I don’t understand how the 1979 version of When a Stranger Calls warranted a remake. In this modern reworking of the film, Jill Johnson is grounded for going over her cell phone minutes, which is enough to tell you how juvenile this movie is. The PG-13 rating prevents any real gore or blood from being shown, so the movie’s main focus is the spooky music that is played from beginning to end. It is enough to create an eerie ambience that has you expecting the worst in every scene, but not enough to fully inflate this flat film.

The plot is quite simple. Babysitter takes job in big, scary house. Babysitter gets menacing phone calls. Babysitter realizes the calls are coming from inside of the house. Dun, dun, dun! What ensue are creepy walks up stairs, bodies in an inexplicable koy pond, and too many phone conversations. I don’t know when talking on the phone became terrifying, but this movie is a cautionary tale for teenagers to keep to their cell phone minutes: “And that’s why you don’t go over your cell phone minutes.” (Arrested Development fans unite!) There isn’t much going on in terms of character development, but I guess you can’t really expect that from a film that gives away its main plot twist in every single trailer. The boyfriend storyline is unimportant, as is the backstabbing best friend who pays Jill a visit.

When a Stranger Calls does have its moments, though, when it genuinely scares. I liked the idea of the lights automatically turning on only when someone enters the room, the timid steps through narrow passages, and the creepy pieces of art filling every room. We never get a good look at the killer until the end, when he is revealed as the man with the scar on his face from Braveheart and Gladiator. Am I honestly supposed to find this man frightening now? Ol’ Tommy Flanagan?