"When a Stranger Calls" (1979)

In my humble opinion, no other horror movie has such a strong, frightening opening scene.  For this reason alone, When a Stranger Calls is an instant classic that all horror fanboys (and fangirls) should watch.  The first 20 minutes of this movie is notorious for making even the most die-hard horror nuts quiver, and spawed the whole "babysitter-stalked-by-killer" theme we still see in cinema today.  Carol Kane (yes, that squeaky lady from Taxi) plays teenager Jill Johnson, who is babysitting the children of an affluent couple.  While she attempts to do her homework and gossip on the landline, she starts getting calls from a creepy dude, asking her, "Have you checked on the children?"  After several minutes of this game, she soon learns that the call is coming from a second landline in the house-- yikes.  Needless to say, the children are brutally murdered and, seven years later, the killer returns to go after her own offspring.

(Photo Credit)

Rent When a Stranger Calls from Netflix, or bite the bullet and add it to your collection (grab it from Amazon for the best price).  For your viewing pleasure, check out the opening scene below:



P.S. This movie was actually shot originally as a short film entitled The Sitter.  However, director Fred Walton thought that he could make some big bucks after the success of Halloween, and so he stretched out the movie from 20 minutes to 1 1/2 hours.

P.S.S. This flick was later remade in 2006 under the same title.  Starring Camilla Belle, it is the exact premise (except with a cooler house and a lot less originality) as the original.