When A Stranger Calls (2006)

I decided to finally watch this movie, the trailer of which gave me nightmares when I was in year six because I was a baby (come on - the whole “have you checked the children?” thing put me on edge when babysitting for years). 

It’s an adaptation of the film of the same name from 1979, where a girl is babysitting and starts getting calls from the titular stranger, and things get more threatening from there. This movie is like a straight up time capsule to the early-mid 2000s and my entire childhood: there are boot cut jeans and Motorola flip phones and getting in trouble for going over your minutes. It's only been a bit over ten years and already it feels uncomfortably dated. Already bracing my face for cringing, it didn’t help that the acting was similarly grating - atrocious at times, at best it is bearable. The plot plods along pretty predictably, and I remember the big twist being spoiled by the trailer of the time (the big wham line was one I actually remembered as soon as I heard it). 

Also, there is a character called “Boom Boom”. I thought you might find that interesting.

Far and away the best bit of this movie is the suggestion that people are genuinely traumatised by the events of it. There is an actual gravity given to the harassment in the movie, and we start to see it, which doesn’t happen too often in horror movies. I almost wish that had been given more time and weight. The tense buildup was also done quite well, and I wish it had been sustained rather than so frequently interrupted by fakeouts and silliness.

Rating: 3/10 - The trailer showcases the tensest and most impactful parts of the movie, but it's still an easy bit of silly mid 00s horror that won't stay with you for long after watching. Also, to reiterate, there is a character called Boom Boom.