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.

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

Lock the door. Pretend you're safe.

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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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 film was shot entirely with hand-held cameras or steady cams. Every shot has some camera movement.

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Goofs

In multiple shots near the end of the film, namely when Kristen attempts to run out the front door but her path is blocked by the "Pin-Up" doll character, the piano is visible. However, both at the beginning of the film, and the end after the attackers have left, the piano is no longer blocking the door.

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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.

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Connections

References The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976)

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Soundtracks

"Hopeful"
Written by Jennifer O'Connor
Performed by Jennifer O'Connor
Courtesy of Red Panda Records
By Arrangement with Bank Robber Music

User Reviews

Satisfying in its ability to deliver horror.

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