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When a Stranger Calls / Happy Birthday to Me

Carol Kane (Actor), Charles Durning (Actor), Fred Walton (Director), Rated:
R
Format: Blu-ray
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 99 ratings
$17.78
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Product Description

When A Stranger Calls" (1979)

Product details

  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 0.7 x 5.4 inches; 5.92 ounces
  • Item model number ‏ : ‎ 63173
  • Director ‏ : ‎ Fred Walton, J. Lee Thompson
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Multiple Formats, NTSC, Anamorphic, Blu-ray, Widescreen
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 3 hours and 28 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ March 26, 2013
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Carol Kane, Charles Durning, Colleen Dewhurst, Melissa Sue Anderson, Glenn Ford
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Mill Creek Entertainment
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00AUPSR14
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 99 ratings

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
99 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Angel eyes
5.0 out of 5 stars Two well-made thrillers....
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2013
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I originally saw When a Stranger Calls in a movie theater when it first came out. I had forgotten what a classy suspense movie this is. I am not an expert in Blu-ray transfers but from what I observe this is very good for a vintage movie. The colors are rich and detail is sharp. It looks excellent, take my word for it. This also has a really superb music score by Dana Kaproff that has inspired me to seek out a copy of the soundtrack. I recommend this movie to anyone who likes horror/suspense type movies.
I had not seen Happy Birthday to Me, but again it looks to be a fine transfer. This one has a bit more blood in it than When a Stranger Calls, but still is another worthy addition to the horror thriller genre. And again, a very good music score which I don't believe has been released in any form. I understand that earlier video releases of this movie used a different but unpopular music score. There is also a nice rendition of the song "Happy Birthday to Me" sung at the end of the movie (during the credits) by Syreeta.
I recommend both of these movies and especially at the very reasonable price at which they are available.
5 people found this helpful
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Magnolia
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Double Feature Buy
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2014
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I was seeking "Happy Birthday to Me" and found this double feature as a better value. The movies are presented in widescreen and are fresh, sharp images. "Happy Birthday to Me" starring Melissa Sue Anderson (from Little House on the Prarie fame) remained my favorite with some good story twists. Not an excellent movie but a good throwback to yesteryear. "When a Stranger Calls" was overall good but the story did become slow in the middle. I had not seem this version before.... only sequels/remakes.
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RMurray847
3.0 out of 5 stars Review of When A Stranger Calls only
Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2023
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I’m not going to say that WHEN A STRANGER CALLS is a good movie. Seeing it in 2023, it is so dated that it’s difficult to guess if it was more impactful or scary back in 1979. I imagine it was scarier, but also recognizably cheesy.

That being said, it is actually a rather unusual and interesting film. Again, not scary, per se…but more unusual than I would have guessed.

The movie truly is in three very distinct sections. Part one is certainly the most famous and is the segment that everyone likely knows, even if they haven’t seen the movie. Babysitter Jill (Carol Kane, so young) shows up at the home of a couple she’s never met to oversee the care of two children she’s never met who are already in bed. Almost immediately, she starts getting telephone calls from a mysterious man, asking “have you checked the children?” At first, Jill assumes a prank, and later, she starts getting creeped out by sounds in the house, so she calls the cops. It’s not ruining too much to note here that at no time does she ever actually check on the children! So while the scenes of increasing creepiness are effective (it’s a simple premise but one we can relate to), Jill’s behavior can’t help but seem unbelievable. And when, 20 minutes in, we find out what’s going on, it’s both quite terrifying and 100% reliant on Jill having been a bit of a ninny.

Part 2 follows retired police detective Charles Durning, hired to hunt down the escaped fiend from Part 1. This part plays out a bit like a police procedural. We get to know Durning’s character a bit and in particular, we spend time with the villain, Curt Duncan (played by veteran British actor Tony Beckley, in an effective performance that actually tries to build a smidge of sympathy for this psycho). Duncan tries to cozy up at the bar to Tracy, a hard-drinking single-woman of a certain age (played by Colleen Dewhurst…talk about OVER-casting your movie. This great actress must have owed someone a favor, but boy, she looks and plays the part). Anyway, a slow-paced cat-and-mouse game ensues. One that ends up in frustration. It’s the part that seems to be most divisive in viewers because it is a complete change in tone. Personally, I found it interesting that the movie took this very untypical path. Perhaps it was simply needed in order to make the whole enterprise feature length, but that’s a cynical thought (even if accurate). I prefer to think the filmmakers were trying to bring the story firmly into the realm of gritty realism, even if it’s easy to argue that they didn’t achieve that goal. The whole section just feels a bit odd.

Then Part 3 brings back Carol Kane, now years older and with her own family. The section feels rushed and tagged on.

The total impact of the film is of some folks trying to get creative and break out of the typical horror/slasher mode (or, since slasher films were so new…to figure out what kind of movie a slasher movie needed to be). It’s not a great film by ANY stretch of the imagination. But I found it interesting as a time capsule, if nothing else. And the opening section of the film is a classic. I’d recommend this only to viewers with a real interest in the time-capsule aspect of the experience.
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Doug Danzeisen
4.0 out of 5 stars A great twin pack for CAROL KANE fans and fans of these movies
Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2016
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I love having these old movies available on for a reasonable price. Good enough video resolution that the graininess of the original film stock come through, or is that an editing issue?
When a stranger calls is an intense classic "Babysitter" meets "Baby slitter" film. This film would likely not be made today as few would accept a horror movie with so little graphic slashing, blood and violence. But this movie delivers chills and thrills that resonate long after the viewing is over. Evil is often insidious, but always relentless. So it is in the film when Kane, the baby sitter gets a chilling phone call asking if she has checked on the children. The caller keeps calling back. Kane grows increasingly frightened and calls police and tries to locate the parents of the kids she is watching. There are a lot of classic elements at work here, including some pretty great atmospheric filming, recalling in some ways "Sorry wrong Number." In both films the protagonists are seemingly hunted relentlessly by the villain and reach out to a world that seemingly does not believe them, nor want to believe in the evil that lurks just beyond view of the "Protectors" The villain is captured and seven years later returns to menace the same traumatized young woman again. Well made and fun to watch today. A rare slasher movie that shows little gore, instead relying on the "Theater of the mind" much as radio did in its heyday.
The second film, Happy Birthday to me, is a more standard slasher film, but still above average in both story and writing. The story invovles a young woman, Kane again, who may, or may not be killing her friends while she is consciously unaware of due to some psychological and physical trauma she suffered while a young girl. Well done, and again, not a great deal of gore, but more graphic than "Stranger." Kane is quite believable in this role as well. A fun watch, but not quite as memorable as "Strangers" in the depth of characterization or story.
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Giavana44
5.0 out of 5 stars Stranger Calls Classic/ Happy Birthday to Me Came Brand New, unopened,came fast, in original packaging,thanked
Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2014
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This movie am a is a great horror/suspense thri buller edge of your seat because it is so realistic and if you have ever babysat before; it could have been you. I babysat a lot in my younger years so I put myself in the actress's role. I have collected about 400 movies but this still remains one of my favorites.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Lucie Boutet
5.0 out of 5 stars Deux très bons slashers
Reviewed in Canada on June 2, 2017
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WHEN A STRANGER CALLS: Un bon thriller dont la ligne directrice est un téléphone, le premier slasher du genre. Charles Durning (que l'on peut voir entre autres dans ''L'Arnaque'') y joue là son dernier rôle. On a fait un remake moins réussi de ce film en 2006. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME: Il s'agit d'un film dans la même lignée que ''Halloween'' ou ''Vendredi 13''. Il n'est cependant pas une reprise qui aurait pu être remanié autrement mais un slasher original qui se laisse vraiment écouter par ceux qui aiment le genre. La fin fait trembler à souhait. Melissa Sue Anderson joue le rôle principal, un rôle hors de l'ordinaire qui montre qu'elle est une bonne actrice pas seulement capable de jouer la fille aînée des Ingalls dans ''La petite maison dans la prairie''.
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zax93
5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for fans of Suspense / Horror movies
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 30, 2013
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I'd never seen either of these films before ordering the Blu Ray - first things first it is true that this disk is region locked and will not play on a Region B player but anyone with Region Free Capacity should snap this up.

The atmosphere and acting in When a Stranger Calls makes for a really unique film in the history of Horror movies. Contrary to some people I actually really enjoyed the entire film not just the famous opening segment. The atmosphere, the city streets, the acting and the off kilter nature of many of the characters all add up to a memorable and unique experience.

Happy Birthday to Me is an enjoyable piece of 80s hokum which is good fun although let down by a ridiculously implausible twist which should never have been included but hey it was the 80s!

The Transfers of both films are great and genuine HD representations of how they are supposed to look.

It's even easier to enjoy this double bill knowing how cheap it is - so what are you waiting for?
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£‥±± ポンドニテンプラマイ
5.0 out of 5 stars 「79年製邦題『夕暮れにベルがなる』と81年製邦題『誕生日はもう来ない』のお得なツインパック。」
Reviewed in Japan on December 6, 2014
Verified Purchase
　共に小品ながらキラリと光る所が有るサイコホラー/スラッシャーのツインパック。
　特典らしきものは聴覚障害者用の英語字幕しか御座いませんが、それぞれのメニュー画面は好デザインで、画質、音質共に充分満足出来る内容でした(私が購入した時は1,000円未満でした…)。

●「When A Stranger Calls（夕暮れにベルが鳴る）」
　本作でスマッシュヒットを物にした以外は主にTVムービーで知られるフレッド・ウォルトン監督の都市伝説的なサイコホラー。
　俳優陣は
主演のキャロル・ケイン（「アニーホール」「プリンセス・ブライド・ストーリー」）はまるでボッチチェルリの絵画が動き出したかの如き古典的な美人。
　彼女が学生時代のベビーシッター・アルバイト中に遭遇した凄惨な事件を追う元警察出身の探偵、クリフォードにこの時代、一番脂が乗っていたチャールズ・ダーニング（「合衆国最後の日」『シャーキーズ・マシーン』「クワイヤー・ボーイズ」。
　『ステップ・ファーザー・シリーズ』のテリー・オクゥインと並ぶ、史上一二を争う地味な連続殺人犯に、本作が遺作となったトニー・べックリー（「ミニミニ大作戦」「狙撃者」「魔獣大陸」、トム・ベイカー版「Dr.Who」）。
　ジョージ・Ｃ・スコットとの結婚でも有名な、大柄で深く刻まれた皺が特徴の性格女優コリン・デュハースト（「マックＱ」「デッド・ゾーン」）
　ほんの少しの登場ながら、アカデミー主演女優主ノミネートの経験もあるウェールズの名女優、レイチェル・ロバーツ（「孤独の報酬」「ピクニック・アット・ハンギング・ロック」）。
　等、地味目ながら達者な方々が集まって居り見所有り。

　ネタバレは致しません。
細かい面はツッコミ所が有りますが、ともかく、一回は途中、止めたりトイレに行ったりせずに最後まで観て頂けると結構ゾクリと致します。
　ただ、二度目からはかなり恐怖が薄まりますが。
　特に、複雑な内面を感じさせる、本作が遺作となったベックリーの鬼気迫る演技は見物。
　一見、うらぶれた中年男性にしか見えませんがとても怖いです。

●「Happy Birthday to Me」
　「ナバロンの要塞」や晩年のチャールズ・ブロンソンと組んだ老優アクションで有名なリー・J・トンプソンの、結構面白い興味を逸らさない若者向けスラッシャー・ムービー。
　70年代にNHKを観ていた年代の方にはお馴染みの美少女メリッサ・スー・アンダーソン(｢大草原の小さな家｣)が、ヨーロッパの監督にいびられたジョン・モルダー・ブラウンの様に、その後の女優生活を左右しかねない身も蓋もない役をやらせられているかの様に見えますが…。

　複雑な、そこまで凝らなくても良いのでは?と思わせる大映テレビも真っ青なストーリーと、今の眼で見ると少々品が良く見えるが充分痛みが伝わってくる特殊メイクに依るスラッシャー・シーン等、大いに見応えが御座います。
　特にクライマックスの誕生会のシーンは後進のアドリアン・ガルシア・ボグリアーノ監督等に大きな影響を与えたと思います。
　名優グレン・フォード（「決断の3時10分」「スーパーマン」）が記憶喪失のアンダーソンの主治医で登場(撮影中、ずっと飲んだくれていたという噂有り)。

　哀愁あふれるピアノ中心の主題歌はモータウン・レコードのSyreetaによる「Happy Birthday to Me」
　残念ながらサントラや主題歌の販売はされていない様子です(あったら買いたいです)。
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George
1.0 out of 5 stars One Star
Reviewed in Canada on September 20, 2017
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Garbage. Did not play on my Blu Ray. I got a refund for it.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 21, 2013
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I remember these from the early days of Slasher movies in the late 70's and early 80's. They are not the best of the genre but are worth a look. When a Stranger Calls being the best of the two with it's babysitter in peril storyline. Any way the cheap double bill Blu ray release price is low enough to take a punt.
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