SimilarScreen
When a Stranger Calls

When a Stranger Calls

Every babysitter's nightmare becomes real...

19796.21h 37m

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.

Directed by Fred Walton
Written by Steve Feke, Fred Walton
Produced by Steve Feke, Doug Chapin
Box OfficeBudget: $1.5MRevenue: $25.0M

Top Cast

Carol Kane

Carol Kane

Jill Johnson

Charles Durning

Charles Durning

John Clifford

Colleen Dewhurst

Colleen Dewhurst

Tracy

Tony Beckley

Tony Beckley

Curt Duncan

Rutanya Alda

Rutanya Alda

Mrs. Mandrakis

Carmen Argenziano

Carmen Argenziano

Dr. Mandrakis

K

Kirsten Larkin

Nancy

Ron O'Neal

Ron O'Neal

Lt. Charlie Garber

H

Heetu

Houseboy

Rachel Roberts

Rachel Roberts

Dr. Monk

Themes & Keywords

babysitterphone callsinisterfrightenedhorrified

About When a Stranger Calls

When a Stranger Calls is a horror, thriller film released in 1979 exploring themes of babysitter, phone call, sinister, frightened, horrified. Directed by Fred Walton, it stars Carol Kane, Charles Durning, Colleen Dewhurst. 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.

Movies Similar to When a Stranger Calls

Discover titles like When a Stranger Calls — ranked by similarity and community votes

We found 15 movies similar to When a Stranger Calls

If you enjoyed When a Stranger Calls, you'll love these handpicked recommendations. Each title below shares similar themes, tone, and storytelling style. Our algorithm analyzes genres, keywords, director filmography, and cast connections to find the closest matches. Whether you're looking for the same emotional depth, narrative structure, or visual style, these picks are curated to deliver the best viewing experience for fans of When a Stranger Calls.

The Conjuring
32% Match

Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse. Forced to confront a powerful entity, the Warrens find themselves caught in the most terrifying case of their lives.

The Grudge
30% Match

The Grudge(2004)

Movie5.9/10

An American nurse living and working in Tokyo is exposed to a mysterious supernatural curse, one that locks a person in a powerful rage before claiming their life and spreading to another victim.

Fright
29% Match

Fright(1971)

Movie6.0/10

Young babysitter Amanda arrives at the Lloyd residence to spend the evening looking after their young son. Soon after the Lloyds leave, a series of frightening occurrences in the gloomy old house have Amanda's nerves on edge. The real terror begins, however, when the child's biological father appears after recently escaping from a nearby mental institution.

Carrie
28% Match

Carrie(1976)

Movie7.3/10

Withdrawn and sensitive teenager Carrie White faces bullying from classmates and abuse from her fanatically pious mother. When she begins to suspect that she has supernatural powers, things take a dark and violent turn.

Halloween
28% Match

Halloween(1978)

Movie7.6/10

Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween Night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.

The Shining
28% Match

Jack Torrance accepts a caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel, where he, along with his wife Wendy and their son Danny, must live isolated from the rest of the world for the winter. But they aren't prepared for the madness that lurks within.

The Sentinel
27% Match

As a young girl, Alison Parker attempted suicide after being traumatized by her father's sexual exploits. Now an elite fashion model, she moves to a Brooklyn Heights apartment building where she encounters a number of bizarre, eccentric tenants and attempts to uncover the building's sinister secret.

Night of the Reaper
26% Match

College student Deena visits her hometown and is roped into a babysitting gig. Meanwhile, the local sheriff, after receiving a piece of evidence in the mail, falls into an increasingly desperate scavenger hunt involving a series of murders.

Sinners
25% Match

Sinners(2025)

Movie7.5/10

Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.

Thir13en Ghosts
25% Match

Arthur and his two children inherit his uncle's estate: a glass house that serves as a prison to twelve ghosts. When the family, accompanied by a nanny and an attorney, enter the house they find themselves trapped inside an evil machine 'designed by the Devil and powered by the dead' to open the Eye of Hell. Aided by a ghost hunter and his rival, a ghost rights activist out to set the ghosts free, the group must do what they can to get out of the house alive.

Emelie
25% Match

Emelie(2016)

Movie5.3/10

After their regular babysitter cancels, the Thompson family turns to her friend, Anna to supervise their children while the parents go out to celebrate their anniversary. At first Anna seems like a dream come true to the kids, allowing them to eat extra cookies and play with things that are usually off-limits, but as her behaviour becomes increasingly odd, the kids soon find out that her intentions are dark and twisted—and she is not who she seems to be.

Funny Games
24% Match

When Ann, husband George, and son Georgie arrive at their holiday home they are visited by a pair of polite and seemingly pleasant young men. Armed with deceptively sweet smiles and some golf clubs, they proceed to terrorize and torture the tight-knit clan, giving them until the next day to survive.

Countdown
24% Match

Countdown(2019)

Movie6.2/10

A young nurse downloads an app that tells her she only has three days to live. With time ticking away and a mysterious figure haunting her, she must find a way to save her life before time runs out.

Halloween Ends
24% Match

Four years after the events of Halloween in 2018, Laurie has decided to liberate herself from fear and rage and embrace life. But when a young man is accused of killing a boy he was babysitting, it ignites a cascade of violence and terror that will force Laurie to finally confront the evil she can’t control, once and for all.