When A Stranger Calls | Fan Remake (2021)

This is my remake of the first act from When A Stranger Calls. As a massive fan of 1979's When A Stranger Calls, I wanted to make a film that was both a homage, as well as my own take on the story. So with (almost) no money and a few friends, I set to work, and we shot the film from August 11th to October 30th of 2021 during our free time. Those were some of the best days of my life, despite how stressful it got at times. I look back a year later with a particular affection and fondness. We tried to differentiate it from the original as much as we could, whilst trying to maintain the essence of what worked. I focused a lot of my effort on the camera work, trying to come up with creative ways to shoot scenes, often coming up with ideas on set with my crew. I also gave the film a distinctly warmer look, in comparison to the cold tones of the original. I also took inspiration from both the 1993 sequel When A Stranger Calls Back, and the 1977 short film The Sitter, that served as a basis for the opening scene in the 1979 film. For a bunch of 16 year olds (and a few easily bribed adults, special thanks to my parents and neighbours) with somewhat limited resources, I think we did alright. I did have to keep some things though, admittedly a few of the shots are copied (good artists borrow, great artists steal) directly from the original, and while I had originally planned to use stock music to create a different sort of mood, temptation won, and I decided to re-use Dana Kaproff's wonderfully bombastic and moody score. If you watch the film, you'll see why, it's a truly wonderful soundtrack, and without it, I don't think either the original, or my version, would work as well. It's not perfect (far from it) but I'm still proud of what we created, and as it's been a year today since filming began, I reckoned it was about time I made it public. So, here it is. I hope you enjoy. If you do, a like and subscribe would be gratefully appreciated. If not, leave a dislike, I always want your honest opinions. Share any questions, opinions or suggestions in the comments section and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Just try to be polite and respectful if you can. Thanks for checking out this video, have a good one :) Crew: Directed by Andrew Laidlaw Written by Fred Walton and Steve Feke Adapted by Andrew Laidlaw Produced by Andrew Laidlaw Cinematography by Andrew Laidlaw Edited by Andrew Laidlaw Continuity by Christian Molloy Music by Dana Kaproff Cast: James Johnson - Will Neilson Mrs Mandrakis - Jacqueline Laidlaw Dr Mandrakis - Brian Laidlaw The Stranger - Andrew Laidlaw Sam - Sam Hayle Head Waiter - Jo Roberts Operator - Andrew Laidlaw Police - Alex Neilson The Cat - Sylvester An Andrew Laidlaw Production