When A Killer Calls

I thought since I reviewed both the original and the remake of When a Stranger Calls that I'd also review the made-for-DVD Asylum-produced knockoff, When A Killer Calls. (I also have When A Stranger Calls Back on the agenda, but I don't think it will arrive in time to get reviewed tomorrow.) As it turns out, When A Killer Calls was better than the 2006 remake of When A Stranger Calls, but it was nowhere near as good as the original When A Stranger Calls with Carol Kane.

The sets in When A Killer Calls don't look like the sets in the 2006 When A Stranger Calls; they look like real places in When a Killer Calls. The actors in When A Killer Calls don't look like the actors in the 2006 When A Stranger Calls; they look like real people in When a Killer Calls. The dialogue in When a Killer Calls doesn't sound like the dialogue in the 2006 When a Stranger Calls; it sounds like real conversation in When a Killer Calls. Most low budget movies suffer from their lack of funds, but in the case of a gritty thriller about a babysitter murderer, the film actually benefits from the more realistic sets, actors, and dialogue.

That being said, When A Killer Calls can't be considered a great or even a good film. The last 2/3 of the movie drags at an excruciating slow pace. The special effects weren't convincing at all. And the movie has no sense of tension or any kind of sense of dramatic pacing at all.

If you like B-movies, exploitation type violence, and brief nudity, then When A Killer Calls might be for you, It's unrated, but if it had a rating, it would certainly be rated R,

I don't recommend When A Killer Calls.