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The Strangers

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The Strangers (2008)

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Reviews Counted:142

Fresh:63

Rotten:79

Average Rating:4.9/10

Consensus: The Strangers provides a few scares, but offers little else to distinguish itself from other slasher films.

Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for violence/terror and language.

Runtime: 90 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Theatrical Release:29-08-2008

Synopsis: For his film debut, director Brian Bertino has crafted a fantastically creepy horror flick based on the very simple premise of strangers who come knocking late at night. Kristen (Liv Tyler) and... For his film debut, director Brian Bertino has crafted a fantastically creepy horror flick based on the very simple premise of strangers who come knocking late at night. Kristen (Liv Tyler) and James (Scott Speedman) have arrived at a secluded vacation home in the woods after attending a friend's wedding. It's four in the morning, and they're both tearful and emotionally exhausted after a disagreement about their relationship. As they awkwardly try to navigate the long night together, they are distracted by the sound of a heavy knock at the door. They open it to find a dazed young woman hidden in the shadows. Assuming she is lost, James sends her away, but Kristen is disturbed by the late-night visit. When James leaves to go on a drive and pick up some cigarettes, Kristen is left alone, and we watch her move through the huge house in a painfully eerie silence, all the while knowing that she is being watched. By the time James returns, Kristen is in hysterics, and together they must face the terrifying fact that they are indeed in grave danger. Both Tyler and Speedman give excellent, understated performances that lend the film a truly frightening edge of realism. The story's simplicity is a refreshing change from over-the-top torture films like SAW, and the violence in the film is minimal, and much of it off camera. THE STRANGERS also lacks any big-budget special effects. You won't find any CGI creatures or armies of zombies. The only monsters depicted here are the very real human kind, which is what leaves you thoroughly spooked and shaken, and ready to push a chair against your own front door. [More]

Starring: Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, Gemma Ward, Kip Weeks

Starring: Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, Gemma Ward, Kip Weeks, Laura Margolis, Glenn Howerton, Alex Fisher, Peter Clayton-Luce

Director: Bryan Bertino

Director: Bryan Bertino
Screenwriter: Bryan Bertino
Producer: Doug Davison, Roy Lee, Nathan Kahane
Composer: Tomandandy
Studio: Rogue Pictures

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for The Strangers

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41 - 60 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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If you've seen the annoying trailer for Bryan Bertino's singularly pointless debut feature, you've seen all the film has to offer -- minus 88 minutes of tedious sadism.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
06/03/08
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

A fine throwback, and one filled with moments of real suspense. In spite of its rushed, awkward ending, I'd take this any day over the Saw movies, and all that came in their wake.

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
06/03/08
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

I don't remember hearing young women scream like this in a theater since I saw "Double Jeopardy" some years back in a packed auditorium.

Full Review Source: Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) | comment 3 Comments
06/03/08
Linda Cook
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

[A] taut, minimalist white knuckler.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment 1 Comment
06/03/08
Rick Kisonak
Rick Kisonak
Film Threat

Unrestrained unexplained violence just for the thrill of it makes for a lousy movie.

Full Review Source: jackiekcooper.com | comment 11 Comments
06/02/08
Jackie K. Cooper
Jackie K. Cooper
jackiekcooper.com

A sadistic, unmotivated home-invasion flick.

Full Review Source: NPR.org | comment Comment
06/02/08
Bob Mondello
Bob Mondello
NPR.org

I've got to credit Bertino with the sense enough to not resort to shocking gore to make up for lack of suspense. The final act, however, is as messy as a plate of spaghetti.

Full Review Source: Scene-Stealers.com | comment Comment
06/02/08
Eric Melin
Eric Melin
Scene-Stealers.com

when a horror film manages to get its creepy hooks into your skin, it at least deserves some faint praise for psychological effectiveness.

Full Review Source: Sean the Movie Guy | comment Comment
06/02/08
Sean McBride
Sean McBride
Sean the Movie Guy

Don't let the attractive cast, the slick look or the 'inspired by true events' nonsense mislead you. The Strangers is a despicable and mean-spirited practical joke.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment 13 Comments
06/02/08
Ebert & Roeper

The movie is derivative as hell, but Bertino shows a good deal of craft -- if not as a writer, then as a director.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
06/01/08
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

There's less suspense around what these lunatics with sharp implements are doing in this home, than what Tyler and Speedman are doing in this movie. As for whoever is left standing at the end, they may have taken the final pages of the script with them.

Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | comment 1 Comment
06/01/08
Prairie Miller
Prairie Miller
NewsBlaze

Strangers is 80 minutes of screen stillness; a suspense picture powered by directorial incompetence and behavioral idiocy...a pile of tasteless genre garbage.

Full Review Source: BrianOrndorf.com | comment Comment
05/31/08
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
BrianOrndorf.com

What it does is deliver more than an hour of sustained, almost unrelenting terror.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment 3 Comments
05/31/08
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

The good thing about the three masked intruders is that they stay masked. This saves their careers. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Scott Speedman. He reacts to every scary indignation as if he was being checked for fleas.

Full Review Source: HollywoodChicago.com | comment 2 Comments
05/31/08
Adam Fendelman
Adam Fendelman
HollywoodChicago.com

Kind of like what The Shining might be if you took out the ESP. And the ghosts. And the chilling atmosphere. So call it The Sucking.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
05/31/08
Kyle Smith
Kyle Smith
New York Post

Abusive and arty as it contemplates abuse and art, The Strangers delivers what you guess it will.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
05/31/08
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters

Left me feeling exploited as this vile pretentious thriller never committed itself to being more than a rip-off scare flick.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
05/31/08
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

THE STRANGERS basically is FUNNY GAMES all over again. Well-crafted suspense in which the director refuses to give you the catharsis you seek in order to "make a point."

Full Review Source: LYTRules.com | comment 1 Comment
05/31/08
Luke Y. Thompson
Luke Y. Thompson
LYTRules.com

no edge, no originality, no subtlety, and all the intelligence of a doggie squeak toy

Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | comment 1 Comment
05/31/08
Andrea Chase
Andrea Chase
Killer Movie Reviews

While The Strangers certainly doesn't forge any new ground, there's always something to be said for a horror flick that forges old ground colorfully.

Full Review Source: FEARnet | comment 1 Comment
05/30/08
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
FEARnet
 
 
41 - 60 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
all

Latest News for The Strangers

August 28, 2008: Rogue Eager to Meet More Strangers Opens in new window
Rogue Pictures has greenlighted a sequel to the Liv Tyler horror movie "The Strangers," and hired the original's writer/director, Bryan Bertino, to pen the script. More...

June 05, 2008: Box Office Guru Preview: Black vs. Sandler in Comedy Showdown
Two big doses of comedy from a pair of Hollywood's funniest men will hit the multiplexes across North America on Friday in a fierce battle for the number one spot. For family... More...

May 29, 2008: Box Office Guru Preview: Sex in the Multiplex All Weekend Long
This weekend a quartet of New York City gals will try to boot Indiana Jones out of the number one spot at the North American box office as the much-hyped comedy Sex and the City... More...

May 29, 2008: Critical Consensus: Sex and the City Will Please Fans
This week at the movies, we've got love and commerce (Sex and the City: The Movie, starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall) and romantic getaways gone wrong (The... More...

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