The Strangers

The Strangers (2008)

Ranking: Maybe
Slightly Trashy

About a couple (Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman) who get stalked by mask wearing psychopaths after she rejects his marriage proposal. Allegedly inspired by a true story although I'm guessing it has a limited basis in reality. For example, the mask-wearing psychopaths have a tendency to appear and disappear as if by magic.

This film was very minimalistic (that's a word I don't use often) - the use of space, the dialogue. There is very little dialogue in the film at all. Which, of course, left tons of space for talking about other shit, but whatever. It also managed to scare the crap out of me without really doing much.

The first twenty minutes or so really freaked me out, without any gore or weird images flashing across the screen or junk like that. There's just some creepy girl (Gemma Ward) knocking on the door. Fucked up shit, man.

The rest of the movie tends to lose tension somewhat, although it does have some clever moments, but that first little bit still bothers me. I think about it when I wake up at three in the morning (this happens almost every night lately). Spooky shit.

It was well made, and well acted I guess. Liv Tyler was alright. I don't really like her that much, although I love Scott Speedman (of Weirdsville and the Underworld movies) for some reason. I was sad to see him go (spoilers). It's just that I've seen this movie a few times before, and done in more interesting ways. Funny Games for example, right down to the unceremonious deaths of the main couple at the end of the movie (spoilers. Well, actually, I guess Liv Tyler survives, maybe. Spoilers). Although it does make me wonder why the hell the masked people fucked around with them for so long. I mean, honestly. It seems like a lot of work to go to.

Ordinarily, this doesn't bother me in a movie, but it did with this one. I know, I know, it's a power thing, but it seems like just a waste of time for me. If I was going to kill some people and I had the ability to get inside their house (which, apparently, these people did. I don't remember that being explained, although I also don't remember Liv checking to see if the screen door was locked, so I guess that mystery is solved...), I would just get in and kill them, you know? Trust me, I have thought a lot about this subject in the wee hours of the morning... sometimes it's the only thing that gets me to sleep.

Yeah, this movie was well done and mildly creepy, it just wasn't really anything special.

END

Written and Directed by: Bryan Bertino. Starring: Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman.