Stranger Within (2013 Video) User Reviews

"Nothiinnng Is Reeaalll!"

[doug_park2001 · 3/10 · 10 September 2013]

Stilted acting, an unconvincing storyline, a script that could have been written by a fourth-grader, hackneyed horror film tropes (zombie imagery, etc), and phony picture-perfect makeup/costume design are all topped-off with a distractingly pervasive soap operatic soundtrack. The cover blurb states that this film is "A dark and twisted psychological thriller!"; however, the "psychology" of it all is pretty rudimentary.

On the other hand, the cinematography is well-done despite the very low budget. No matter how limited the scope, there is some nice Balearic Islands scenery, and Sarah Butler, as tormented house-guest "Sarah," strips briefly in order to spice things up. Finally, there is some attempt at a twist, even if it's not a terribly original one, at the end.

THE STRANGER WITHIN is reminiscent of some of the corniest suspense films of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Indeed, it echos the title of a 1974 TV movie which apparently has a similar conflict and must have inspired this one.

Doctor, Doctor, it hurts when I do this!

[Ed-Shullivan · 3/10 · 7 February 2014]

Well I actually did not require a doctor to realize The Stranger Within was going to be painful to watch. Why oh why do I continue to subject myself to films who are written and then directed by the same person. In this case the perpetrator is a guy named Adam Neutzky- Wuff. Adam's prior director experience is limited to television and I assume he must have thought this film would go direct to DVD which it obviously warranted to avoid a box office flop.

This so called thriller evolves around the married couple Psychiatrist Robert played by William Baldwin and his wife, who happens to play a stage and star actress named Emily, played by Estella Warren. Emily is such a great tortured soul that she tortured me while I waited for the movie to come to a resounding end, and the only sound I heard besides a terrible melodramatic soundtrack was the sound of another flop!

Emily has an affair with her best friend's lover, and shortly after Emily's best friend turns up dead. Poor poor Emily then gets kidnapped by a hooded stranger who subjects poor Emily to 5 days of rape and torture. The director Adam Neutzky-Wuff must know a few things about torture because that is what he subjects his audience in to watching.

Emily's husband Robert convinces her that they need to get away from all this trauma so they rent a beautiful villa with a great scenic and panoramic view (which happens to be the only reason I rated this a 3) to help Emily forget about her fear and the hallucinations she has been experiencing since the death of her best friend.

No thriller would be complete without an unexpected young and attractive damsel in distress appearing out of nowhere, seeking the assistance of the great Psychiatrist Robert to help her get over the so called accidental death of her husband who fell off the cliffs that overlook Robert and Emily's beautiful villa. The stranger within is actress Sarah Butler, who plays Sarah. Is this going to end up being a love triangle, or is there a murderer amongst the four occupants? Did I say four occupants, when only three have been introduced? That is because Emily's male friend Michael, played by Jeffrey Pierce just shows up whenever the director feels like adding him in to his script but doesn't explain why Michael just seems to disappear from the film after each of his brief scenes with Emily.

The ending could not come soon enough. As a child who places his hand to close to a heated element on the stove top, if you want to avoid getting burned as I did with The Stranger Within, then heed my rating of 3 out of 10.

Horrible, amateur work

[demie_d · 3/10 · 8 September 2018]

What a waste of time. The beginning was pretty exciting, but the rest of the movie is so terrible! Amateuristic acting, bad directing and a bas plot. I was waiting for it to get good the whole time, but no such luck. Not worth the time!

An abomination

[jeremy-benjamin · 1/10 · 11 June 2017]

The acting is wooden, the film recycles every dull horror cliché in the book, and the story makes no sense from beginning to end. The dialogue is completely implausible, and the only reason to watch this dog of a film is to laugh at its ineptitude. I would have no hesitation in including this film in a top ten of the worst I have seen in the past decade.

Worst...film ever

[atkinson-30537 · 2/10 · 23 August 2018]

I honestly cannot even be bothered to waste my time and effort with a detailed review on this film as it's just stolen an hour and a half of my life watching this abomination. The acting was horrific, the storyline just didn't make sense, no explanation of anything that went on, just the whole thing was a joke.

Flashback

[kosmasp · 4/10 · 25 December 2013]

So you thought the erotic thriller movie (at least the one that is also portrayed in this particular movie) won't be seeing the light of day anymore? Well, welcome back to the 80s (or maybe even early 90s). This is a flashback (something you get in the movie too). The acting is spot on with the theme it has. Which doesn't mean it's good.

But if you're like me, you are a sucker for Sara Butler and you love to see her, even in a lesser movie like this one (she also appears in her "Eve" costume). There won't be many surprises in this one (you'll figure it out, before it begins). The suspense is low, the cinematography is nice and that's about it

I KNOW ABOUT SOPHIE

[nogodnomasters · 4/10 · 1 September 2018]

Emily (Estella Warren) is an actress who is married to Robert (William Baldwin), a psychologist. Emily has issues, especially having to deal with the fact her friend Sophie (Katia Winter) killed herself. Emily is later kidnapped and tortured by an unknown assailant. Her husband takes her away to an island as a get away, only to have Sarah (Sarah Butler) show up, a woman who just lost her boyfriend at a nearby cliff accident.

This is a film where you suspect the twist is coming. The actors were less than convincing in their roles in an improbable plot that felt phony. The film is fairly boring, even during the 'exciting" parts.

Parental Guide: F-bomb, sex, rape, nudity (Sarah Butler)

Spectacularly bad

[lakrasia42 · 2/10 · 12 June 2017]

We guessed it was going to be bad, but we were enjoying a tipple and wanted something lightweight to watch. Firstly the acting was appalling - two trees would have been more convincing. Then there's the direction - sudden glimpses of scary imaginary things - all the clichéd shock stuff that became annoying many decades ago.

Then we come to the script and the story-line. The whole set-up just would never have happened. We sat there laughing that - no, he wouldn't have done that and no, that bit makes no sense and why didn't she do such and such. Nonsensical from beginning to end.

Suffice it to say that it went downhill as it continued. The reason I didn't give it one star is that we got some entertainment value from picking every scene to pieces. Trying to think if I can say something good about it - nope, I can't.

a bad version of Basic Instinct

[trashgang · 5/10 · 7 November 2013]

To be honest, I only watched this flick due Sarah Butler who I was going to meet two days after seeing this flick. This is some kind of erotic thriller and not really a horror although the beginning do offer a bit of horror. But once Emily (Estella Warren) is rescued from her abductor she went off to an island with her husband Robert (William Baldwin) to take some rest but one night Sarah (Sarah Butler) appears covered in blood. Robert, being a psychiatrist decide to take her in at home. It's from that moment that the stranger is within the house but it's also a point were we do have a lot of blah blah and I can't say that the acting was convincing by Baldwin.

The horror comes back in when Emily is starting to hear a baby and is seeing the death body of a close friend Sophie (Katia Winter). Slowly we do start to know that Emily had an affair with Sophie's boyfriend. Yes indeed, Basic Instinct (1992) isn't far away. There's nudity from Estella Warren and from Sarah Butler (gratuitous when showing her titties) to satisfy the Kleenex boys.

Who's Sarah and why did she pops up and who's the kidnapper, that's the main question in this flick. But the magic from Basic Instinct isn't there. Therefor it moves to slowly and there isn't really any suspense. It's only the last 20 minutes that the horror (on a low base)comes back but by then it's a bit too late.

Gore 0/5 Nudity 0,5/5 Effects 0/5 Story 2,5/5 Comedy 0/5

THIS FILM SUCKS!

[ad-gray · 30 November 2018]

Mrs saw the title and thought wow this looks good, only an hour and half, smash, watch it before bed..... there was no passion after that! I've had more enjoyment watching Pingu than this utter filth!

Honestly this literally made me cry with laughter just how terrible it was! I mean seriously who wrote this monstrosity! Who did the cast? You should be shot! Seriously! the worst beyond worst film I have ever witnessed. even on the supposedly serious parts it made my eyes bleed.

The ending made me angry I almost through the remote at the screen! Nearly flipped a table!

How dare you steal an hour and half of my life away for that total nonsense of a film!

Total an utter horse droppings

Good day

Not good at all

[dierkingl · 4/10 · 24 September 2023]

It started off alright, but then it started to become boring. They have this scene in the beginning with trauma to her, but the rest of the movie goes in a different direction as if it was a different story. The lead actress, sorry, but she needs sleep needs to stop doing drugs/drinking before her scenes. No one ones to see under eye bags. She also was terrible portraying her character. I figured out the plot, but this movie still didn't make sense. I guess we were supposed to be scared maybe? Not sure. The filming locations were beautiful. Just not sure about the uneven story line. Leaves questions and not the good kind.