Why, oh why do the suits in Hollywood think we want to see remakes of movies? Don’t they realize that we'd much rather see an original story done in a new and original way? I guess a part of the problem is that the typical American moviegoer will go see just about ANYTHING as long as it doesn't require the reading of subtitles, leaving their loud children at home, or using a single cell of their brain to understand the movie. Because of this trend in ticket sales… remakes still get made. Now, I will have to defend the small portion of remakes that are actually good films made for the right reasons. Peter Jackson's "King Kong" is a good example of that. It was made because the director had so much love for the original that he felt compelled to make it as an homage. On the other side of the coin, there are remakes like "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", "The Poseidon Adventure" and "The Fog" that were made for no other reason than the almighty dollar.

As it turned out, I learned that the reason Huffman was gaining so much attention was the fact that she was playing a man working towards becoming a woman. Of course, we all know Felicity Huffman is quite a lovely actress so I had to wonder just what could have been done physically to prepare her for the role. Then the first pictures started showing up and I was floored. Being that I do a little special effects makeup work on the side, I can truly appreciate the talent and work that goes into an exceptional makeup job. And let me tell you, this was an exceptional makeup job.

Face it, these producers expect that members of the typical movie-going audience are really dumb… and they're not too far off the mark.

Such was the case with the remake of "When a Stranger Calls." The original film came out in 1979 and starred a very young Carol Kane as a baby sitter caught on the phone with a homicidal killer (a rather redundant description if I've ever written one). I won’t give away the twist to the plot on the off-chance you don’t already know it. And if you do know it, there's no point in my mentioning in this review. The film was pretty popular and even spawned a made for TV sequel in 1993 (re-teaming director Fred Walton with Carol Kane). More recently, director Simon West was brought in to create an even newer spin, which is the version I saw on DVD a few days ago.

Very little is different from the original plot, other than the general updating of the time period. Stepping in for Kane is Camilla Belle, who is a very attractive actress but not really strong enough in the acting department to carry an entire film. I think the idea, as is the case in most horror movie remakes, is to cast young attractive actors and actresses in the hopes that everyone will be too busy ogling to notice the deficiencies in the film. Fortunately over the years I have developed the power to ogle and notice the deficiencies all at the same time.

In terms of style, Simon West's version of "When a Stranger Calls" is as pretty to look at as the lead actress, but nearly as vapid. The mix of camera angles and music does a good enough job of setting up the suspense, but most of the scares go beyond the realm of formulaic. Wanna see a cat jump out of nowhere? It's here. Beyond that, just about every other scare comes from everyday noises you hear in your own house, only magnified a hundredfold. Okay, admittedly I've walked through my house in the middle of the night and jumped at the sound of the icemaker, but I don’t remember it being quite THAT loud.

As for the DVD release, we are treated to two separate commentaries. The first is by Simon West and Camilla Belle, and to be honest… there just isn’t much there. West turns in the typical commentary, wordily explaining how and why some things were done, but there is no feeling of excitement or real interest. Belle doesn’t say much at all. The alternate commentary is by the writer, Jake Wade Wall. This one doesn’t fare much better. He has a few interesting things to say, but some of what he explains sounds very 'Hollywood.' You'll also find a couple of deleted scenes and a short making of featurette. This last featurette just offers a little more of the same than was found in the commentaries.

"When a Stranger Calls" in its original form is, in a sense, a classic. Not a great film, but a well made and certainly suspenseful one. This remake will be enjoyed by those who have not seen the original and by those in the college crowd who need a good Saturday night drinking movie. (I dare you to take drink every time the movie uses a loud sound to make you jump!)

Directed by: Simon West
Starring: Camilla Belle, Tommy Flanagan, Katie Cassidy, Tessa Thompson
Extras: Director and Cast Commentary, Writer's Commentary, The Making Of When A Stranger Calls featurette, Deleted Scenes
Specifications: Widescreen (2.40:1), Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Sony Pictures
Release Date: 5/23/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (For Intense Terror, Violence and some Language)
Website

We'll give When a Stranger Calls a C-.