MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for When a Stranger Calls

When a Stranger Calls

1979 · 97 min

A slow-building dread punctuated by a legendary opening, then a grim, methodical manhunt that lingers in the mind.

Directed by
Fred Walton
Genres
Horror, Thriller
Starring
Carol Kane, Charles Durning, Colleen Dewhurst
Tagline
Every babysitter's nightmare becomes real...
Overview
A student babysitter has her evening disturbed when the phone rings. So begins a series of increasingly terrifying and threatening calls that lead to a shocking revelation.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

Stream in the UK
  • Amazon Prime Video
More options Data from JustWatch
Directed by
Fred Walton
Genres
Horror, Thriller
Starring
Carol Kane, Charles Durning, Colleen Dewhurst
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • tensestrength 3 of 3
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • eeriestrength 2 of 3
  • bleakstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • obsession
  • trauma
  • isolation
  • fate
  • madness
Places
  • suburbs
  • big city
  • single country house
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • twist ending
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence strong
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action3
Horror7
Humour1
Realism7
Romance1
Tension8
Darkness8
Complexity5
Emotional weight7

More like this

Titles like When a Stranger Calls

Movie

Halloween

1978

A slow, creeping dread builds through quiet suburban streets and long shadows, making you scan every frame for the shape standing just out of sight.

Tense, dark, slow-burn · about trauma and isolation

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • trauma
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
91 min
Details
HalloweenHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

When a Stranger Calls Back

1993

A slow-burning, nerve-jangling thriller that keeps you on edge with its eerie stalker and psychological dread.

Same writer: Fred Walton · Tense, dark, slow-burn · about obsession and trauma · twist ending

Also
Same writer: Fred Walton
Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • obsession
  • trauma
  • twist ending
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
94 min
Details
When a Stranger Calls BackHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Psycho

1960

A slow-building, unsettling experience that tightens its grip with eerie atmosphere and a shocking twist.

Tense, dark · about isolation and madness · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • isolation
  • madness
  • twist ending
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
109 min
Details
PsychoHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Silence of the Lambs

1991

A slow-burn psychological thriller that keeps you on edge with its eerie atmosphere and intense mind games.

Tense, dark, slow-burn · about obsession and trauma · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • obsession
  • trauma
  • twist ending
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
119 min
Details
The Silence of the LambsHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Black Phone

2021

A grim, suspenseful captivity thriller that blends supernatural chills with raw domestic pain, keeping you anxious for a boy's survival.

Tense, dark · about trauma and isolation · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • trauma
  • isolation
  • twist ending
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
103 min
Details
The Black PhoneHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Split

2016

A claustrophobic, unsettling thriller that keeps you tense and uneasy, anchored by a mesmerizing performance and a slow dread that builds to a strange, disturbing payoff.

Tense, dark, slow-burn · about trauma and isolation · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • trauma
  • isolation
  • twist ending
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
117 min
Details
SplitHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Peeping Tom

1960

A chilling, intimate descent into a voyeur's mind, where every frame feels complicit and the tension never lets up.

Tense, dark · about obsession and trauma · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • obsession
  • trauma
  • twist ending
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
101 min
Details
Peeping TomHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Ring

1998

A slow, creeping dread seeps through every frame, building an atmosphere of inescapable doom that lingers long after the screen goes dark.

Tense, dark, slow-burn · about isolation and fate · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • isolation
  • fate
  • twist ending
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
96 min
Details
RingHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Prisoners

2013

A relentless, grim descent into desperation and moral compromise that keeps you tightly wound and uneasy throughout.

Tense, dark, slow-burn · about obsession · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • obsession
  • twist ending
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
153 min
Details
PrisonersHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Creep

2014

A slow-burn found-footage horror that builds unease through awkward intimacy and unpredictable behavior, making you feel trapped in an increasingly uncomfortable situation.

Tense, dark, slow-burn · about obsession and isolation · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • obsession
  • isolation
  • twist ending
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
78 min
Details
CreepHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Longlegs

2024

A slow-creeping dread that burrows under your skin, with an unsettling atmosphere and a haunting sense of inevitability.

Tense, dark, slow-burn · about obsession and trauma · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • obsession
  • trauma
  • twist ending
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
101 min
Details
LonglegsHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Watcher

2022

A slow, suffocating creep of paranoia and isolation, where every glance feels like a threat and dread builds quietly until it explodes.

Tense, dark, slow-burn · about obsession and isolation · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • dark
  • obsession
  • isolation
  • twist ending
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
96 min
Details
WatcherHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

Stream
  • Amazon Prime Video
Rent or buy
  • Apple TV Store
  • Amazon Video

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
horror, thriller
Directed by
Fred Walton
Written by
Fred Walton, Steve Feke
Starring
Carol Kane, Charles Durning, Colleen Dewhurst, Tony Beckley, Rutanya Alda, Carmen Argenziano, Kirsten Larkin, Ron O'Neal
Music
Dana Kaproff
Cinematography
Donald Peterman
Runtime
97 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata

Something wrong on this page? Tell us.