The Strangers (2008)

O Masterpiece
O Excellent
X Good
O OK
O Mediocrity
O Avoid

Review by Jason Pyles / June 18, 2008

“The Strangers” is an effective thriller, though it is bleak and uninventive. Nevertheless, if you’re looking to curl up on the couch in the dark and get creeped out, this movie would do the trick. For some reason, we find it fun to be scared. But since this movie is supposedly “inspired by true events,” it’s a little uncomfortable watching the victims’ ordeal for entertainment value. But I guess the alleged actuality of the story empowers it to be a little scarier, too.

From the very beginning, the film tells us that Feb. 11, 2005, after a wedding reception, bizarre events transpired at the Hoyt family’s summer home that still aren’t fully understood. Again, this is one of the first lines of the movie, so you can’t consider my explaining that a spoiler. But if you’re a thinking person, what does this tell you about the movie’s outcome? Right. So, just so you know, it’s that kind of movie: bleak.

But “The Strangers” isn’t a gory torture flick. It uses some classic horror film techniques, similar to what we see (or rather, hear) in “Signs” (2002). Much of the movie’s suspense comes not from what we see but what we hear. There was at least once, I must admit, where I just about jumped out of my skin. (I’m certain that distribution companies instruct exhibitors to turn the volume higher for horror movies.)

James (Scott Speedman) and Kristen (Liv Tyler) are having a bad night. They’ve just come from a wedding reception and Kristen is crying. We glean that things aren’t going well, and it places a damper on the evening. This melancholy mood prepares us from the start to pity them. We already feel bad for the couple, and we know we’re about to feel worse, as are they. At this point, the film yokes us with a tangible sensation of dread.

They plan to stay at James’ secluded summer home, then take off the next day for a road trip together. Their plan changes. Around 4 a.m., someone starts pounding on the door. This is the beginning of their real-life nightmare. Three masked weirdoes start terrorizing the couple. When I said this isn’t a torture flick, I meant physical torture (for the most part). Indeed, the escalating onslaught of fear-inducing harassment is essentially psychological torture.

There is a moment or two when we are filled with hope, solely because James is a male. While experiencing the movie, I was a little ashamed to find myself disregarding Kristen’s ability to fight back (perhaps because she is such a skittish character); but when James decides to fight back, I found myself investing an unreasonable amount of confidence in his “maleness.” Paradoxically, the physically dominant trio of tormentors comprises two women and one man. So, go figure.

Speaking of Kristen, I might mention that Liv Tyler’s performance should be admired. Imagine pulling off “scared out of your mind” in front of an up-close, ever-scrutinizing camera. It’s extremely difficult to do. Just look at the late Fay Wray’s performance as Ann Darrow in the original “King Kong” (1933). Thanks to her incessant screaming, that classic “King Kong” is only a classic when it can be viewed as a silent film.

“The Strangers” is chilling, tense, and unpleasant, which is exactly its intention. It’s nothing like the “Saw” movies or “Hostel,” but it’s still upsetting. As far as thrillers go, it’s pretty good at thrilling. My two chief complaints are a mysterious 9-1-1 call that is never logistically explained, and a stupid ending. Yes, the last second of this movie, before the screen goes black, is just plain dumb. But up until that point, “The Strangers” is successfully unsettling.

Directed by Bryan Bertino
Liv Tyler / Scott Speedman / Kip Weeks
Horror / Thriller 90 min.
MPAA: R (for violence/terror and language)

U.S. Release Date: May 30, 2008
Copyright 2008: 295