Eric's Grade: C+
'The Strangers' is the maiden directorial effort by Bryan Bertino based on his own screenplay. He was not initially supposed to direct, but after the project got shuffled around he was approached despite his inexperience. He would go on to direct several B-level films, and even a sequel to 'The Strangers' but nothing would equal the success of this film. The cast here is tiny with Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman playing the lead couple. Bertino based the film on an incident from his childhood as well as the Manson Family murders. The film was made for $9 million but made over $82 million at the box office which is part of the benefit when horror movies catch on as they can make decent profit while costing almost nothing. The film got mixed reviews at the time, but has gone on to be something of a cult hit and is often cited as one of the better horror films of all time.
James and Kristen are played by Speedman and Tyler respectively. Late one night they return to James' family summer house in an isolated, rural setting. While nothing is explicitly told to us it is clear they have been fighting. Kristen spurned an apparent marriage proposal by James. He clearly thought things would go differently as a romantic setting was waiting for them at the house. He calls a friend from the wedding to come pick him up when he is able. Before we can get too caught up in their relationship drama a strange woman knocks on the door asking for someone who doesn't live there. Creepy things begin to add up and we realize there are people in masks stalking this couple before they do. At first they disbelieve, but soon that disbelief turns to terror as they realize they are in fact being stalked. They attempt flight and are foiled, and before the end of the night the unsuspecting couple will fall prey to these strangers for no other reason than they happened to be home as a famous quote from the film eerily puts it.
I remember watching 'The Strangers' when it first came out, and while I could not recall specifically why I remember being disappointed. I was surprised when I started seeing it on best of horror lists, and that made me want to watch it again especially since I had never logged a review. I remember now why I was disappointed. I will say that Bertino can write and stage an incredibly creepy scene. I liked the weird, unknowable masked trio that torments the couple. Keeping data about them extremely limited is key to ratcheting up that tension and horror of the unknown. He also does a good job of maintaining the tension high once the action starts moving. I will also give our couple a slight benefit of the doubt as they do not know how many tormentors they are dealing with which can mess with your decision making process. That said this film is one horror movie cliché after another. Just about every time a rational person would go right these two go left. James even has a gun when the masked trio have no firearms at all, but of course the one person he manages to shoot is the friend who came to get him in the most contrived scene of the film. The strangers are flesh and blood yet flit in and out of frame like supernatural entities which, while creepy, is highly implausible. The couple never sees fit to go on the offensive. At one point they try to rouse help by using a radio in the barn because of course the radio is in the creepy, darkened barn. On and on it goes. They even split up because that is a wonderful idea given the circumstances. Eventually after being menaced they are simply tied up and stabbed which is the one part of the movie I appreciated. It was no frills, and it just happened, and that is very reminiscent of the Manson Family murders. I enjoyed Speedman and Tyler in these roles and I did enjoy how Bertino shot the film to maximize the horror tension. Despite that this film feels like unfulfilled promise. Everything here sets up well except how basic and silly the decision making becomes once bad things start happening, and that takes what feels like a very promising setup and flushes it right down the toilet.
James and Kristen are played by Speedman and Tyler respectively. Late one night they return to James' family summer house in an isolated, rural setting. While nothing is explicitly told to us it is clear they have been fighting. Kristen spurned an apparent marriage proposal by James. He clearly thought things would go differently as a romantic setting was waiting for them at the house. He calls a friend from the wedding to come pick him up when he is able. Before we can get too caught up in their relationship drama a strange woman knocks on the door asking for someone who doesn't live there. Creepy things begin to add up and we realize there are people in masks stalking this couple before they do. At first they disbelieve, but soon that disbelief turns to terror as they realize they are in fact being stalked. They attempt flight and are foiled, and before the end of the night the unsuspecting couple will fall prey to these strangers for no other reason than they happened to be home as a famous quote from the film eerily puts it.
I remember watching 'The Strangers' when it first came out, and while I could not recall specifically why I remember being disappointed. I was surprised when I started seeing it on best of horror lists, and that made me want to watch it again especially since I had never logged a review. I remember now why I was disappointed. I will say that Bertino can write and stage an incredibly creepy scene. I liked the weird, unknowable masked trio that torments the couple. Keeping data about them extremely limited is key to ratcheting up that tension and horror of the unknown. He also does a good job of maintaining the tension high once the action starts moving. I will also give our couple a slight benefit of the doubt as they do not know how many tormentors they are dealing with which can mess with your decision making process. That said this film is one horror movie cliché after another. Just about every time a rational person would go right these two go left. James even has a gun when the masked trio have no firearms at all, but of course the one person he manages to shoot is the friend who came to get him in the most contrived scene of the film. The strangers are flesh and blood yet flit in and out of frame like supernatural entities which, while creepy, is highly implausible. The couple never sees fit to go on the offensive. At one point they try to rouse help by using a radio in the barn because of course the radio is in the creepy, darkened barn. On and on it goes. They even split up because that is a wonderful idea given the circumstances. Eventually after being menaced they are simply tied up and stabbed which is the one part of the movie I appreciated. It was no frills, and it just happened, and that is very reminiscent of the Manson Family murders. I enjoyed Speedman and Tyler in these roles and I did enjoy how Bertino shot the film to maximize the horror tension. Despite that this film feels like unfulfilled promise. Everything here sets up well except how basic and silly the decision making becomes once bad things start happening, and that takes what feels like a very promising setup and flushes it right down the toilet.
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