MovieChat Forums > When a Stranger Calls Back (1993) Discussion > Landis and the Camouflage (Spoilers)

Landis and the Camouflage (Spoilers)

posted 17 years ago by Sburt4-1
5 replies | jump to latest

I decided to re-watch the film last night with my boyfriend. He had never seen it before. He pointed out a few things I had not considered.

I know a lot of the stuff happened off screen but this what my boyfriend pieced together.

My boyfriend thought Landis most likely wore his black paint makeup along with his black shirt and pants to camouflage himself in Julia's apartemt. The night Julia went back to her apartment Landis was there. At some point Landis turns out the light. Julia tripped over the bed and knocked over the lamp while walking in her aprtment armed with her gun. Landis was probaly standing in the dark saying "it's dark, no phone. I can't see. Jill where are you?". Julia shoots herself to get away from Landis. At some point Landis wrote the journal entry.

I played around with the idea maybe she went back to her apartment because she was sucidal but my boyfriend said Julia was way too self reliant. She wanted a life. Julia also didn't want to depend on Jill. Julia was independant and strong. She couldn't sit still in Jill's apartment. Jill even offer Julia that she could stay as long as she needed to. and shortly after Jill wanted to be back at her apartment. so maybe that is what happened the night of the shooting.

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] movlov15 11 years ago

I agree, and I think maybe he had camouflaged himself in the house in the beginning to. 'Cause remember how he told her (seemingly from outside) to look into the living room, and as soon as Julia looks, there he is.

[–] logan-duk-dong 11 years ago

My boyfriend thought Landis most likely wore his black paint makeup along with his black shirt and pants to camouflage himself in Julia's apartemt.

Oh, is that what that was? I thought he was pretending to be a black ventriloquist. There really aren't enough black ventriloquists in this world...

[–] onemorebrando 10 years ago

That's probably the best joke I've heard all year.

[–] engle_james 8 years ago

Wow, I'm really going to have to re-watch this movie, because I'm not remembering things the way you guys are! First off, I never thought Julia shot herself... Landis shot her but tried to make it look like suicide. That's implied by what Julia wrote in her journal- "It's dark, no phone. Jill, where are you?" implies to me that she was lured to her apartment by Landis, thinking Jill would be there, but when she got there, Landis cut the power and she started panicing, realizing Jill wasn't there and that she was in danger. So she was writing in her journal. Then Landis says the same thing to Jill at the end, because he had read what Julia wrote in her journal before he shot her. I definitely don't think Julia was suicidal- despondent and scared, yes, but not suicidal.

That scene about the journal and Julia at her apartment doesn't make sense and isn't explained in the movie itself, but the implication is Julia thought Jill was going to meet her at her apartment, and that's why she wrote "Jill, where are you?"