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Runtime: 97m
A babysitter receives a series of unsettling phone calls that quickly escalate into terror, setting off a chilling game of cat and mouse. Years later, the past resurfaces, forcing her to confront an unrelenting nightmare.
🍅 Rotten Tomatoes | 🎞️ IMDB
Potential Spoiler Warning
Don’t proceed if you want to be surprised.
List of Jump Scares in When a Stranger Calls (1979)
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When a Stranger Calls (1979) features a low jump scare count. All five are minor, relying on sudden reveals and sharp sound cues to startle without relying on gore or visual shocks. The scares are spaced out, with a few concentrated in key moments of suspense.
So how scary is When a Stranger Calls (1979)? It’s more tense than startling, building fear through atmosphere and dread. The pacing is slow and deliberate, with jump scares used sparingly to punctuate its psychological horror.
00:07:03
Ice cubes drop from the refrigerator’s ice machine, creating a sudden sound during a quiet scene. Not a traditional jump scare, but it may startle sensitive viewers.
00:21:24
The babysitter opens the door to reveal a man standing on the other side, causing her to scream.
00:58:54
A woman nearly trips over a homeless man while walking up the steps.
01:02:33
A man suddenly appears and puts a hand over the woman’s mouth.
01:33:31
As the woman tries to wake her husband, she screams upon realizing the man beside her is someone else.
