I always like the original When A Stranger Calls (1979) and even bigger fan of the legacy sequel When A Stranger Calls Back (1993), so I was pretty apprehensive of the 2006 remake. This time, the first act of the original is essentially the core of the entire film.
The film begins on a house set in Buford, Colorado, but of course, is actually in California. The house is at 2435 Rose Avenue in Signal Hill, just north of the Long Beach area. These shots are at the back of the house and yes, they actually did bring in a carnival across the street!
A few shots of the front of the house.
And here is what appears the oil drill next door.
We reverse to go back to the house and see the killer in the upper bedroom window, although this is a different bedroom than what is shown later.
Here we are looking down East Burnett Street and then panning over to Rose Avenue.
The current owners were kind enough to let me take photos on their property and home, known as The Ahlswede House. You can read more about it’s history below.
The front porch…
The living room and pan to the stairs…
Here the detective takes the the stairs up to the bedrooms….
The owner said that they actually used his son’s drawings for the door! The bedroom he looks into is not the same one seen from the window, which is actually behind him. THANK YOU for letting me grab these pictures!
Next we move to Fernhill, Colorado, which…. where to all roads lead? Burbank! This school is at 465 East Olive Avenue and just a few blocks from where I usually stay during my trips.
We then drive through the Big Bear area and pass Neo’s Pizza House at 32000 Hilltop Boulevard in Running Springs, California. Fortunately, I had some nearly-matching pictures during a visit for the Julia Roberts series’ Homecoming to use here.
Finally, we are the house where parts of the exterior were created at Franklin Canyon Park in Beverly Hills, made to look more like Colorado with some CGI. The house set was shot at Culver City Studios.
The driveway and garage were created right in the middle of the road in the park.
David Denman
