Review #110: The Strangers (2008)

Cast/Notable Credits:
Bryan Bertino (Director)

Liv Tyler (Kristen McKay): Empire Records (1995), Armageddon (1998), The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Scott Speedman (James Hoyt): Underworld 1 & 2 (2003,2006), xXx 2: State of the Union (2005)

Laura Margolis (Pin-Up Girl): Dirty Sexy Money T.V. series (Pictured right)

Glenn Howerton (Mike): Serenity (2005), Crank (2006), It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia T.V. series

Trailer:


Narrator at the beginning of the film:

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.

The Strangers is a movie about a couple who is terrorized by three masked villains at a secluded summer home. James and Kristen have arrived at his family's summer home late one night. It was supposed to be a romantic getaway to celebrate their recent engagement. At least that was James's plan. Instead, he got the cold shoulder from Kristen when he popped the question.

Things couldn't get any worse for James...until someone mysteriously knocks on their door at four in the morning looking for a person that wasn't there. Soon afterwards, the couple become part of a cat and mouse game as they are stalked and haunted by mysterious masked beings.

Wow! This movie kicked some ass. It was one of the spookiest and most disturbing movies I've seen in a while. And I loved it! Bravo! Finally a horror movie with some balls and substance.

First of all, the premise of the movie was excellent. Three unknown masked villains terrorize and stalk a couple at a secluded house out in the boonies. It's a simple, but yet an effective plot. It's not like we haven't seen this type of story before, but this film actually delivers on the screen. Nothing fancy or cheesy just good ole' fashion fun here.

The best element of the movie...there was no reason behind the stalking. They just went out and did it. The best explanation came when Liv Tyler's character asks the question to the villains, "Why are you doing this to us?"

One of them replied, "Because you were home."

It's just that simple. No mutation, retardation, or psychologically troubled childhoods behind the killer's madness. "Because you were home." Now that's awesome!

There was no need for elaborate costumes, make up or looks to the villains. The female killers wore generic, plastic Halloween masks of a Pin-up girl and a Doll Face. The male villain wore a pillow case with holes punched out for eyes. Nothing special in the looks, but the look came across effective and eerie. Mostly because the director did a phenomenal job using the shadows and darkness to conceal the villains from the audience, thus giving them a terrifying presence.

The cast did a great job in the acting category. They made a believable performance that delivered, especially Liv Tyler (pictured left). Once I phased out the lyrics to Aerosmith's ♫ "Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" ♫ song from her earlier movie, Armageddon, she did a pretty darn good job at being the scared, terrified woman. ♫ Because I miss you baby, and I don't wanna miss a thing ♫

The movie was able to keep within the "realistic" bounds of society. Most of these types of films always comes up with the cell phone excuse of "no signal". That always pisses me off when someone goes to call for help and that lame two word excuse comes out. This time around, the cell phones are out of reach, or stolen by the predators. I can buy that.

There was one little thing that bugged me though. James found his family's shot gun and acted like a puss with it after the fun had already started. I would have just started hunting the hunters with it, but I guess that wouldn't have made for a good movie. So Hollywood made him a puss with the gun to make the movie a little bit more scarier. I guess I understand that aspect of it. I would have rather them not introduce the shotgun to the equation though.

Overall the movie was a fun ride. The sound department of the film did an excellent job coming up with the loud ominous tones to reflect the film's pace and terrifying moments. It was director Bryan Bertino's first gig. Hopefully he lands a few more after this one, because he did an excellent job on the film. Unfortunately his name sounds a little bit too much like Brian Boitano. I kept on thinking about South Park's reference's to him. WWBBD? What Would Brian Boitano Do?

Misc. Movie Trivia:
-Film opened on May 30, 2008 and made $52.5 million at the Box Office ($20.9 million opening weekend)
-Inspired by a true event that happened to the director as a child...a stranger had knocked on his door looking for someone who wasn't there and later on he found out that houses in his neighborhood had been robbed that night
-Gemma Ward started off as a model; was rumored to be dating the late actor Heath Ledger shortly before his death (Gemma pictured right)