When a Stranger Calls (1979) is probably best known for its opening scene in which baby sitter Jill (Carol Kane) is terrorised by an unknown caller, a man who asks her several times "Have you checked the children?" Without giving anything away part of this appears to have been lifted from "Black Christmas" (1974), Wes Craven then used it to great effect in his slasher revival classic "Scream" (1996). Many reviews on here call the middle part boring, however I disagree. We get to see a lot of the caller, a psycho called Curt Duncan (Tony Beckley), after he escapes from a mental institution, and an ex cop John Clifford (Charles Durning), who is after him. This all builds to a suspenseful finale, reuniting Jill and Curt. English actor Beckley gives a superb performance as Curt, sadly he died soon after the movie was released. Don't go into this movie expecting a slasher movie, it is not one. It is a tense suspense psycho thriller that has an excellent creepy score courtesy of Dana Kaproff, and needs to be watched late at night with the lights off. The remake was pretty good too.
