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The Strangers (2008)
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Movie Review by Jarrod
May 31st, 2008
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I was surprised by how scary 'The Strangers' really is. It is not so much scary as creepy, and it focuses more on genuine physical terror, though it does toy with both its characters and audience psychologically before unleashing its trio of masked killers, who arrive at the summer retreat of James Hoyt (Scott Speedman) and his girlfriend Kristen (Liv Tyler). James asked Kristen to marry him, and she rejected his proposal, so yeah, they have some problems, but still care deeply for one another, and thankfully the movie conveys this as succinctly as possible, it is not very long before the horror stuff begins. Not a moment is wasted in this 85-minute feature, and its length is more than appropriate, it does all it needs to do in that time, and about the only major disappointment is the ending, which is not terrible, but certainly will leave many viewers unsatisfied, and I agree that it could have been better. But what precedes it is extremely intense, consistent with the R rating. It has not been toned down for the PG-13 crowd. 'The Strangers' is, at least superficially, quite similar to a French film entitled Them (or Ils), which came out back in 2004. It also bears a resemblance to Funny Games, and while it claims to be inspired by true events, it probably isn't, except in the sense that it might have drawn something from the murder spree of the Manson family in the late 60s. I don't know if Manson's victims were entirely random, but James and Kirsten apparently are; in fact, there is no discernible motive of any kind, which heightens the tension and makes the film all the more unsettling. The masks worn by the killers are eerily nondescript, like that famous Michael Myers mask from Halloween. However, upon seeing them, I was instantly reminded of the mask worn by Tomas in that Spanish horror film The Orphanage.
The trailer for the movie ruins it in part by showing what the killers look like; it would have been better if we had no idea what to expect. This is another example of foolish marketing, but I would not call it ineffective, because the aforementioned trailer certainly piqued my interest in this, and the screening I attended was almost completely full. There was gasping and even a bit of screaming, which are the reactions one typically expects from a good horror movie; it is also one reason I love to watch movies like this with other people, to see how they will react. The appearance of the killers comes after a prolonged cacophony of disturbing sound effects; relentless pounding on a door, glass being broken, and eventually even a skipping record. This is a well-crafted movie, assembled with style and care, by writer-director Bryan Bertino. Liv Tyler is very good here, and her vocal cords get a strong workout. I like how she and Speedman are not your average, run-of-the-mill horror protagonists, even panicked and under duress, they are still able to act with a fair amount of plausibility, displaying intelligence and resourcefulness, even as their situation grows more and more hopeless, and all avenues of escape have been closed off. Well worth seeing.
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