this slide is the analysis of when a stranger calls as a reference movie for thriler suspense.

1. Film reference#1
When A Stranger Calls.

2. When A Stranger Calls
The film was theatrically released on February 3, 2006 and received
overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics. The film grossed over
$66.9 million worldwide on a $15 million budget. The film hasmade a
total of $13,276,661 in DVD sales. It is distributed by screen gems
(Screen Gems is an American film production company and division
company of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Sony Pictures Motion
Picture Group)

3. PLOT
When a stranger calls is a thriller suspense movie Directed by
Simon west. In a remote hilltop house, high school student JILL
JOHNSON (Camilla Belle) settles in for a routine night of
babysitting. With the children sound asleep and a beautiful
home to explore, she locks the door and sets the alarm. But
when a series of eerie phone calls from a STRANGER insists
that she ''check the children,'' Jill begins to panic. Fear escalates
to terror when she has the calls traced and learns that the calls
are coming from inside the house. Jill must summon all of her
inner strength if she is going to fight back and make it out of the
house alive.

4. About the production
In 1978, one of the scariest movies of its time took to the big screen and sent babysitters around the world into
a frenzied panic. Often imitated (Scream), but never duplicated, When a Stranger Calls starred a terrified young
baby-sitter.... an incessantly ringing phone.... and whispered threats which set the stage for one of the most
suspenseful chillers ever filmed. Carol Kane starred as the baby-sitter tormented by a series of ominous phone
calls from a faceless man asking her over and over ''Have you checked the children?'' This movie, which has
since maintained a cult status, would raise the bar for psycho-thrillers and set the tone for future films of its
kind.
More than a quarter of a century later, Ken Lemberger, former co-president of Sony Pictures Entertainment, took
interest in a remake. ''When I left Sony, I asked Amy Pascal if she would mind my going through the library of
features as well as the abandoned properties file to look for material to re-adapt,'' recalls Lemberger. ''I was
looking for films which weren't overwhelmingly successful commercially and literally, the first picture that
attracted my attention was WHEN A STRANGER CALLS. I remembered from the original, that it was
probably the scariest twenty-minute beginning of a film I had ever seen.''
Lemberger took the idea to Clint Culpepper, President of Screen Gems. The two concurred that the original film
was essentially three different films rolled into one, and that their adaptation would focus on the very scary
beginning most people remembered. This would provide a blueprint for the whole story to be rewritten.

5. With sixty-seven films under his belt, some of them remakes, John Davis would
bring his love for the original film and talents as a franchise filmmaker to the table
as producer. Davis, who doesn't call this film a ''remake,'' so much as a ''revisiting,''
remembers the original well. ''STRANGER was an incredibly timelessscary
thriller,'' he recalls, ''I couldn't get that famous line 'Have you checked the
children?' out of my head.''
Updating the film would be a challenge, and things needed to change to make it
work 28 years later. ''We agreed to make the film more of a psychological thriller
than the original,'' he explains. ''Terror lieswith what you don't see versus what you
do, Having a young girl trapped in a house being stalked is a really relatable, scary
notion. We all know babysitters or we've all baby-sat, and what makes this movie
scary is that it could happen to any of us. One of our worst nightmares is having a
family member being put into jeopardy like this.

6. Filming
Principal photography began on January 1, 2005
and completed on 28 February 2005 in Vancouver,
Canada. Bellarm ine-Jefferson High School was
used to portray the high school seen in the film
while Signal Hill was used to portray the carnival
shown in the film. Running Springs was used as the
filming location for the road sequences. The house
that was used in the film is located in Culver
Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City.

7. CastingEvan Rachel Wood was offered the role of
Jill Johnson but turned it down.
CamillaBellewas then approached
and almost turned the role down due to
her personal dislike for horror films
but Simon West convinced her that he
was going more for a psychological
thrillerand so she accepted. To
prepare for her role Bellehad to do
two months of weight-trainingand
learning how to run. Belle was injured
twiceon the set, she struck a wooden
bridge cutting and scarring her hand
and also slammed her head against a
glass window.

8. Music
The album called as When a Stranger Calls:The Complete Original Motion Picture Score was 15-instrumental
songs was composed byJames Dooley willbe omittingcommercially released songs that were featured in the film
it was released on February 10, 2006.

9. Distribution
For the releaseof the film, AOL Instant Messenger ran ads beckoning usersto IM Jill020306.
When messaged, "Jill" (a Colloquis-style program) made small talk before panicking, as she
receivedcalls from a stranger asking her to check the children. She then gives the user her
phone number (a toll-free877 number) and asks them to call her. When users call, they hear an
ad for the movie. Also, around the time of the DVD release, a new screen name appeared,
Jill051606, to tie in with the DVD releasedate on May 16, 2006. It does not involve callingher,
but insteadshe directsyou to a video securitysystem on the official DVD site where the
shadow of the strangerpasses by frequently.
MySpace ran an advertisement: the profile for Jill051606,in which users can add the profile as
a friend, leave comments, and read Jill's blog.
Home media:
The movie was releasedon May 16, 2006 on DVD. Special featuresinclude two audio
commentaries (one with Camilla Belle and Simon West; the other with Jake Wade
Wall),deleted scenes,a 20-minute making-offeaturette, and trailers. A Blu-ray version of the
film has yet to be released.

10. Box Office Results
BUDGET:
$15,000,000 (estimated)
Opening Weekend
$21,607,203 (USA) (5 February 2006) (2,999 Screens)
£494,131 (UK) (14 May 2006) (304 Screens)
GROSS:
$47,860,214 (USA) (19 March 2006)
$47,607,572 (USA) (12 March 2006)
$47,064,026 (USA) (5 March 2006)
$45,470,021 (USA) (26 February 2006)
$42,102,350 (USA) (19 February 2006)
$33,958,222 (USA) (12 February 2006)
$21,607,203 (USA) (5 February 2006)
£1,017,259 (UK) (21 May 2006)
£494,131 (UK) (14 May 2006)
$19,106,773 (Worldwide) (except USA)
$66,966,987 (Worldwide)
Weekend Gross
$145,492 (USA) (19 March 2006) (181 Screens)
$320,481 (USA) (12 March 2006) (417 Screens)
$1,112,341 (USA) (5 March 2006) (1,118
Screens)
$2,512,662 (USA) (26 February 2006) (2,060
Screens)
$5,824,394 (USA) (19 February 2006) (2,629
Screens)
$9,111,820 (USA) (12 February 2006) (3,004
Screens)
$21,607,203 (USA) (5 February 2006) (2,999
Screens)
£290,027 (UK)

11. Nominations and Awards.
When a stranger calls was nominated for 3 awards but won none
1) Golden trailer awards for best thriller movie 2006.
2) The Stinkers Bad Movie Awards for the most Intrusive Musical Score
and Least scary horror movie 2006.
RATINGS:
5/10IMDb
9%Rotten Tomatoes
27%Metacritic

12. Why I chose it as my reference movie
Even though when a stranger calls is not a hit movie on the box office but
I still chose it for my reference movie. The shots taken with the fast
pace editing in this movie has always been my favorite and the way
this movie follows all the code and conventions of a typical thriller
suspense I wanted to make mine like this too. Specially the sound
effects used in this movie build up alot of tension and suspense for the
audience to grasp on what is happening. My opening sequence plot
even matches this movie thus I chose it.