# When a Stranger Calls (1979)

> A babysitter’s routine evening becomes a nightmare when a stranger’s phone calls reveal an intimate and terrifying threat.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/movie/30459

## Facts

- Runtime: 97 min
- Genres: Horror, Thriller
- Director: Fred Walton
- Cast: Carol Kane, Charles Durning, Colleen Dewhurst, Tony Beckley, Rutanya Alda, Carmen Argenziano, Kirsten Larkin, Ron O'Neal
- TMDB rating: 6.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080130/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Mood: eerie, paranoid, dread-filled, late night horror, halloween viewing

## Movies like When a Stranger Calls

- [Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)](https://ember.film/movie/13003)
- [Someone's Watching Me! (1978)](https://ember.film/movie/19658)
- [Black Christmas (1974)](https://ember.film/movie/10196)
- [The Stepfather (1987)](https://ember.film/movie/14908)
- [The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (2025)](https://ember.film/movie/7359280)
- [Night of the Reaper (2025)](https://ember.film/movie/7462830)
- [The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)](https://ember.film/movie/16558)
- [Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker (1981)](https://ember.film/movie/47150)
- [When a Stranger Calls (2006)](https://ember.film/movie/5172)
- [The Entity (1982)](https://ember.film/movie/14640)

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