Movie Review: The Strangers

The Strangers

Rating:  

Directed By: Bryan Bertino

Starring: Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman

Plot Synopsis:

Lock the doors. Assume you’re safe.

The horrifying events that took place in the Hoyt family’s vacation home at 1801 Clark Road on February 11, 2005, are still not entirely known.

Champagne. Rose petals. Candlelight. It was supposed to be a night of celebration for Kristen McKay (Liv Tyler) and James Hoyt (Scott Speedman). But after leaving a friend’s wedding reception and returning to the house, everything had collapsed for the happy couple.

Then came a 4 a.m. knock on the door and a haunting voice.

Is Tamara here?

Writer/director Bryan Bertino explores our most universal fears in The Strangers, a terrifying suspense thriller about a couple whose remote getaway becomes a place of terror when masked strangers invade. The confrontation forces Kristen and James to go far beyond what they thought themselves capable of if they hope to survive.

Review:

Not many movies freak me out or send a sense of dread down my spine. The Exorcist and Hellraiser have been the only movies to seriously freak me out, but they were on a supernatural level. Anything else, has just been enjoyable horror flicks with few moments that may have caused a jump here and there.

But, along comes The Strangers and offers up some realistic chills and terror that I can relate to as a home owner and as one who has lived in the the middle of nowhere. The Strangers is an unsettling movie. Not because of the amount of gore (there is very little by Horror movie standards) or a crazed psychopath on the loose. This is a simple Home Invasion scenario that is very much grounded in reality. That’s what gives this movie it’s kick. It’s the “what the hell would I do in this situation” moments that really are genuinely creepy.

Big BIG props to the sound design department on this flick. There is very little score and the movie very much relies on real, grounded in reality sounds. Cricking of the crickets, the sound of the wind, and other realistic sounds add to the atmosphere. This movie can be studied for it’s effective use of everyday sound to really affect the story.

Also, the acting here is amazing. Scott Speedman (yeah, Gavin Rossdale aka Bush wannabee from Underworld) and Liv Tyler (how long has it been since we’ve seen her until The Strangers?) give the performances of their lives as they’re pretty much the only ones on screen the entire movie. This is acting at it’s best and in a Horror movie nonetheless.

Finally, the antagonists will go down in history as Horror icons. Not like Jason for Freddy, but there is a signature shot that will be engrained on my brain forever. Memorable bad guys are the backbone of any Horror movie, and this trio is chilling. No motive, no explanation other than “You were home . . .” I may need a night light and a bat by the door from now on.

If you want to creep yourself out, and be paranoid in your own house the rest of your life, The Strangers is the flick for you. Turn out the lights, lock all the doors, cuddle up to your loved one if they can handle it and scare the crap out of yourself. The Strangers is a much needed shot in the arm for the Horror genre. A well crafted, creepy terror-fest that will stay with you long after it’s over.

Rated R for violence/terror and language.

Related posts:

1. Movie Review: Stuck
2. Movie Review: Alien Raiders
3. Movie Review: Fritt Vilt (Cold Prey)
4. Movie Review: [REC]
5. Movie Review: Murder Party

Tags: Bryan Bertino, Horror, Liv Tyler, Movie Review, Scott Speedman, Suspense, The Strangers

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 31st, 2008 at 6:36 am and is filed under DVD Reviews, Movie Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.