The Strangers review

The tagline for The Strangers is “We tell ourselves there’s nothing to fear, but sometimes we’re wrong…”and that is absolutely true. James and Kristen arrive at their isolated holiday home after attending the wedding of a friend. When James pops out, Kirsten answers the door to a women who asks for Tamara, and shetells her there is nobody of that name living there. Once James returns however, a deadly cat and mouse games ensues..

The film was inspired by real life events that tool place during the director, Bryan Bertino’s childhood when a stranger knocked on his door and asked for somebody who didn’t live there, and later several homes in his neighbourhood were broken into. If you are looking for well made old school horror this will be right up your street; it is simple, elegant and at the appropriate times, downright scary.

It eloquently plays upon our assumptions that we are all safe within our own homes, which we treat as a haven, and turns it into a nightmarish playground for people that we don’t even know. The Strangers brilliantly builds the suspense, the mood and the anticipation of things to come is palpable. The contrast between the rusty hues that give an oppressive impression of doom and the frivolous music is stark and edgy.

The shadows cleverly hide the horror, yet the light does very little to reveal it, and it pushes the point that evil can lurk everywhere, and you may well find yourself looking over your shoulder as you leave the cinema. The camera places you so close to the unfolding horror that you will involuntarily shift in your seat with discomfort, and the dance with death and fate this hapless couple embark on is beautifully choreographed.

While all this is happening in front of you, the voice of horror appears beside you and whispers in your ear that you are not safe anywhere, even in your home. Despite big names not having a particularly good track record in horror films, Liv Tyler is very impressive as Kristen, and her scenes with James (Scott Speedman) makes you care about this couple, and not just view them as inevitable fodder for the grim reaper.

Their characters are developed before the horror commences, making you want them desperately to survive unscathed. The Strangers of the title are played by Kip Weeks, Laura Margolis and Gemma Ward, and they are extremely effective in their roles, ruthlessly emanating the evil within them through their voices and body language. You genuinely care for James and Kristen and fear for them when there is a knock on the door.

Once the scares start they rarely let up. You find yourself either tense with the anticipation of what the strangers will do next, or jumping out of your skin when they actually do it. There is gore, but not to the excessive extent that has ruined many a potentially good horror film in recent years.

This Strangers is one of the best examples of a suspense filled and psychologically terrifying film that doesn’t need to rely on gallons of blood being spilled to hold your interest. If you have to compare the Strangers to any other film, it has to be Halloween, for story, skill and all around good entertainment.