Referred to as a sequel to the 1979 cult film, When a Stranger Calls, this above-average production is really just another flash forward in the lives of Carol Kane (now involved in a women's shelter, and a crisis counselor for a local university), and the original film's detective (reprised by a more round Charles Durning) who together end the nightmare that a stalker inflicts upon a coed with a troubled babysitting past.

It doesn't take long for Kane and waifish Jill Schoelen to bond over their shared trauma, and although the opening sequence is a retread of a sitter tormented from inside the house, it's skillfully directed by writer/director Fred Walton, with elegant art direction, and Bill Geddes' lush cinematography adding the right balance of mood and atmosphere.

Walton's clunky premise has the stalker shifting his attention to Kane once Schoelen is out of the picture, but his motivations are never revealed; he just likes to watch, taunt, use his vocal skills, and we have to presume that he did nasty things to the two kids that disappeared when Schoelen was supposed to be sitting for their safety.

Where the telefilm pays off is in some atmospheric set-pieces, and a few genuine scares that play with the film's stereo mix. Dana Kaproff's score is effectively creepy, but the largely synthetic design lacks the visceral punch present in his score for the '79 original.

For the gentlemen crowd, Walton sneaks in some topless boobery (a bonus when making telefilms for cable TV instead of restrictive commercial networks), but he stays away from dumb, profane dialogue; the low-key exchanges between characters give the able cast a few simple, honest scenes, and makes this '93 production a fun B-movie.

© 2006 Mark R. Hasan