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''When a Stranger Calls'' (released in the UK as ''When a Stranger Rings'') is a 1979 psychological horror film. It was directed by Fred Walton and stars Carol Kane and Charles Durning. The film derives its story from the classic folk legend of "The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs" and the 1974 horror classic ''Black Christmas''. The film was commercially successful, grossing $21,411,158 at the box office, though it received a mixed critical reception. It was followed by the 1993 made-for-television sequel ''When a Stranger Calls Back'' and a remake in 2006. The film has developed a cult following over the years because of the film's opening 20 minutes which are consistently regarded as one of the scariest opening in horror movie history. The film's opening sequence was largely influential for the horror genre and was paid homage to in Wes Craven's Scream in the latter film's opening 12 minutes. ==Plot== Jill Johnson (Carol Kane) is babysitting the children of Dr. and Mrs. Mandrakis (Carmen Argenziano and Rutanya Alda) at their home. When the children are asleep, Jill receives a telephone call from a man who asks her if she has checked the children. At first, Jill dismisses the telephone calls as a practical joke; however, as the calls become more frequent and threatening, Jill becomes frightened and decides to call the police, who promise to trace the caller if Jill keeps him on the telephone line long enough. Jill, frightened to extreme measures, arms herself as she receives one final call from the nefarious stalker. Soon after the conversation, Jill receives a call from the police, only to find out that the stalker is calling from inside the house. A light comes on at the top of the staircase, and Jill sees the stalker's shadow. She immediately runs to the front door to scream for help. Afterwards, Officer John Clifford (Charles Durning) investigates the matter. It turns out that the children were murdered by the perp several hours earlier. The killer is identified as an English merchant seaman named Curt Duncan (Tony Beckley), and is subsequently sent to an asylum. Seven years later, Duncan escapes from the asylum, still psychopathic. Dr. Mandrakis hires Clifford, now a private investigator, to find Duncan. Not knowing Clifford is after him, Duncan is now a homeless, vagrant loner. He gets into a fight and is beaten after disturbing a middle-aged woman, Tracy (Colleen Dewhurst), in a tavern, and later follows her to her apartment. As Tracy takes her keys out to open her apartment door Duncan magically materializes in a state of masterfully concealed hostility that is in itself a most remarkable performance for his character. Feeling sorry for his disastrous appearance and for the fact that his attempts at conversation with her started the fight in the first place, Tracy makes light conversation with him. While they are in the doorway talking, Tracy's phone rings. Perhaps egotistically, Tracy flings the door wide open when she answers the phone unaware that she is in any danger and allows Duncan to pick up the slack from their earlier encounter and Duncan lets himself into her apartment. Tracy does not tell him to leave right away nor does she explicitly rebuff his awkward proposal to visit her for coffee the next night, assuming or hoping it will be the last of him she will see. Tracy asks 'Where are you from?' followed by a pause from Duncan as the phone rings. He then replies 'I'm from New York actually.' There is a sense of Old San Francisco: a location for the film is Los Angeles. Tracy had an attitude of some inconsiderate flow with regard to Duncan's advances on her at the tavern. This was similarly viewed as infuriating to an impartial male patron who unleashes his fists onto an indignant and unsuspecting Duncan. Duncan's butchered bar room beating is responsible for his momentary drop of Tracy when she claims a friend is on the way. Duncan sidles out the door with deliberate ease. Tracy follows and 'locks-up' behind him. The sound of an elevator arrives and the door knob twists back and forth as Duncan regains his predatory instinct and attempts to force an entry. Meanwhile, an increasingly obsessed and vindictive Clifford, having confided to a former partner (Ron O'Neal) that his intention is to kill Duncan rather than arrest him, follows the trail to the tavern where the fight took place, then to Tracy's residence—the same night Duncan is likely to arrive for his visit. Clifford goes there and tells Tracy just how dangerous her situation has become, revealing that Duncan literally tore and hacked up Mandrakis' children with his bare hands, rendering them virtually unrecognizable. Tracy reluctantly accepts to be Clifford's bait at the tavern that evening, but Duncan does not arrive and she decides to return home. Clifford then leaves Tracy's place, but she is then attacked by Duncan, who was hiding in her closet. Tracy screams for help, and Clifford returns and chases Duncan away from the scene. In the streets of downtown Los Angeles, he loses Duncan's trail. Jill Johnson is now an adult, married with two young children (Sara Damman and Richard Bail). One night, she and her husband Stephen (Steven Anderson) go out to dinner in celebration of a promotion, and a friend named Sharon (Lenora May) babysits her children. At the restaurant, Jill gets a telephone call from someone asking, "Have you checked the children?" Jill panics and calls Sharon. It appears that nothing is wrong at first, but then the call is suddenly disconnected. The police arrive and escort Jill back home and finds that everything was fine. Clifford tries to call Jill, but finds that the line was disconnected. Jill and Stephen sleep. Later, Jill goes down for a glass of milk, when the lights go out. She goes back upstairs and gets in bed once again. She picks up the phone and realizes the phone line is dead. The closet door opens a little, and she hears the voice of Curt Duncan. She tries to awaken Stephen, who turns around, revealing that Curt is actually in the bed. He rips Jill's nightgown and chases her around the room. Clifford arrives and shoots Curt, killing him. Stephen is revealed to be in the closet, alive but seemingly unconscious. As Clifford comforts Jill, the last view is of the house, in view of the frightening eyes of Curt Duncan. ==Cast== * Charles Durning as John Clifford * Carol Kane as Jill Johnson * Colleen Dewhurst as Tracy * Tony Beckley as Curt Duncan * Carmen Argenziano as Dr. Mandrakis * Rutanya Alda as Mrs. Mandrakis * William Boyett as Sgt. Sacker * Kirsten Larkin as Nancy * Ron O'Neal as Lt. Charlie Garber * Michael Champion as Bill * Rachel Roberts as Dr. Monk * Carol Tillery Banks as Mrs. Garber * Sara Damman as Bianca Lockart * Richard Bail as Stevie Lockart * Steven Anderson as Stephen Lockart * Lenora May as Sharon 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「When a Stranger Calls (1979 film)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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