By Melissa Garza
“You’re going to die.”- Masked Stranger (Gemma Ward)
After their friends’ wedding, Kristen (Liv Tyler) and her boyfriend James (Scott Speedman) take retreat at a summer home deep in the woods and away from most civilization. Their relationship becomes slightly strained when Kristen does not accept James’ marriage proposal. They attempt to reunite and have a romantic evening when a knock is heard. James glances at the clock, and seeing that it is close to 4 a.m., he is a bit un-eased by the visitor. Nonetheless, he opens the door and though too dark to see the face, one can make-out a young blonde teenager. She asks if Tamara is home. They quickly tell her she has the wrong house, and then she responds unusually with, “are you sure?” The girl leaves, and the couple go back to being awkward. Eventually, James decides to go for a drive to clear his head and to buy a pack of cigarettes. Moments after James leaves another knock is heard at the door. Kristen hears a familiar voice ask for Tamara. A bit frightened, she tells the girl that she has already been there. The stranger responds once again with the cryptic, “are you sure?”
Soon, there are bangs on the door and a new intruder with a potato sack on his head enters the house unnoticed. Eventually, Kristen hides out in her room until James returns home. At first, he is skeptical of the story. He believes she has overreacted and is more concerned about a minor cut on Kristen’s hand that the terror she just endured. He searches the house, more-so to make her feel comfortable, than because he believes her. Finally, she glances out of the window and sees the girl that had earlier been on her doorstep. Again, her face is hidden in the dark, but her silhouette is clearly visible. She stands at a distance staring at them and then in a moment she’s gone.
James still skeptical about the amount of danger decides to retreat to his car and obtain his cell phone. When he gets there, he sees his car windows are shattered and the wires are exposed. His cell is gone. He starts the car to hear the engine and then panics as a hand reaches out and touches him. Finally, recognizing the severity of the situation, he runs back into the house. They search for weapons and find an old gun. They barricade themselves in a room awaiting an inevitable showdown with the intruders.
Rarely does the mainstream get horror right. Personally, I cannot remember the last time I jumped, or was genuinely frightened enough to close my eyes during a production in fear of what they may see. During “The Strangers” this occurred several times. The amount of tension built is enough to want the movie to end. There’s actually a point when the ending itself doesn’t matter as long as the film stops. Even after the credits roll, the anxiety created sits with you. “The Strangers” is a film one has to come down from after viewing. It recaptured what films like the original “Black Christmas” had put forth. When watching it is almost as though the movie was produced thirty years ago. Movies that are this tense traditionally aren’t made anymore. Part of it is that the audience is a tougher sell. We’ve seen everything and we’ve heard everything so nothing shocks us anymore. “The Strangers” overcomes this with ease by breaking the standard rules of horror.
Horror movies traditionally go for cheap scares predominately in the beginning. Maybe, a cat in the dark corner will jump out or something will fall off of a shelf. “The Strangers” skips that. Instead of a build-up that leads to nothing the audience come face to face with the intruder. After this occurs, the viewers are in the position where they don’t know what to expect and thus are fearful. Deep within there is still a great fear of the unknown, and the film capitalizes on it and uses it against the audience marvelously.
Secondly, the victims never transcend into the unbelievable super hero style characters that many horror films utilize. They remain horrified and confused and in a constant state of panic. It is because of those emotions that the moves they make may not be the smartest. At one point, James decides to make a run for it to the woodshed to reach a radio to make contact. Sometimes these moves can take away from a production. It can seem like a purposeful way to bring on disaster. Here that is not the case. Every single thing the couple does, they analyze and weigh the pros and cons. It is so ‘in the moment’ that even the viewer will find themselves agreeing with outrageous ideas that afterwards they’re left to think, ‘maybe that wasn’t the best idea.’
Liv Tyler excels in her role. She has developed into such a great actress who brought depth to a character that had only a small entrance before the horrors began. The horror and distress that she relayed so wonderfully, easily forces the viewers to feel the same.
Scott Speedman also did a magnificent job. Though his character was burdened with making some really stupid choices, because of the dialogue and the ways in which the decisions were made, he kept them believable. Never will the audience sway their support away from him, even when his character does react in foolishness. Speedman makes it clear that the foolishness is rooted from the unparalleled shock and fear that James is experiencing.
The villains remain virtual unknowns. They are always hidden and never seen which adds to the suspense. Their motives are juvenile but their actions horrendous. They are seemingly without conscience and simply enjoy the game of torture and toying. Despite their age, not one will see a sympathetic side to any of them. One will easily cheer for their demise. They are the epitome of evil. “The Strangers” captures the essence of ‘evil’ so wonderfully. Don’t expect a “Freddy” or a “Jason” or even a “Hannibal Lector.” These are far different. There is an essence of realism that pours off the screen and reinforces the fear. It may be because this like the film French film “Ils” (a.k.a. “Them) is based on a true story of an Austrian couple from the Czech Republic that were terrorized by three teenagers. The thoughts of being in the middle of nowhere with intruders hellbent on torture is a scary thought. When it is as well-executed as “The Strangers” the production becomes something that will forever be recognized as an asset to the genre.
Overall this is one of the darkest films ever made. It is a breath of fresh air when compared to the torture-fest nonsense that is the “Saw” series, the awful Asian remakes, or the PG-13 garbage that the mainstream force-feeds us. “The Strangers” is a true horror film that relies on character development, setting, atmosphere, pace, and dialogue to create one of the most terrifying productions ever put forth.
Scared Stiff Rating: 9.5/10
I totally agree that this is one of the rare modern horror film that can be compared to Black Christmas! Not as good, but a good one. They do not make such deeply tense intruder movie anymore these days!
I too found Liv Tyler brilliant in this movie, she really adds to her character and to the movie in general. However, I really did not react well to the really stupid decisions taken by the couple (e.g. “let’s separate!”), they made me loose my interest at times. I found the second part of the movie a bit repetitive, but that is being really picky!
I liked the mysterious ending! A great movie overall, I would give it a 8 / 10 personally.
Thanks for the comment! 🙂 Glad to see you’re a fan of Black Christmas too!! If you haven’t already, check out Warlock Moon. It’s not as intense but freaky nonetheless!
First on my watchlist, thanks!