the Strangers

My family moved around a lot when I was a child. We lived in secluded homes in the middle of the woods several times in my youth. Believe me when I tell you that being alone at night in the middle of nowhere can be creepy as all hell. Every little sound carries a nervous fright with it. It puts you on constantly on edge. Now imagine that three psychos in masks are toying with you throughout the night, and you have the Strangers.



Kristen McKay and James Hoyt are returning to the Hoyt family summer home after a late night wedding party. The situation is tense, for Kristen has just turned down James’s marriage proposal. As James and Kristen talk about their situation, a knock on the door startles them. A young girl obscured by darkness asks for a person that doesn’t live in the house. She’s turned away, but she keeps returning. She’s not the only one. James and Kristen are terrorized as the night goes on with all of their escape options taken away by the strangers. How will it end? You’ll have to watch the film to find out.

The Strangers is one of those films that’s going to divide audiences. It’s going to upset those without the patience to see the story subtly build. Outright gore-hounds will also be disappointed as the film moves at a slower pace (although it never becomes boring). Writer/director Bryan Bertino slowly builds up tension throughout the movie making an altogether subtle horror film. These killers are not going for the outright kill. They’re toying with their victims. They relish the fear and panic they have caused. James and Kristen are not your usual horror movie victims either. They don’t fall into the usual horror movie clichés. Sure… some of their decisions aren’t the brightest ones, but the mistakes are made out of panic and not stupidity.



The Strangers definitely has a lot going for it. Bertino does a fine job on his directing debut. The film isn’t going to dazzle anyone with its inventiveness, but it’s a solid directorial work. Bertino does a great job on the screenplay though. He effectively builds realistic characters with James and Kristen. By showing us their heartbroken situation early in the film, the characters have our sympathies. This works to draw the audience in when the terror sets in. He also does right in not giving us all the facts. We are never told the motive of the strangers (nor are we told the reason Kristen has turned down the marriage proposal even though it’s clear that she loves James). Hell… we never even see their faces. I think this all works for the better as a random act of violence with no reason is more terrifying. Fear is about the unknown. It loses its power when it is explained (something that the Halloween remake should have learned). The Strangers has one major problem in my eyes though. The audience is never in doubt of the final outcome of the situation for James and Kristen. In fact the film starts with the two young boys discovering the aftermath of the strangers’ night of fun. That doesn’t change the fact that I was engrossed in how everything occurred though.

All in all though, I would definitely recommend the Strangers to those that don’t have a problem with a film that takes its time to deliver its scares. If you are down with a film that delivers horror with suspense instead of cheap scares and gore, then this is the film for you.

P.S. I thought the Strangers kicked ass.