Review: The Strangers (2008)

In Attendance- Me, Karrie and Dave
Cast Members of Note- Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, and the ever lovely Gemma Ward.

Scott Speedman and Liv Tyler play a troubled couple who spend the night at his country house after attending a wedding reception. After a proposal gone wrong, things only get worse as a 4 A.M. knock at the door changes their lives forever. (Here's a hint, the people knocking are strangers.) Thuse begins a game of cat-and-mouse between three masked strangers and the innocent couple, including, but not limited to: hide-and-seek; "Where's Tamara?"; shotgun tag; and Yahtzee. (The Yahtzee scene was mysteriously absent from the theatrical print of the movie.)

This game is called "Crawl for your Life."

Instead of locking themselves in a room with a shotgun (and the 30 f'ing shells that are laying at their feet), the couple makes runs for it, tries to radio for help, tries to drive away, and essentially does everything else wrong. Do they escape? Do they live or die? I won't ruin the ending for you here, but it's enough that you know that The Mormons show up before all is said and done, to deliver their own brand of justice! The Mormon God kind!

No God.

This movie managed to get it mostly right, despite it having some minor flaws. This is the first time in a long time that an American Horror flick actually had me on the edge of my seat. Granted, the tension lapsed in a few places, but overall it thoroughly creeped me out. It was a brilliant move to not only have the killers masked, but to have them speak very little, and to keep their motivations ambiguous. Could this scenario actually happen in most rural settings? Yes it could, and that's what makes it terrifying.

Pants were shat.

And for the record: The Strangers is in no way a remake or rip-off of Them (Ils), and it didn't remind me of Funny Games in the least. I've been hearing those comparisons around the Internets, and they're just not true. The similarities between this movie and Them (Ils) are there, but it's a different story altogether. As for Funny Games, well it shouldn't even be mentioned alongside of this movie.

Liv Tyler was about as good in this one as she usually is in anything, and I actually believed that she was terrified. I find it interesting that Gemma Ward was one of The Strangers; I had just seen her in a movie called The Red Balloon, and remembering how sweet and hot she was in that made her turn as Dollface that much more creepy.

For the record, they were all creepy.

I understand that people do stupid things under duress sometimes, but if masked strangers were stalking me in the middle of the night, and moving in and out of my house at their whim, here's why I'd survive: I'd lock myself in a room, put my back against the wall with my fully-loaded shotgun, and dare them to come closer. That's just me though.

Also, could the friend that showed up halfway through the movie not have called out for someone? Ugh.

Exactly.

The arrival of daylight doesn't mean you're safe anymore.

This one is more psychological than visceral, but we did get to see a few acts of violence (which I won't spoil here), some of which got pretty bloody.

How cute. She's trying to escape.

No, and I'm mad about it. We get to see Liv in her skivvies, and in the tub, but neither she nor Gemma got naked. Given the subject matter, I guess that was a smart move of the Producer's part, but still. Sigh. At least we didn't have to see Scott Speedman's ass. That's something.

You couldn't have stood up for like, 20 seconds?

"Because you were home" or "Sometimes" or "It'll be easier next time."

Don't ever trust attractive Actors, because they will put masks on and try their best to kill you.

High-Five!

In some ways, this movie deserves a solid an A-grade; unfortunately for the overall product, its flaws (as small as they may be) keep it just this side of being a classic. Still, it's a good, creepy time, and its definitely worthy of you adding it to your collection.

B+

The Strangers is available now on Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD.

Gemma Ward looks really good without a mask. Also, something about Liv Tyler.