product hit the screen. When a Stranger Calls understands that when alone and isolated in an unfamiliar place, an overactive imagination can be as frightening as any real threats.

VERDICT: "Matinée" - (Mixed reaction). These kinds of movies are usually movies that had some good things, but some bad things kept it from being amazing. This rating says to pay matinée prices to see at a theatre or buy an ex rental or a cheap price the DVD to own..