User reviews

The story can be so-so, but how it´s cut, directed and edited makes up. The pacing is perfect for a movie like this. But the aspect that strikes the most for me is its atmosphere. As a perfect late night movie, this one will creep you out mostly thanks to its unnerving look.

Like many, I went into this (knowing) the basics of the story. That being said, I found the first half of the film quite suspenseful and creepy by modern movie standards. The story begins by developing the relationship between it's two stars, then separating them and introducing the terror. This worked, and worked very well in it's ability to set up (and scare the hell out of) the viewers. Unfortunately, after we have established what is taking place, the story seems to slow to a simmer, and eventually fizzles out. The second half of the film is filled with horror movie cliché's and cheap scare tactics, almost to the point of boredom... It's a shame, because I haven't been a fan of slasher films since the eighties, and I REALLY wanted to "Like" this film.

My recommendation would be to watch the first half of the film, then go and sit by yourself in a cabin, somewhere in the woods. The effect would be much better, and the film would serve it's purpose.

The Strangers, follows a couple as they stay in a vacant vacation home after some relationship issues not realizing they will soon be fighting for their lives as three strangers are hunting them around the house to kill and terrorize. The film is pretty gruesome considering these were based on true events. This film is okay though keeps the suspense. The movie was a bit dragged and took a while for the killers to prey even though most scenes they could have killed the couple on the spot. Though, I guess that's just part of their game. I would recommend the film for those looking for a light thrill.

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

THE STRANGERS is a classic example of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. It has a decent but small cast, a low budget, and no splashy special effects. Further, it isn't the least bit original. Panicked, isolated victims fighting for survival against masked sociopaths is a time-honored story that has been told in one way or another in a great many films -- HE'S OUT THERE, HUSH, and YOU'RE NEXT immediately come to mind. But here's the thing about THE STRANGERS. It's not just scary. It's really, really scary.

What sets this movie, written and directed by Brian Bertino (THE MONSTER), apart from the aforementioned home-invasion flicks is hard to define. It's fairly well executed, decently written, and well shot, but so are many other films that don't achieve this level of suspense.

Perhaps it's the good performances by Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman. Tyler is a talented actress who expertly embodies unnerved, and she plays to that right from the beginning of the movie, setting the stage for nail biting thrills before the real action even starts. Speedman also does a bit more than one would expect, infusing his character's obligatory, horror-movie machismo with just enough uncertainty to make him acutely relatable.

Perhaps it's that Bertino has written characters who do what you or I might do under stress that pushes this effort to the next level. When Tyler hears the plaintive voice of a woman who's knocking on the door, does she open it? No. She throws the deadbolt and finds a phone. When Speedman gets ahold of a shotgun and shells, does he tromp around looking for trouble? No. He gets his back into a corner and waits for the trouble to come to him.

Perhaps it's the measured calm of the psycho-killers that works on our nerves so effectively. As relentless as they are, rather than display the frenetic aggression we expect, these masked savages take their time, savor their own evil, and seem to enjoy standing quietly unseen in the background and simply ... staring.

Whatever it is about THE STRANGERS that's so efficient at ramping up the anxiety, you'll need a little bit of patience to experience it. The first 20 minutes is devoted to setting up an interpersonal dynamic between Speedman and Tyler that arguably isn't altogether necessary to the story but that doesn't hurt beyond delaying things a bit. But once the action really gets underway at about the 20-minute mark, it's white knuckles the whole rest of the way.

When I choose a horror movie, I am looking for one thing: to be frightened. That's exactly what I found with THE STRANGERS. Recommendation: Lock the doors, close the blinds, and watch.

It would be so easy to dismiss the very deliberate pacing of this film as pedestrian, but in this day and age of gratuitous violence and constant gore, this film relies on the ability to slowly torment you, as toy watch the hideous way in which the young couple are subjected to the night from Hell.

At the time I genuinely did find this a very unsettling, unnerving watch, going home to an empty house after this was unsettling.

Ignore those that call it boring, trust me, it isn't, it's paced in a way that throws you off guard.

No clear begining, or end, just a series of random events. It's a grim movie. 7/10

We all know the plot: young couple, isolated vacation home, people in masks. Yet from the start of 'The Strangers' it's clear that this film is a different. In today's bloodthirsty society, horror films are often reduced to nothing more than gore-filled gross-out fests. While many young teens may rejoice at such films, many of us still long for original, suspenseful, and, yes, terrifying horror movies. 'The Strangers' came so close.

There is plenty here to recommend: Director Bryan Bertino shows himself to be a patient and smart director. Rather than going for just cheap thrills, he wisely builds tension up to near-breaking point. The feeling of suspense and dread that covers the whole film is classic. Both Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman do well in their leading roles, and the strangers themselves are things of pure terror... yet that's where the film loses some of its commendation. The strangers at times seem that they can't possibly be human because they are made to be almost supernatural in their abilities. They appear and disappear seemingly at will and instantly- a power the young couple probably wished they had but don't because they are, after all, HUMANS. It's a simple mistake used to give the audience one of those cheap thrills that were otherwise so wisely avoided. What makes it sad is that in every other aspect, 'The Strangers' is chillingly realistic and terrifyingly possible. Every time those strangers come and go like ghosts of some kind, it makes the audience sit back once more and say, 'Ah, well, it's just a movie." That's too bad.

Still, 'The Strangers' is much better than your average horror fare. It's at last a new movie that realizes what you don't show can be even more scary than what you do. Still, one hopes that Mr. Bertino can touch up the mistakes from this film and , and deliver a really great horror movie next time around. 7/10 stars! Jay Addison

I seem to be approaching nihilist films on a streak, viewing "The Virgin Spring" recently. The Strangers has a lot of that "philosophy" crammed in. I read comments claiming the film doesn't connect us to the characters, and is crammed of every cliché to be. Oh the irony. When we see horror films, being attached to characters is a repeated figure, a screenwriter's must. Bertino does good in creating the night horror without any development, no overbearing crudeness, playing suspense and psychological terror like piano keys.

This is the approach: the strangers attack because their victims "are at home", and they do not respond to pleas, long reasonings or emotions. It's nihilism pure: they kill because they find control and domination powerful, and they don't care about consequences, moral or of any other kind.

In that optic, "The Strangers" is truly scary. We are not dealing with supernatural beings, but human beings, who chose the path of downright evil and can't be convinced of not doing it. People like that may be lurking out there, and that scares most of us viewers.

The Strangers is a movie that delivers everything it promises it would. It scares you. Simple as that. Instead of relying on buckets of gore and an over-contrived premise, it keeps things simple and thats what makes it work. For an hour and a half, the viewer is subjected to a slowly mounting sense of dread that just keeps building without ever pulling back. The story never falls victim to the usual horror movie clichés, but at the same time , it doesn't make any ridiculous attempts to go against them. Perhaps the best thing that the movie has going for it is it's believability. There isn't really any thing to distract the viewer from buying into the premise wholeheartedly. Considering that this is the director's first ever movie, it's a feat that's even more impressive. This is the kind of movie you shouldn't watch at home alone in the dark.

The horror genre is probably the most perplexing genre in the cinematic medium, not because of its inherent qualities but because of the countless ways in which a movie stops being scary and starts rolling eyes. In a successful scary movie, one can expect a finite amount of characterisation mixed with tension and adequate construction of dense atmospheres and antagonists if there should be any. In The Strangers, such a sweet spot is achieved many times throughout, and it's during these moments that writer/director Bryan Bertino shows that he knows how to craft an eerie and downright scary experience to be part of. Yet too often does the film collapse under its own weight as laziness creeps in. Outside of Bertino's more refreshing techniques, he irritatingly resorts to tired clichés, dull narrative and predictable storytelling; it's a mixed bag of brilliantly executed originality and formulaic, cookie cutter banality.

Taking place for the most part in a single summer home, The Strangers is a claustrophobic nightmare that persists in its will to take that image of safety (home) and turn it into a confinement of horror. Through this general idea Bertino crafts an extremely effective way in which to engage the viewer; the warm comforting log cabin fireplace, the folk music, the backdrop of isolation and tranquil wilderness, all combining to create a sense of false security that always reeks of foreboding doom. Focusing the first twenty minutes on troubled couple Kristen McKay and James Hoyt, the script introduces us to the domestic heart of the story; a squabble and misunderstanding between two lovers. Not only does it add to the light hearted feel of the opening sequences but it develops the characters into heart-driven, fully empathetic beings, and when terror comes knocking at the door, we too are feeling the fear.

Unfortunately for all the good that the director does through the film's first act, the quality suddenly begins to dip shortly after the climax of tension has been reached. The second act of the story is much less coherent and more bumbling in its pace; there are genuine scares scattered throughout as a result of these freaky little visitors to the couple's cabin at four in the morning, yet the general structure and workings behind the scenes draw too much attention to themselves at key points. Everything from the screaming female tripping and breaking her ankle to the hereditary 'split up' of the pair for no logical reason but to satisfy the already developed structure frame are here, and it's irksome more than terrifying. Through this mix of studied technique and less than inspiring storytelling which too often puts structure ahead of natural storytelling, The Strangers feels satisfying in its ability to deliver horror, but simply doesn't do enough to cover up the glaring holes in its unconvincing façade.

As characters, Bertino neglects his three catalysts of fear to mere device-like movement only; they are facades and masks, and no real identity to them is ever given. This technique works well during the film's earlier moments when the director's aim is to scare out of their unknown presence, yet when the feature moves on and on and the three masks are exploited at every time to scare, their lack of motivation hurts the film's ability to sustain suspense. As protagonists, Kristen and James are of standard horror movie build; she is fragile and prone to screaming, and James, although a lot less macho than most male leads, is just as ill-fated to poor decision making. Individually, neither of them ever show any real sense of compelling attributes to cling onto, yet as a pair they at least share enough dynamics and chemistry to warrant the movie's key moments of characterisation.

Thankfully the movie doesn't end in a big bang and there is little in the way of cliché to be found leading up to it; it's unenlightening sure, but it's got enough conviction to carry off the film into positive light. This hollow note that finishes it all off is representative of the film as a whole, and of course Bertino's skills as a director of horror. Despite obvious flaws in storytelling, the majority of what is on display here is genuinely thrilling at its peaks and mildly compelling in its valleys. Through a startling score that punctuates the atmosphere poignantly and photography that captures the eeriness of these strangers' ominous presence, Bertino employs all the tricks in the book to deliver the scares, and while the whole product as a whole feels more like an exercise in technique, there's nevertheless plenty to behold regardless of any inconsistencies in narrative. Taken as a whole, The Strangers is a strong first attempt from newcomer writer/director Bryan Bertino who shows definite flair for crafting suspenseful scenes of terror and bringing out strong emotion from all his cast.

• A review by Jamie Robert Ward. For more reviews of all the latest movies please visit: http://www.invocus.net

Apart from the "based on true ..." thing on the beginning, which by the way is my new big NO for a movie ... I just can't stand that hypocritical use of this phrase. Every other movie is than based on true events. Most of the romantic comedies are, teen comedies etc. etc. At least some parts are true or did happen in real life, which is why the script writer "thought" them up ...

But I should stop ranting about that (and the fact, that a voice over at the beginning of the movie, isn't entirely "correct" ... well you see). This movie promises to scare you and it delivers. Mood-wise it stays close to a french movie called "Ils" (Them), which was a great suspense thriller/horror. I also liked the relationships between the two main characters. You could say it's standard fare, but it has great framing and lighting (sound design is "scary" too).

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN....

THE STRANGERS Is a brilliant shock-fest of slasher horror filled with chills, frights and delights all played out in what I consider an instant horror classic. Bryan Bertino's film about a young couple stalked by three complete strangers brings back the conventional film tactics from classics like "Halloween" and "Friday the 13th," but with a modern 21st century twist of electronic horror. It's often reminiscent of last years semi-creepy film "Vacancy" with a bit of a "Funny Games" plot to it. It's a film built for it's day and age with an unexpected and somewhat dull ending. As with the trailer, The Strangers brings to life the chills with the dwelling of the unknown and what lies in the dark. It does for vacation homes with what 'Psycho' did for showers. Bertino built a smart yet very basic premise with witty action elements which will definitely drive a shriek of fright from right below your gut. Though flawed in many ways such as dialogue, predictability and character developments, you'll certainly find this picture worth a glance. "The Strangers" will indefinitely become one of those pictures that lends a helping hand to the reformation of the slasher genre and inspire numerous knock-offs to follow. Basically, look out for more slasher flicks to hit the screen in the next two years. The entire film plays like a psychosexual tension piece filled with somewhat frightening elements and like the original slasher flicks of the 1970's and 1980's, the lack of motive for murder. It is great to finally see a fright flick that strays away from the post 2000 craze of exploitation inspired porn-gore flicks like "Saw" and "Hostel'" and even the much horrifying in itself remake of "Halloween," and brings back the rules of what frightens the inner-psyche mind, THE UNKNOWN! Eric Javier Mejia The Review

I can't recall the last time I went to the theater and saw a horror film that actually scared me, that is, until I saw "The Strangers". I was a wreck during this movie - the suspense is wound like a tight wire and it just pulls more and more until you feel like it's going to snap right at you - and it does. The story follows a troubled couple who are attacked by three masked intruders with evil intentions at their remote vacation house. This movie has a sort of "old school" feel to it, and relies on small things to scare you (rather than buckets of blood and gore), but it does it successfully. Everything from the sound design, the cinematography, and the appearances of the strangers themselves are beyond chilling, and the reactions of the characters are realistic. Bottom line is, if you like horror movies (especially if you're a fan of old school horror such as Carpenter's "Halloween" and the like) you'll probably find this to be an enjoyable throwback to a genre that is losing its integrity. "The Strangers" is well worth the price of admission - I saw it a week ago and I'm still a little jittery if I'm home by myself! Great horror flick, and probably the classiest one to hit theaters in a long, long time.

Here we have a horror movie which sadly is much more laughable than scary. The characters are stupid. The story, not that there actually is much of a story, is stupid. There are no big scares to jolt you out of your seat. Really there's nothing to prevent you from yawning or flat-out dozing off. When the movie ended I was stunned to find out it was less than 90 minutes long. It seemed much longer. It honestly feels interminable. Please just let the killers put their victims out of their misery. Then we who have the misfortune to be watching can be put out of our misery as well.

So the setup is that a young couple, played by Scott Speedman and Liv Tyler, are spending the night in some house out in the middle of nowhere. There's a knock on the door. A really, really loud knock. That's about the most chilling thing the movie has to offer, a loud knock on the door. Anyhow our young couple ends up being terrorized by three people in goofy masks. Everyone involved, goofy mask people and their potential victims, acts very stupidly. Our victims have apparently never seen any horror movies as, rather than wait in the house with the freaking shotgun they have, they decide to go running around outside in the dark. Because running around in the dark always ends well in these situations, no? Our silly mask people are very lucky that their prey are so stupid because they are quite stupid themselves. If anyone involved in this story had any working brain cells the whole thing would've been over in five minutes. And what a blessed relief that would have been. Instead it goes on and on, Liv Tyler just keeps screaming and the would-be killers just keep, well, standing there. They never really do anything. Ooh, look a guy with a bag on his face is standing in the corner! Scary, right? Nope, not really. There is no action, no drama, no tension. It's all very predictable right from the beginning, probably not helped by the fact the movie basically gives away its ending right at the start. We go through all the horror movie clichés as the movie limps meekly towards a thoroughly unsatisfying end. Boring, unoriginal, quite stupid. That's The Strangers in a nutshell.

Not sure why it has,numerous negative reviews? Was enjoyable,suspenseful in places & of course typical clichés. You can't help but feel uneasy,because this could happen.. A stranger pulls into your drive or knocks on your door,what's their motive? When October comes around,it's always one that gets played.