When A Stranger Calls Poster Original Daybill 1979 Carol Kane
Daybill Poster.When a Stranger Calls is a 1979 American psychological horror film. It was directed by Fred Walton and stars Carol Kane and Charles Durning. The film derives its story from the classic folk legend of "the babysitter and the man upstairs" and the 1974 horror classic Black Christmas. The film was commercially successful, grossing $21,411,158 at the box office with a small budget of only a gross of $1,262,052. The film has developed a cult following over time because of the first 20 minutes, now consistently regarded as one of the scariest openings in horror movie history. Carol Kane stated in an interview that while watching the film in the theatre the audience began screaming and talking back to the screen during the opening 20 minutes of the film. The opening sequence was highly influential for the horror genre and was paid homage to in Wes Craven's Scream in the latter film's opening 12 minutes.
