Critical Reception
The film received generally mixed reviews from critics. On review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 40% approval rate based on 10 reviews, giving it a "rotten" certification.
However, the opening 22-23 minutes of the movie are largely considered the reason for the movie's cult status, and consistently regarded as one of the scariest scenes in horror cinema.
Negative reviews of the film cited the decline in quality following those first 20 minutes, owing to a lack of suspense and the plot development slowing down considerably. Some critics also noted that Tony Beckley looked far too physically frail to be believable as a killer who could rip children apart with his bare hands.
The film has since developed a cult following. It ranked number 28 on TV channel Bravo's The 100 Scariest Movie Moments program.
Read more about this topic: When A Stranger Calls (1979 film)
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