The Strangers Reviews

Honestly, beforehand, I wasn't sure what to expect from this flick. Indeed, according to one of my dearest Listal friend, it was one of the best horror movies he had ever seen (and he has seen a whole bunch of those) but according to Roger Ebert, it was actually really bad and rather worthless. Well, eventually, I thought it was not bad at all. Above all, I enjoyed the fact that they kept many things in the dark, even towards the end, and that's something always appreciated. Something pretty awesome also happened while watching this flick. Personally, I thought it was pretty spooky but nothing I couldn't handle but my step-daughter brought her then boyfriend and this guy honestly really completely freaked out... I mean, the guy was huge, almost 2 meters, and yet at least twice during the movie, he screamed as if he saw some ghost and (literally) jumped behind the couch. My step-daughter was terribly embarrassed but I thought it was just awesome and I had a blast. Unfortunately, even if he got scared sh*tless, it wasn't really the case for me though. Furthermore, when you think about it, there was honestly not much going on during the whole movie and that was definitely its weakest point. Anyway, to conclude, even if it was not really flawless or really mind-blowing, it was still an original and interesting horror movie and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

Here's the perfect opportunity for you to watch a downward spiral literally take place before your eyes as you watch a movie. During its first third, The Strangers starts out as a disturbingly creepy thriller that effectively keeps you on the edge of your seat and wisely realizes that a simple white mask on a human figure can be far more horrifying than the supernatural beings that often terrorize characters in horror films. These are all things that you can notice in the trailer of The Strangers, which is why I was very excited about this movie. I'm still waiting for the day when we'll get a truly haunting horror film that gets under my skin and keeps me from getting sleep at night. The only "recent" film that has come very close to that is The Blair Witch Project... but that was almost ten years ago.

So, The Strangers starts out with a great deal of potential to become that horror film I've been waiting for for so long. Unfortunately, something happens somewhere in the middle (before the middle, really) of this film that throws all that potential out the window. The Strangers becomes boring. The knocks on the doors become repetitive. Watching Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman run around scared and confused gets old. We're given nothing to separate what happens here from material we've seen in other films of the genre. When a third person (a friend to the characters played by Tyler and Speedman) arrives at the house, you'll probably be aware of his fate the very second he shows up on screen. Eventually, there comes a point that Speedman's character leaves the stage for a while, leaving Tyler's character to run around alone, trying to make radio contact with the police and hiding in the bushes from the villains who are haunting her... this is all fine and well, except that it is SUCH an extended sequence. It makes you want to say "Okay, will she stop playing around with the radio already? Is her boyfriend gonna show up anytime soon or did he just vanish into thin air?" The only good thing about this unnecessarily long sequence is that it ends with a very tense moment involving a closet, but it's unfortunate that they didn't do a very good job in the editing room with what comes before that moment.

What is most unforgivable about The Strangers, though, is the end. I don't have a problem with the fact that it doesn't have a happy ending. And that's not a spoiler because there's several things that point to the fact that the couple isn't gonna make it through the night. But that's not what's bad about it. What's bad about the ending is the incredibly lame way the filmmakers go about it. This is a film that apparently wanted to focus on the mounting tension and on highlighting suspense over gore, and all of a sudden, we are cheated at the end, by losing any and all tension and going strictly for conventional, distasteful gore. Nothing new or that you haven't seen before here. To make matters even worse, the very final shot of the movie involves one of those typical instances in which a character all of a sudden wakes up from the dead and lunges, for a final lame attempt at a "boo!" moment.

In a lot of ways, this film echoes last year's Vacancy; it starts out with a couple that is already dealing with some sort of emotional tension and negativity (which is a nice way to set up a film of this nature), and then proceeds to focus on the added tension that enters their lives once they start being haunted. The difference is that Vacancy, despite its lack of many surprises, keeps the rate of suspense up right until the ending, which needless to say is far better than that of The Strangers. Vacancy ends on an uncertain note, with the tension still high, whereas The Strangers unfolds kind of a like a deflating balloon. Tyler and Speedman do nothing to differentiate themselves from the dimwitted characters who usually populate horror films. I don't know if that is due to a lack of talent or to the fact that the script doesn't give them much to work with, but their lack of effectiveness certainly doesn't help this initially creepy, but ultimately unimpressive entry into the horror genre.

''You're gonna die.''

A young couple staying in an isolated vacation home are terrorized by three unknown assailants.

Liv Tyler: Kristen McKay

Scott Speedman: James Hoyt

Firstly the film The Strangers shouldn't be watched by certain people thinking about moving to the US. Seriously it puts you off. Moonlighting as a Texas Chainsaw Massacre or a Jeepers Creepers flick, it's obvious with any horror film there is not going to be any degree of originality. This applies to The Strangers.

Having said that who blooming well cares? Horror movie. Scares and jumps, that's what you want right? You don't want depth and a complex plot, we the audience want it simplified.
Although The Strangers begins suddenly with it's Resident Evil like narration, then deteriorates into slightly boring proportions, involving the two main stars, Kristen and James. Despite the relatively boring details about them Strangers throws at us once the film begins to get going with the scares and the suspense, it soars.

Liv Tyler gives us a very different role to her iconic Arwen in LOTR, as Kristen McKay she tries her hand at the horror scene. She can't really do any wrong with the material provided, and she genuinely appears scared at the proceedings.
Scott Speedman of Underworld, gives us James Hoyt, the other side to the troubled relationship. He can do action, he's proved that. He again proves it with Strangers, same again for the acting here. Standard stuff.

Bemusedly enough, Strangers did succeed in making me jump on various occasions and my girlfriend, who ended up scaring me more than the film did.
Weirdly I did also find it funny in places, Three masked individuals and a penchant for violence and mystery. Funnily enough, this film gives amazing tips for Halloween as well as being somewhat serious. The freedom in America means we get some twisted, sick individuals out there who don't care about money, wealth, emotions or possessions. They just want blood and in their minds, it's Fun...

I mean who can honestly say that they don't have some kind of weird secret obsession or strange hobby, it's just this specific one is a tad extreme I admit.
Strangers trio cleverly are never unveiled and personally I'm pleased it's kept like this. Relatively realistic in not showing them even when they remove their masks to show that this is random, this could be anybody...

Annoyingly enough in the cinema when the film finishes people murmur about Strangers having some kind of point. Ok, firstly this annoys me, does no-one have an imagination, secondly we aren't all scientists, not everything has to have a point.

In essence, Strangers isn't lying to us in any way. It's real, don't expect no happy ending because truth be told, your not going to get it. But then ask yourself, were you expecting there to be one?

Kristen: "Why are you doing this to us?"
Dollface: "Because you were home."

In a nutshell, The Strangers is an innocuous addition to the modern horror genre. The film is a creepy, atmospheric thriller that opts for effective jolts and scares as an alternative for a mindless gore-fest. Films such as these thankfully assist in the dissipation of the gory torture porn genre. It's relieving and refreshing to witness an attempt to rebirth the golden days of horror like John Carpenter's original Halloween.

With The Strangers, writer/director Bryan Bertino employs a simple concept as a foundation for a bone-chilling thriller. Naturally the film is silly, clichéd, and we've probably seen it all before. Bertino nevertheless manages to present his audience with edge-of-your-seat thrills and a moderately convincing set of events. Even better, the taut scares get under your skin. Nothing is ever dwelled upon...when something happens, there's no repetition or extensive staring. This keeps the audience immersed and vulnerable to the next slab of scares.

Writer/director Bertino apparently pieced together a few details from actual violent crimes to use as a basis for the story. The film opens with the following disclaimer (with a voice-over narration):
"What you are about to see is inspired by true events.
According to the F.B.I. there are an estimated 1.4 million violent crimes in America each year.
On the night of February 11, 2005 Kristen McKay and James Hoyt went to a friend's wedding reception and then returned to the Hoyt family's summer home.
The brutal events that took place there are still not entirely known."

Kristen McKay (Tyler) and James Hoyt (Speedman) are a young couple who depart a wedding reception and head back to an isolated vacation house. Before long, Kristen and James are faced with a night of psychological terror. Three deranged psychopaths donning peculiar masks begin stalking the young couple and unleash their horrific agenda.

The Strangers generates an atmosphere of dread and complete isolation. At one stage a character points out the lack of typical suburban ambiance. Hence the initial character development is set to almost complete silence except for voices and the music they play. It's unexpected and unpredictable when the terror begins. Bryan Bertino shows potential as both a screenwriter and a director. The atmosphere is unflinching and undeniably terrifying at times. His script is just marred by the overuse of clichés and, of course, the film's conclusion is predictable due to the initial disclaimer (and the epilogue that's regrettably tagged onto the opening sequence). Things do get extremely silly as well when the film nears its conclusion. The final scene clearly screams "sequel!" (At the time of writing this review, a sequel has been announced but nothing further has developed). In addition to this, there are a few plot holes and illogical moments. The character development is also embarrassing in all aspects. We just don't feel for the characters when they're exposed to intense peril.

Driving the standard script is a solid cast. Liv Tyler does remarkable things with a customary stock character. At first glance she seems like the simple "horror babe" who cries frequently, isn't capable of fending for herself and does silly things. Be that as it may, Tyler brings depth to her role and the fear is palpable in her convincing facial expressions.
Scott Speedman is also believable as the standard horror hero of the piece. He yells conventional lines such as "Run!" and "It's okay" while being the clichéd hero on a mission to protect his beloved lady companion. Similar to Tyler's performance, Speedman can capably bring emotional depth and credible character traits to overshadow the abundance of clichés.
In the supporting cast we have three actors portraying the masked psychopaths. These three actors turn in fabulous performances. The psychotic nature of their characters is truly palpable.

Overall, The Strangers is flawed by all accounts but it delivers a decent dosage of thrills and chills. It's also overflowing with atmosphere. At the end of the day, The Strangers is concise and succinct: running at a brisk 80 minutes, the pacing is kept tight. You'll watch it, you'll get scared, you'll easily forget. It's relieving to witness an American horror film that does not rely on the gore in a disillusioned attempt to create suspense. If more talented screenwriters are given a shot at this genre, the torture porn phase will steadily die.

6.25/10

I thought "The Strangers" was a pretty good horror movie. The three creepy people in it are all, well, creepy. The director does a really nice job of making you feel uneasy everytime these masked people were on camera.

There were several scenes where you would see a masked person in the background unknown to one of the main characters. It's not really a common technique used in a lot of horror movies, but it's quite uncomfortable to watch, but also so very cool!

Unlike most movies in the horror genre, it spent less time trying to scare you with unexpected noises & sudden occurances, and focused more time on making you squirm in your chair with obvious, but unsettling visuals.

It allows you the chance to think, "Oh my god...uh-oh... no... no... nooooo... eek!" instead of trying to make you jump out of you seat with a bunch of sudden out-of-nowhere scares and false alarms.

I didn't feel there were any real surprises in the story so I think, if there was one thing preventing it from being really good, it would be that.

There's nothing here that makes you think that there is a sequel in the works (which always makes for a better movie when they aren't thinking past the task at hand), and even though there really isn't any reason for another, there isn't any reason there couldn't be either. In the horror genre, as long as people might pay to see a sequel, there usually is one.