What makes it different from others?

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Belated made-for-TV sequel When A Stranger Calls Back starts off in full-on creepy mode, with babysitter Julia (Jill Schoelen) being disturbed by a stranger who knocks on the front door claiming that his car has broken down. In reality, he is a psycho who will not give up until he can get inside the house. After a tense stand-off, Julia doing everything to keep the man at bay, help eventually arrives, but not before the stranger is able to abscond with the children sleeping upstairs.All of this is well executed by director Fred Walton, with a strong performance from Schoelen, but the real horror is what comes next: five years after the disappearance of the kids, Julia is now an emotionally withdrawn student - sporting a monstrous mullet. The short hairstyle Schoelen wore in the opening scene wasn't particularly flattering, but her mullet is truly terrible, a heinous hairstyle guaranteed to disturb fans of the actress. When the psycho reappears and begins to torment Julia, the harrassed girl shoots herself in the head, but I suspect that looking in the mirror at that abysmal haircut was also a contributing factor.With Julia in a hospital bed, it is up to counselor Jill Johnson and detective John Clifford (Carol Kane and Charles Durning reprising their roles from the first film) to try and work out who it is that has been menacing the poor girl. At this point things get seriously silly, the nut-job revealed to be William Landis (Gene Lythgow), a ventriloquist who paints his face and body to blend in with his background (original, to say the least!). In a very silly finalé, Landis disguises himself as a brick wall in Jill's apartment, throwing his voice to confuse the woman.4.5 out of 10, rounded down to 4 for the mullet, and for failing to give us any insight into Landis's motives (we never learn what he did with the kidnapped children).

I realize how classic the 1979 version was, and I know how scared some people were during the infamous, "The call is coming from inside your house!" line...but let's be honest, that urban legend has been around for far longer than that film, and 1974's Black Christmas had a scene with that exact scenario. The 2006 remake was probably one of the most pitiful attempts at a remake I've seen in recent years, even securing a spot next to the Prom Night remake. 1993's sequel to the original, however, was surprisingly decent. Carol Kane returns to play the role of Jill, but this time, as a detective. It's really not all that bad for a made-for-TV movie...it certainly has its intense moments. Fred Walton directed the film - the same man responsible for the 1986 slasher April Fool's Day.Not a bad follow-up to the original. Give it a shot!

in my mind,this sequel to the original "When a Stranger Calls"(1979)is actually a better movie.i thought the story was better,with a better, much creepier and more intelligent villain.Carol Kane reprises her role from the original,and i actually thought she did a convincing job in this 1.i think that's because she plays an adult,and not a teenager.there are some interesting twists and the villain has more dimension.the overall look and feel of the film is much eerier than the original.to me,there is more of a sense of danger and distress.i have to admit the hairs on my neck stood up more than a few times.there is 1 real nail biting scene which kept me on the edge of my seat.for other recommendations,check out the review i did on the original.as for "When a Stranger Calls Back",i give it 7/10

I had a hard time trying to find this movie but now that I've watched it, I'm not a bit disappointed.The movie's first 20 or 25 minutes are extremely creepy thanks to a great direction mixed with a thrilling score. Like in the first movie, a baby sitter named Julia is terrorized by an unknown stranger who keeps knocking on the principal house door in order to convince her to let him in. Julia is smart and skeptical enough to never let him in (probably she has watched many Horror movies) but she is not smart enough to close the window and back door. After a series of hints, Julia finds out that the stranger not only entered the house but also kidnapped the children. Unlike the first movie, the stranger lets Julia know that he's in the house and when he's about to strangle her or something like that, she escapes from the house and finds the parents. Everything was okay by 11:15, the parents were supposed to arrive at 11:30. In 15 minutes, Julia experienced the worst nightmare she could ever imagine. These events are greatly directed. The movie has aged very well in the visuals aspect. The score is also perfect for the movie. After these chilling scenes, the movie fast forwards 5 years to display the current life of Julia, now a college student who is obviously traumatized by the events of "that" night. She checks out the door of her dorm even after closing it. But it seems that her tranquility is in danger again as a new stalker is terrorizing her, again. She is aided by the help of Jill Johnson (now college counselor) and ex detective John Clifford, who once again comes to the rescue (not to mention that he returns with extra weight!). This new stranger is more clever, aggressive, and meaner than the stranger from the original movie. After a series of events, including Julia staying in comma for some time and being attacked int he hospital; Jill being terrorized in the supermarket; a suspicious ventriloquist, etc., the stranger makes an appearance and confronts Jill and Clifford. The resolution of the movie is pretty chilling and convincing. The stranger camouflaged with the walls of the apartment before attacking Jill, who is not in defense, as she -literally- kicks his butt with her martial arts moves. The middle of the movie is very interesting and intense although many important details are not explained. I understand that the children were never found because the stranger actually killed them, as it happened in the original. But why would he terrorize Julia? Anyways, this is a movie to watch home alone at night. It also looks better than many modern Horror movies; it has better acting, direction, score, and plot than many of them. Jill Schoelen is extremely beautiful and makes you want to come to the scene and help her! She's just too cute to be on those kind of situations. Carol Kane is also very good in her role. She's a great actress. The rest of the cast is very good and convincing. This sequel is superior than the original mainly because it has better acting, direction, and a great plot. I highly recommend it because it easily is one of the best Horror Thrillers from the past decade.