20 Years Later, The Horror Franchise That Inspired Scream Is Overdue For A Reboot

Although one horror franchise inspired the Scream series, it still doesn’t have any truly great movies of its own and hasn’t been seen on the big screen since way back in 2006. While the Scream series has its ups and downs, there is no denying the fact that the franchise is one of the most iconic and important in horror cinema history.

Without Scream, there would be no late ‘90s slasher renaissance, and viewers would never have gotten Valentine, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Cherry Falls, Halloween: H20, and the Urban Legend movies. The entire Scary Movie franchise was also inspired by Scream, meaning some of the most successful parody movies ever made might not have happened without the slasher series.

However, the franchise that inspired Scream itself has not only been absent from cinemas for two decades, but also still has no great movies to its name. Even though it is one of the most influential titles in the history of slasher cinema, the When a Stranger Calls series still hasn’t produced any classic horror movies.

There Has Still Never Been A Great When a Stranger Calls Movie

Director Fred Walton’s intense short film “The Sitter” was released to acclaim in 1977, and the success of this gripping 21-minute horror story led to a full-length expansion in Walton’s 1979 feature debut, When a Stranger Calls. Based on the iconic urban legend of the babysitter and the man upstairs, When a Stranger Calls features a truly terrifying opening scene.

The movie’s first act follows a babysitter who is increasingly unnerved by creepy calls from an anonymous man, only for her to eventually realize the calls are coming from inside the house. This sequence was so famously chilling that director Wes Craven modeled Scream’s opening scene after the beginning of When a Stranger Calls, with screenwriter Kevin Williamson also citing the movie as an influence.

However, despite a committed performance from Carol Kane as the movie’s traumatized heroine, When a Stranger Calls never lived up to its killer opening. The first scene, which replicates “The Sitter,” is a genuine masterpiece, but the rest of the 1979 original is a plodding procedural that doesn’t know where to take its story after this big initial shock.

Walton and Kane returned for 1993’s Showtime TV movie sequel, the hilariously titled When a Stranger Calls Back, and, despite its goofy name, the follow-up was surprisingly solid. Like a lot of the Scream sequels, this slasher could not quite outdo the original movie, but When a Stranger Calls Back was still entertaining enough as a standalone story.

A Good When a Stranger Calls Reboot Could Be Truly Terrifying

The series made its last appearance on cinema screens with 2006’s remake of the same name, which starred Camilla Belle as the beleaguered babysitter. With a stacked supporting cast of future stars including Katie Cassidy, Tessa Thompson, and Dianna Agron, 2006’s When a Stranger Calls made the risky choice to stretch out the original opening through the entire movie.

The 2006 remake mostly takes place in real-time, with Belle’s heroine evading the titular killer as he chases her through an absurdly well-appointed mansion. However, despite boasting the talents of Con Air director Simon West, When a Stranger Calls is a shockingly dull, bloodless affair that has little in the way of tension, gore, scares, or even humor.

This is a shame, as it means that all three of the When A Stranger Calls movies are surprisingly weak, even though they are based on one of the most influential urban legends in the slasher genre. Luckily, the fiancial success of the otherwise terrible Scream 7 proves that there is no better time for the franchise to make a comeback, and various movies have already paved the way.

A When A Stranger Calls Reboot Can Benefit From A Major Genre Trend

As evidenced by the opening scene of Scream and the scariest scenes from 1974’s Black Christmas, the When A Stranger Calls franchise has an incredible premise to work with. The opening scene of the original movie remains truly unsettling, and the resurgent popularity of slasher movies means that a reboot can now explore the central conceit with more flair.

From the new Scream movies to Totally Killer, the Terrifier movies, I Know What You Did Last Summer’s 2025 reboot, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Thanksgiving, Heart Eyes, and Clown in a Cornfield, it is fair to say slashers are having a moment right now. Furthermore, the variety of tones and styles seen in these slashers proves that a new When A Stranger Calls movie could take any number of big risks.

Whether the reboot doubles down on the 2006 remake’s real-time approach or does something totally new with its killer setup, the When A Stranger Calls franchise deserves at least one movie that lives up to the mark its plot has made on the genre. There are plenty of filmmakers exploring fresh takes on the slasher genre, and few titles are as influential as this one.

Thus, 2026 should be the year when this urban legend-centred franchise gets its mojo back. After informing the iconic horror of the Scream series, the When A Stranger Calls franchise should finally receive a great horror story of its own.

Release Date

December 20, 1996

Runtime

112 minutes