This remains a curious horror piece. After watching, it impresses as a fairly gruelling, mean-spirited showcase from director/writer Brian Bertino - but when you are actually watching, it is apparent that not a lot happens.
Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman play Kristen and James, an inexplicably annoying couple who are both awkward and unhappy when we first meet them (Kristen has just turned down James' wedding proposal). A small group of nameless masked characters invade their home and subject them to torture. That fills the 85-minute runtime.
Locations are all bathed in a uniform washed-out beige throughout, making the film a rather bland affair visually. Kristen is sullen and needy, while James does everything with a swagger, and I found it hard to warm to them. His friend, equally self-assured Mike (Glenn Howerton) joins the luckless ensemble for a time.
We get to know nothing about the aggressors, which is fine, not even what they really look like. "Next time will be easier," they say toward the climax, and that's as much explanation as we get.
Thinking back over the film as the final credits roll, I found that I quite enjoyed 'The Strangers', and I can't quite work out why. It's slickly made and features some moderately gory moments, but doesn't do anything other home invasion films haven't done. It became a sleeper hit and earned a sequel 'Prey at Night' ten years later and a film trilogy that began in 2024.
Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman play Kristen and James, an inexplicably annoying couple who are both awkward and unhappy when we first meet them (Kristen has just turned down James' wedding proposal). A small group of nameless masked characters invade their home and subject them to torture. That fills the 85-minute runtime.
Locations are all bathed in a uniform washed-out beige throughout, making the film a rather bland affair visually. Kristen is sullen and needy, while James does everything with a swagger, and I found it hard to warm to them. His friend, equally self-assured Mike (Glenn Howerton) joins the luckless ensemble for a time.
We get to know nothing about the aggressors, which is fine, not even what they really look like. "Next time will be easier," they say toward the climax, and that's as much explanation as we get.
Thinking back over the film as the final credits roll, I found that I quite enjoyed 'The Strangers', and I can't quite work out why. It's slickly made and features some moderately gory moments, but doesn't do anything other home invasion films haven't done. It became a sleeper hit and earned a sequel 'Prey at Night' ten years later and a film trilogy that began in 2024.
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