The Strangers (2008)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Bryan Bertino

Writer (WGA):

Bryan Bertino (written by)

Release Date:

30 May 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Lock the door. Pretend you're safe.

Plot:

A young couple staying in an isolated vacation home are terrorized by three unknown assailants.

Plot Keywords:

Stranger | Mask | Wedding Reception | Invasion | Execution

Awards:

2 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Liv Tyler	...	Kristen McKay
Scott Speedman	...	James Hoyt
Glenn Howerton	...	Mike
Gemma Ward	...	Dollface
Kip Weeks	...	Man in the Mask
Laura Margolis	...	Pin-Up Girl
Alex Fisher	...	Mormon Boy #1
Peter Clayton-Luce	...	Mormon Boy #2

Also Known As:

The Faces (USA) (original script title)
Los extraños (Argentina) (Mexico) (Peru) (Spain) [es]
Kleidoses? (Greece) [el]
Oni (Czech Republic) [cs]
Os Estranhos (Portugal) [pt]
Stranci (Croatia) [hr]
Võõrad (Estonia) [et]
Ziyaretçiler (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

MPAA:

Rated R for violence/terror and language.

Runtime:

86 min | 88 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #43588) | Canada:14+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Canada:18A | Australia:MA | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | Netherlands:16 | Ireland:16 | Finland:K-15 | Malaysia:U | New Zealand:R16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Argentina:16 | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Norway:15 | Italy:VM14 | Peru:14 | Germany:18 | Japan:R | France:U (with warning) | Spain:18 | Portugal:M/16

Filming Locations:

Florence, South Carolina, USA

Company:

Rogue Pictures

Trivia:

Originally scheduled for release in summer 2007. After 2 delays, it was released May 30, 2008.

Goofs:

Continuity: The amount of ice cream in the carton changes throughout the movie.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: What you are about to see is inspired by true events. According to the FBI, there are an estimated 1.4 million violent crimes in America each year. On the night of February 11, 2005, Kristen McKay and James Hoyt left a friend's wedding reception and returned to the Hoyt family's summer home. The brutal events that took place there are still not entirely known.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "20 to 1: Sizzling Superstars (#8.15)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

At My Window Sad and Lonely

Strange, disjointed movie

Well I was mightily impressed by the trailer, as I love a good horror movie. But this was such a disappointment.

Scott Speedman was obnoxious and Liv Tyler whiny - so it was all a pleasant relief they both suffered. As I assure you my pain was greater.

The lack of plot was original, but there's a reason it doesn't happen in movies - it doesn't work. Especially with such weak characters. And an extremely weak premise.

The people in masks were a bit strange, why do we never see their faces? Rarely hear them yet they get a credit??? Then their mysterious superpowers (ie ability to appear and disappear at will) but this is contradicted by their slow slumping walks and almost complete lack of strength when it comes to stabbing the victims. It was like watching a polio sufferer trying to cut through sheet steel. Pathetic.

The writer and director produced a very shoddy piece of work, lacking characters, plot, plot devices and twists. Admittedly there was tension - but waiting for a blood test to come back is also tense (and cheaper).