Review by Peter Syslo
THE STRANGERS (2008) is pretty much one of the only major, mainstream horror releases of 2008, aside from SAW V. As I’ve hinted at, 2008 presented horror fans with very little viewing choices - unless you looked into the independent, foreign, and micro-budget areas. I will say again that I hoped MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN would be the big film release of 2008 (it was, in my mind), but we all know what happened there.
Considering our choices, THE STRANGERS wasn’t great but it wasn’t terrible; it was just “okay”. This review will probably be fairly brief because, honestly, I don’t have that much to say about the film; it really didn’t “stir” me.
THE STRANGERS is written and directed by Bryan Bertino. The film stars Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, Gemma Ward, Kip Weeks, and Laura Margolis.
The film is about a couple (Tyler and Speedman) who are “on the rocks”. After coming back to a family vacation home (around 4 AM, after a wedding, and after a rejected marriage proposal), the two attempt to work out their relationship. All of a sudden, they get a knock at the door. It is startling, because the house is a good distance from civilization. The person at the door is a strange girl who wants to know if one of her friends is there. One thing leads to another and the couple finds that they are definitely not alone; a masked trio is staking out the property. The tension heightens as the couple attempts to decipher the trio’s true intentions and the movie climaxes in a way that almost turns it into an exploitation film.
One of the main problems with this film is that I think the overall rhythm was a bit “off”. Speaking positively, I loved the setting and atmosphere (a spooky house in the woods), I loved the look of the intruders (masks were creepy), and I actually liked how it all ended. However, all of those positive things were undermined by that “off” rhythm. Unfortunately, a lot of the suspense was diffused because the wait was too long before any of the intruders were truly introduced. Translation: I really didn't get the feeling that they were dangerous until the third or fourth appearance of them. I feel that the film needed a real jarring, violent shock earlier on, in order to establish danger, urgency, and the fact that the trio was unpredictable. I know the trio was stalking their prey, but it was to the point that they seemed unorganized and didn't truly have control of the situation. The early lack of terror resulted in less suspense overall, because I really didn't feel the peril of the couple.
Aside from the suspense, timing, and flow problems, some of the other aspects of the film didn't captivate me either. The acting wasn't that bad; Speedman is a likeable “everyman” type of guy, Tyler was believable as the confused girlfriend, and the trio did have an eerie presence when they were on-screen. But, I didn't “feel” for the characters (except for the very end); nothing made me identify with their situation and nothing made me root for them – they were basically “plain Jane” performances and characters. On the positive side, the effects were actually decent and realistic (you see some blood, with a gunshot to the head) but I felt that those effects could have been put to greater a nd more effective use. Getting back to the exploitation idea, I thought that the film was kind of an exploitation picture, based upon the very end. I don't want to give it away, but I was actually surprised because this was a mainstream film – usually these things aren't that dark. Initially, I thought that this picture was going to be a thriller like PANIC ROOM; needles to say, I was pleasantly surprised by the ending. But, as is with some exploitation films, it is tough to sustain the life of it for a complete, full-length film. If only the film were shorter, it may have been more effective.
Cutting to the chase: THE STRANGERS had its problems but it wasn't completely bad. I am kind of “middle-of-the-road” about it, but I admit there was a lot of potential there. In hindsight, it may have been a better move, if the film focused on the trio of intruders – their story was very interesting. Maybe that is the whole problem; if the film was retooled and told from the trio's point of view, with multiple victims, it could've been something greater. All in all, though, it does have some cool moments, a few surprises (for a mainstream release), and it is somewhat entertaining. I give THE STRANGERS a 5/10.