Made for television sequel of Walton's 1979 thriller ,When a Stranger Calls, surprisingly lives up to the original film in almost every way.

Jill is now a PI herself, and with the help of her old friend hopes to save a young woman who believes she has been terrorized by a maniac for years.

When a Stranger Calls Back mirrors the original film very much, but it's in a good way. It packs much of the same kinds of suspense and atmosphere of the original film, all the while telling a new and interesting mystery. Of course much of this is owed to director Walton, who returns to do another bravo job of molding this film.

Charles Durning and Carol Kane reprise their original roles well.

Intriguing and well-done all the way, When a Stranger Calls Back is a good sequel that isn't hampered by its television limitations. Those who enjoyed the original film will undoubtedly find it a worthy sequel.

*** out of ****

WHEN A STRANGER CALLS BACK is a TV movie sequel to the first film which was made back in 1979. I should say that I haven't seen that one, but I have seen the 2006 remake which was quite dreadful. This follow-up is okay but it has long, slow stretches where little happens. The first part of the film is a bit like SCREAM and involves a young babysitter being menaced by an unknown stranger outside the door of the house she's at. It does on for a long time without any sense of menace but more than a little repetition. Later, when Carol Kane and Charles Durning come into the story, things do pick up a bit and get more mysterious, and there are some good shocks along the way. The only time I really enjoyed this though was during the twist ending, which is great ghoulish fun.

Julia (Jill Schoelen) is babysitting two children, when a stranger knocks at the front door, asking for using the phone to call the Automobile Club to fix his car. After some tense discussion through the door, she realizes that the children vanished and the stranger is inside the house. Five years later, odd things happen to Julia, and the psychologist Jill (Carol Kane) and the private investigator John Clifford (Charles Durning) help Julia. This movie has one of the most tense and suspenseful beginning I have ever seen. The situation through which Julia passes is amazingly real and scary. Unfortunately, the story `jumps' to five years later and become very common, predictable and full of clichés. I really feel sorry for that. The voice and accent of Carol Kane is irritating. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): `Um Estranho à Minha Porta' (`A Stranger At My Door')