Director Bryan Bertino had a somewhat difficult task on his plate when he first made 'The Strangers'. The home-invasion genre is nothing new in films, and without some real unique talent behind the scenes it can quickly turn into generic fodder. Luckily, 'The Strangers' doesn't fall into that line but it does emerge with a few scars here and there. The film stars a young couple played by Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman as they arrive home late from a party. They are distant from each other and right from the beginning you already feel something is wrong and it won't be getting any better. The isolated little home also gives this awkward feeling as you see strong implications of a failed romantic encounter or perhaps a marriage proposal gone wrong, which leaves you uncomfortable even before the horror begins.
But once it does start up, the film goes at a really quick pace going from scene to scene with each attempt at escape feeling more and more desperate. The best scenes in 'Strangers' aren't always the loud tense scenes either, with one of my all time favorite in the whole of horror films being a small, almost unnoticeable scare in which one of the killers is standing right behind Liv Tyler and you as the viewer are just screaming for her to turn around. It's scenes like these that made 'The Strangers' stand out during the late 00's when most horror scenes you'd see during that time were what the critics liked to call "torture porn" like the 'Saw' and 'Hostel' series. I feel that it was another factor in the film feeling fresh at the time despite its pretty basic and commonly used premise. Seeing the film just recently thanks to Scream! Factory however has me seeing the cracks more clearly.
I feel that the movie gives a good isolated feeling throughout, but at the same time I feel that it also gives it a somewhat unrealistic feel. It's almost as if this house isn't heard or seen by anyone once the sun goes down. A later home-invasion film 'You're Next' worked just as well with its isolated themes but it also showed that there was a world nearby, which I felt made it even more tense. The characters in 'You're Next' try to call on their neighbors for help, only for the killers to be one step ahead and have already bumped them off. This would have made 'The Strangers' work even better I feel and would give the movie an even bigger sense of hopelessness and fear. The film's two protagonists are also a big issue with the film, with Scott Speedman's bland and almost indifferent attitude at times really having me root for the trio of killers.
I hear a lot of the negatives thrown at Liv, but I feel that's a bit unfair and may just be bias. Speedman never seems like he truly cares for this woman and only protects her when it seemingly benefits himself. I'm not entirely sure that it's intentional for his character, but I didn't feel nearly as much compassion for him due to his overall attitude and stupid decisions throughout. A good example is when someone actually arrives at the house, not knowing what's going on. He clearly and loudly calls out their names in this tiny house, and yet they don't know he's there and as you can imagine, it doesn't end well. But again, Speedman quickly brushes this encounter off as if nothing happened and he goes onto the next scene.
My last point is more of a disappointment/nitpick rather than a negative on the film itself. I feel that the ending is effective and creepy as hell, it's still disappointing at the same time. I think it's best to split the ending in two to best explain: the image used in the review is the good half, as it's become both an iconic horror image but it also manages to have one of the creepiest and unsettling taglines for the film (Because you were home...). Then you have the last half, which ends the film on a quick cheap jump scare like hundreds of other films. I feel leaving the audience with the quote scene and never revealing the true fates of the characters would have worked so much better. It may have been a studio request, considering a sequel was greenlit almost instantaneously (and yet didn't release until an entire decade later.) but it really deflates the creepy ending.
'The Strangers' still works even ten years after it first hit theaters. I remember working at my local theater and seeing it with some co-workers alone at a midnight screening and it scared the hell out of all of us. It doesn't work the same on Blu-Ray/DVD and the issues I highlighted do stick out more than that first screening, but at the same time I think it can be even more terrifying watching it in your living room at night. I know many people whose greatest fear is someone breaking into your home, so imagine them sitting down at night and you show them this...they're going to hate you and never let you come over for movie night ever again. I still recommend 'The Strangers' to my horror friends all the time and will definitely be first in line for this Friday's 'Prey at Night' sequel.
7.9/10
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