movie review: the strangers

" The Strangers "
'Lock the doors. Pretend you're safe.'
Directed by Bryan Bertino
Released: May 30th, 2008

WHY DID I REVIEW THIS!?!?!

...because I was home.

Seriously, I'm sitting here and it's 3am so I figured I might as well go for it.

I saw The Strangers tonight. I kind of wish I hadn't. I have been let down by many people and by many things, but for some reason this is the biggest let down ever. In fact, I almost feel like crying...that's how let down I am.

The movie starts modestly enough, showing pictures of quaint little homes, probably in some hick town that only 45 people know about. All is perfect in the middle of nowhere. Then two boys are seen staring at a burnt up car with a hole in the windshield (which is strangle shaped like a heart). Then a frantic 911 call is played in the background while various frames pass by. A knife is visible, bloodied, as well as a massive blood stain on the wall. The boy on the 911 call is screaming about finding bodies and seeing blood everywhere. I almost wanted to smack the kid for the amount of times he said the word 'blood.'

Now we're back to real time, or present time anyway. Enter James Hoyt (Scott Speedman) and Kristen McKay (Liv Tyler). Something is obviously wrong as they sit in their car at a red light. Even as it turns green, a teardrop is seen on her face and he is noticeably trying to look cool (but we all know he's not). When they arrive at their destination (his father's summer home I presume), they enter but remain silent. The camera shows the different parts of the house: champagne and a dinner for two set up in the dining area, roses all over the bed, and roses in the bath tub. Then there's a flashback: they're at a wedding, she's laughing at a joke being told by another wedding guest (or maybe just laughing because she knows she might be tortured later that night). Anyway he carries her outside of the wedding hall and they playfully insult one another. Then he whips out a small little box and tells her he has to tell her something.

Oops. She obviously said no to his proposal because he looks pissed and she looks sad when the camera shows them sitting in the house again later that night. Anyway, that's all I'm going to give for plot summary at this point. From there, the weird stuff starts to happen...so now I'll tell you what I think of it.

I watched the trailer for this movie about a month and a half ago, alone, in my bed, with the lights out. I almost wet myself. It looked like one of the most legitimate horror movies that I might ever see. I liked the fact that the movie was based on something that has the potential to really happen. It's entirely plausible for people to torture other people for no reason (there are some sick people in this world) so I figured it might be something that would be scary. Some scary movies tend to be less scary because you know it's not real (see Nightmare On Elm Street) while other movies aren't good because...well they just suck (see The Grudge). It's possible for people to break in and go on a rampage. Possibilities. That's what I was looking for. It's possible.

Well, the movie was painful...to watch. Not entirely though, because the acting was very good and the cinematography/camera work was excellent. I thought the camera work really saved the movie from being 100% crappy. The shots of the killers in the background aimlessly watching the two main characters was eerie. The first time the masked man walked into the shot while she was smoking a cigarette (see the teaser poster above), I got goosebumps even though I knew it was coming.

The really horrible thing about this movie was the ending...the atrocious, horrific, stupid, pointless ending. When the movie ended I didn't move. I was expecting something else to happen. Then I realized it was over and, like I said earlier, I wanted to cry. I had never been so excited for a movie like I was excited for this one, and then I am let down by one of the worst endings I have ever seen in a horror movie.

My recommendation is wait for this to come out on TV and watch it because it's not worth the money you have to shell out to see it in theaters. As previously stated, the movie was saved somewhat by the good acting and the camera shots. Also, one of the best scenes in the entire movie is when Liv Tyler pulls back the shades on the living room window and the masked killer first appears. He bangs on the window, she begins to scream, and the record player begins to skip as she scampers away into her bedroom wielding a knife. Everyone in the theater screamed which made the scene so much better.

In short, I think the review pretty much sums up how I feel. I don't think I can ever be excited for another movie because now I feel like I'll just be let down.

My rating: 4/10
Positives: Acting, camera work, eeriness of the masks
Negatives: Plot ultimately led to nothing, ending was horrible, some scenes were very predictable