The Strangers (2008) Movie Reviews

The Strangers: Us And Them Revisited

“Ok, you've had your fun. I'll give you one more chance, and if you don't clear out now, there'll be real trouble. I mean it.”
-- David Sumner from Straw Dogs

“Want to play some games? I'll play some fucking games with you.”
-- David Fox from Vacancy

“Why are you doing this to us?”
-- Kristin McKay from The Strangers

Bryan Bertino’s The Strangers has several things working in its favor. It is the ultimate in counter-programming to this weekend’s Sex And The City film. It is an R-Rated horror film; it is not a remake of an American or Asian horror film.The Strangers is an effective directorial debut. Still, while the film has the benefit of being the only game in town, it by no means a good film. For all of the hype, the film is incredibly mediocre. By the end of it, you will likely feel cheated. At times it plays like an unofficial American remake of David Moreau and Xavier Palud’s French horror film, Ils (Them). I hate to say it, but The Strangers owes a lot to Them. No one country has a monopoly on the home invasion theme. It goes all the way back to William Wyler’s The Desperate Hours, perhaps even further. I think, The Strangers, has made me appreciate Them more than I originally did. The thing that gives The Strangers an undercurrent of fear and trembling throughout its brief running time is the randomness of the violation itself. In that regard Them goes into a different direction for there is a reason for the violent behavior. Both films are based on true crimes.

Win an Autographed 'Strangers' Poster Here

Our homes are our sanctuaries-- our escape from realities of the world. The violation of that sacred space is nothing new in cinema. Straw Dogs, The Last House On The Left, Ils (Them), either version of The Desperate Hours, both versions of Funny Games and other films have dealt with this scenario in different ways. It is hard not to think of these films while watching The Strangers. Bryan Bertino has stated in interviews that he was influenced by reading Helter Skelter, childhood memories and the films he grew up watching. The original The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a big influence on him and it shows in his film. Who has not been influenced by Tobe Hooper’s iconic 1974 masterpiece? I also see winks to The Shining and Carrie in Bertino’s film. The sound department is the real star of The Strangers. It is what we hear that is truly frightening in the film. The noises in the dark are the film’s most effective scare tactic. It is a tactic that carries most of the film. It is not just the noise, but also the lack of sound as well. Door way views of deserted yards at night evoke the right kind of mood-- fear of the unknown. The sound effects work very well to the film’s advantage during the first half. As we see more of the home invaders, the effect begins to wear thin. The sound is the one thing this film has going for it.

A young couple goes to stay at an isolated vacation house after a wedding reception. The couple, (James Hoyt [Scott Speedman] and Kristin McKay [Liv Tyler]) is not exactly the happiest couple on earth. We learn that Kristin has rejected James’ wedding proposal. He had an elaborate and romantic plan set up at his childhood vacation home for the weekend. Getting stuck with an engagement ring is going to be the least of James’ problems. As the night goes on, someone knocks on the door asking for someone who does not live there. It is a young girl knocking at 4:00 in the morning. That is pretty odd and creepy. James is out of cigarettes and decides to leave to go get more. He leaves Kristin alone. The real trouble is notched up as Kristin is taunted by the unknown assailants outside. When James does return, a violent home invasion and struggle ensues led by the three masked invaders. Will this violent struggle rekindle their love for each other?

If The Strangers reminds me of any film in recent memory, it must be Nimrod Antal’s Vacancy from 2007. In that film, Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale played a young married couple who are about to get divorced; they go through the ultimate “motel hell” experience. I could not get the film out of my head while watching The Strangers. Simply put, The Strangers is Them meets Vacancy with a dose of either version of Funny Games. I did not mind Vacancy when I saw it. I have a greater respect for the film after watching The Strangers. The ordeal is similar to that of The Strangers. A couple on the rocks is tested-- think of it as the ultimate in couple’s therapy. In Vacancy, Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale battle a sadistic and perverted motel desk clerk played by Frank Whaley. They are locked in their motel room and their every move is videotaped. The previous motel guests have been brutalized and killed-- the grizzly acts are videotaped. Frank Whaley and his minions actually get off on watching their own horrific acts. Wilson and Beckinsale have no desire to be the stars of his next video. The couple dynamic worked much better in that film than in The Strangers. The major problem with The Strangers is there is no payoff at the end. The film has made me give Michael Haneke a tad more respect for his exact remake of his Funny Games. Sadly, the victims in The Strangers follow every cliché in the book. They are easy prey for the three masked invaders. The choices they make while in panic mode will make you want to yell at them at every opportunity. As James, you keep hoping that Speedman will break into his Underworld character, Michael Corvin and show these masked punks who the real boss is, but he never switches out of gear. We are delighted when he finds the shotgun and the bullets. Yet, it might as well be the same as the infamous rewind sequence in Funny Games-- to what avail. As Kristin, Liv Tyler makes a decent attempt as the damsel in the distress. For a stretch of the film, it is just her against the masked assailants. They are messing with Arwen from The Lord Of The Rings, they should know better. Better yet, where are Steven Tyler and Joe Perry to save the day? The more we see of the invaders, the less effective the film becomes.

There is no real pay off in the film; the one offered is not enough. The audience feels drained and cheated by the end of the film. The audience I saw it with booed at the end. As for the tormentors, we learn that they are amateurs. I would love to see them go at with the clean cut, young killers from Funny Games. The first half of The Strangers has some genuine chills and scares. The first half is the film’s strongest asset. Still by the end of the film, I felt like Margaret Ford (Lindsey Crouse) at the end of David Mamet’s House of Games-- I felt I had been conned. The film feels like a fraud when the credits come up. The film had some things going for it, but not enough to save it from itself. Bryan Bertino has made an interesting, but flawed first film. If anything, Mr. Bertino has to learn to make the whole film worth our time. If not, we feel like we have been had.