The Strangers (2008)

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

Director:

Bryan Bertino

Writer:

Bryan Bertino

Stars:

Alex Fisher, Scott Speedman, Liv Tyler

2 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Alex Fisher	...	Mormon Boy #1
Peter Clayton-Luce	...	Mormon Boy #2
Scott Speedman	...	James Hoyt
Liv Tyler	...	Kristen McKay
Gemma Ward	...	Dollface
Kip Weeks	...	Man in the Mask
Laura Margolis	...	Pin-Up Girl
Glenn Howerton	...	Mike

Storyline

After returning from a wedding reception, a couple staying in an isolated vacation house receive a knock on the door in the mid-hours of the night. What ensues is a violent invasion by three strangers, their faces hidden behind masks. The couple find themselves in a violent struggle, in which they go beyond what either of them thought capable in order to survive.

---

Plot Keywords:

mask | stranger | invasion | wedding reception | vandalizing a car | 

---

Taglines:

Lock the door. Pretend you're safe.

---

Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence/terror and language

Details

Official Sites:

MySpace Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 May 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Los extraños

Filming Locations:

Florence, South Carolina, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,250,624 (UK) (29 August 2008)

Gross:

£4,025,916 (UK) (19 September 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rogue Pictures, Intrepid Pictures, Vertigo Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min 88 min (unrated)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The song "Mama Tried", which is heard several times during the film, is a 1968 hit by Merle Haggard and the Strangers.

---

Goofs

James throws a bottle of champagne in the front yard. In the next scene, it is back on the dining room table.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: What you are about to see is inspired by true events. According to the FBI, 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 left a friend's wedding reception and returned to the Hoyt family's summer home. The brutal events that took place there are still not entirely known.

---

Connections

References Carrie (1976)

---

Soundtracks

"Sprout and The Bean"
Written by Joanna Newsom
Performed by Joanna Newsom
Courtesy of Drag City Records
By Arrangement with Bank Robber Music

User Reviews

A little derivative, but extremely suspenseful and quite frightening.

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.