The Strangers (2008)
Sub-Genre- Slasher/Survival
In Attendance- Me, Karrie and Dave
Cast Members of Note- Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, and the ever lovely Gemma Ward.
What's it about?- Scott Speedman and Liv Tyler play a couple on shaky ground with each other, spending the night at his country after attending a wedding reception. With 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.)
A cat and mouse game begins between three masked strangers and the disheveled 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. Hmm...)
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 wrong. Do they escape? Do they live or die? I wont ruin the ending here, but it's enough that you know that The Mormons show up before all is said and done, and surprisingly they don't mess everything up.
The Good- This movie managed to get it mostly right, and the flaws that it did have seemed minor to me. This is the first time in a long time that an American horror flick had me nervous. 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.
And for the record, The Strangers is in no way a remake or rip-off of Them (Ils) and didn't remind me of Funny Games in the least. I've been hearing those comparisons around the internet, and they're just not true. The similarities between this movie and Them is there, but it's a different story, and Funny Games shouldn't even be mentioned alongside of this movie.
Liv Tyler was good as she usually is, 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 part as Dollface way creepier.
The Bad- Ok, once again, the main problem I had was with the characters acting dumb. I understand that people do stupid things under duress sometimes, but if masked strangers were stalking me in the middle of the night and getting into 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.
The Downright Horrendous- The arrival of daylight doesn't mean you're safe anymore.
The Gory- This one is more about the psychological aspect of horror, but we did get to see a few acts of violence (Which I wont spoil here) and there was blood all over in a few scenes.
The Naked- 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 truly naked. Sigh. At least we didn't have to see Scott Speedman's ass.
Best Line- "Because you were home" or "Sometimes" or "It'll be easier next time."
What did we learn?- Don't ever trust attractive actors... They will put masks on and try their best to kill you.
Rating- B+ In some ways, this movie is an A; unfortunately for the overall product, it's minute flaws keep it just this side of being a classic. Still, it's a good and creepy time, and I say you should add this one to your collection.
Final Thoughts- Gemma ward is a hottie.
