WHEN A STRANGER CALLS (1979)
Directed by Fred Walton
Starring Carol Kane and Charles Durning
This film made major waves when it was released in '79 thanks to the first 20 minutes, which were genuinely scary. Babysitter Kane keeps getting prank calls from some sicko. When she calls police to trace the call, they phone her back and tell her to get out of the house—the calls are coming from inside!
TV ads for "When a Stranger Calls" only showed scenes from these terrifying, first moments of the film. Unfortunately, the second three-fourths of this movie basically play like a cop drama, with policeman Durning tracking down Kane's tormentor.
It's a weak movie that's still available on video. Wes Craven's "Scream" basically captured the film's essence with the opening murder scene featuring Drew Barrymore as a babysitter bedeviled by a homicidal crank caller. There was a TV movie sequel, "When a Stranger Calls Back," but it isn't worth seeing, much less reviewing.