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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 301621" data-attributes="member: 23">When A Stranger Calls (2006) <img src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fimages2.fanpop.com%2Fimage%2Fphotos%2F9400000%2FWhen-a-Stranger-Calls-horror-movies-9482517-1280-1024.jpg&f=1&nofb=1" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 707px" /> This era put out an absolute shedload of terrible remakes of horror films: Black Xmas, Prom Night, April Fool's Day, Halloween, etc. Some were based on good films and almost all were absolutely pointless. All the same, I'm really quite fond of this particular remake and have enjoyed watching it many times over the years. Compared with the 1979 version it wisely takes a very different approach. Gone is the charming Seventies low budget grit, glossed over with sumptuous Noughties production values. It should go against the film, but the sets and cinematography are gorgeous and make it visually very interesting. Shadows loom round every corner, blending with rich colours to give the viewer that feeling of being in a strange house, alone at night. Gone, too is the mid-film character study of Curt Duncan. "The Stranger" of this film stays very much in the shadows with next to no dialogue other than a few short memorable lines and much heavy breathing. This is very much Jill Johnson's film, and once she arrives at the Mandrakis house, we barely leave. It stretches out the first short act of the original to feature length. It shouldn't work, but it does because its less is more approach creates a brooding atmosphere. It's not about stuff happening (very little does) and more about the fear that something could be about to happen. The biggest strike against the film is that it gets squeamish when it comes to the original's most significant shock, with Curt's most horrific act. The more I watch, the more I feel this is a mistake. I enjoy that this is a psychological thriller (albeit a very lightweight one) rather than a slasher, or even a  horror film. All the same, because of the pulled punch, there's no real sense of consequence for anyone, really. Still, the lead actress is watchable, I really like James Dooley's oppressively atmospheric score. And it looks gorgeous. <img src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2F53%2Fae%2Ff0%2F53aef0a1e8d270b86987533a0fe4aaad.jpg&f=1&nofb=1" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> [MEDIA=youtube]C1E8G3tstP0[/MEDIA]</blockquote>

Verification: Who played JR Ewing?