When a Stranger Calls Back (1993, Fred Walton) (Patreon)

36/100

Hated the original, wrote a sarcastic review that I'm uncommonly proud of, then somehow felt compelled to find out whether Walton's belated, made-for-TV sequel was an improvement, even though there's no possible non-dopey reason why Carol Kane's character would be stalked by another short-distance maniac (the original one having—spoiler!—been killed at the end). Would it be a good ol' vengeful relative? No, Jill's now a college counselor who becomes another maniac's secondary target when she consults on a female student's mysterious stalking case. Incredibly, Walton makes the same massive structural error that he had 14 years earlier, devoting the film's first 20-odd minutes to an expertly sustained, legitimately nerve-wracking setpiece and then leaping forward several years to waste our time with bland nonsense for the duration. I'd argue that Calls Back has an even stronger introductory act than did its predecessor, with the babysitter "terrorized" this time by a meek, plaintive voice heard through the front door (and requesting assistance) rather than over the phone; it admittedly concludes inelegantly, setting up a very dumb twist that Durning's ex-cop has to figure out two reels later, but Julia's uncertainty about whether or not she's in danger provides some additional, very effective tension. (Still, for fuck's sake bolt the door!) And at least this time we don't have to watch the maniac eke out a pathetic existence on the street for a while. Nothing in the "five years later" hour is any good at all, though, and asking us to believe that Jill can't see her attacker hiding in her apartment during the finale is like Johnny Knoxville asking himself to believe that the bull's not gonna see him in Jackass 3D. (Spoiler: It does; that's not how trompe l'œil works.) Still, it is better than the so-called classic, imo; if you're reading this before January 1st and subscribe to the Criterion Channel, consider watching just the initial half hour and then switching to something more worthwhile.