When a Stranger Calls
User Score
5.0 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 96 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 47 out of 96
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 96
  3. Negative: 40 out of 96

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  1. Bryce
    Feb 10, 2006
    9
    I loved this movie! I think the ppl who r giving it bad reviews r just used 2 gory, disgusting movies! this movie was almost entirely clean with no sex-related themes, and the nasty minds out there just don't appreciate anything that isn't dirty.
  2. ChrisM.
    May 17, 2006
    9
    abosolutley gripping suspense/thriller. Nice to know I'm not the only one who dug this flick. Not to mention Camilla Belle's a real charmer.
  3. ChieuN.
    Dec 3, 2006
    10
    The terror is really great. It has a weird mystery about the stranger. Jill Johnson from the movie was very brave. The make-up and the hair-style are great too.
  4. SeanS.
    Feb 25, 2006
    10
    the best movie i've seen i know alot of people didn't like it but i thought it was very suspensing forget the critics that didn't like it they made it for the audience and i bet the audience loved it.
  5. HollyK.
    Feb 4, 2006
    10
    It was what i wanted to see. come on just the thought of someone hurting a kid is scary for me.
  6. RachelM.
    Feb 4, 2006
    9
    I loved this movie. I was wrapped up into it throughtout the entire movie from beginning to end. I will say that it needed to explain more because it did leave you pretty clueless. However, if you're looker for a good scare this movie's prefect, it rocks!!
  7. ChelseaD.
    Feb 4, 2006
    10
    It was soo freakin good and scary.
  8. Caleb
    Jun 5, 2006
    10
    Brilliant, very brilliant. The movie kept my attention and kept me on the edge of my seat as I wondered who the caller was and what he wanted. You always got the feeling that he was gonna be there behind her, but he wasn't. The drama of the movie kept me in more suspense until the very end.
  9. Kristen
    Feb 13, 2006
    9
    A solid thriller and appropriate for younger viewers - suspenseful, but lacking the disgusting gore and sexual themes most 'thrillers' boast these days. I have no idea what motivated the critics to review it so negatively - critics, in the light of their supposed expertise and experience in movies, have grossly ignored and disregarded how the target audience of this movie (clearly, teenagers) would react. after taking a bunch of teenagers to the movie, i can vouch that not only did they love the movie and find it to be a great experience, but as the adult i did as well because i was not bombarded with uncomfortable themes and images. if gore and sex are the basis of a good thriller, then yes, when a stranger calls would not merit good reviews. but if you want to take your teens or friends to see a suspenseful and exciting - and clean! - movie, then this one is a sure bet.… Expand
  10. MattC.
    Mar 18, 2006
    10
    Call me crazy, but I loved this movie. It's the best of 2006 so far, in my opinion. It was suspenseful and terrifying and just an awesome movie. The only bad thing was it wasn't even 90 minutes, but hopefully they'll be an extended version like most films have nowadays. This film definetely gets a 10/10 from me.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
27 out of 100

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 20 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 20
  3. Negative: 11 out of 20
  1. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Frank Scheck
    50
    Designed to capitalize on the title and premise of the original but offers little to those who fondly remember it.
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  2. Variety
    Reviewed by: Joe Leydon
    50
    A modestly clever concept gets indifferent execution in When a Stranger Calls, another bigger-yet-blander remake of an allegedly "classic" '70s shocker.
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  3. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    38
    Rather than remake the entire original movie, Simon West and screenwriter Jake Wade Wall have taken only that now-classic first act and padded it out into a dull, filler-filled feature that's remarkably void of any new ideas.
    Read full review
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