Home
NEW TODAY
Oct. 24th 1st ACTS
Oct. 25th SHORTS
SUBMIT A SCRIPT
SUBMIT your FILM
TV Pilot Contest
One Page Contest
Film Notes/Ideas
Comedy Shorts
Best of 2007 Films
Best of 2008 Films
Fest Videos 2007
Fest Video 2008
Movie Reviews
Classic Reviews
Wildcard Pictures
GET OUR E-ZINE!
CONTACT US
2008 Schedule

XML RSS
Add to My Yahoo!
Add to My MSN
Add to Google
 

THE STRANGERS
Movie Review

ALSO ON SITE

THE STRANGERS
Movie Review
Directed by Bryan Bertino
Starring Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman
Review by Wes Berger



SYNOPSIS:

A young couple staying in an isolated vacation home are terrorized by three unknown assailantsFree Video

REVIEW:

As a die hard, lifelong fan of the horror genre, I went into The Strangers with little or no expectations. Whether it has been the glut of lame, bloodless and mostly PG rated Hollywood remakes of both superior Asian fright flicks and North American classics from the 1970’s and 1980’s or the proliferation of films from the already played out ‘torture porn’ subgenre, recent American horror movies given wide releases have flat out sucked.

Well, The Strangers is a pleasantly unpleasant surprise; an uncompromisingly grim, cruel and spare little sharp-edged gem. The best part of the film is its’ first act. First time writer/director Bryan Bertino wisely devotes the early part of the story to spending time with and building empathy for the
characters while using a terrific sound design and judiciously applied, well chosen musical score to gradually ratchet up a sense of dread and genuine suspense. This creepy and effective set up climaxes in an exceptionally frightening reveal that provoked audible exhalations and even screams from the audience I saw the film with.

The rest of the film is not quite as strong. The middle section drags on for too long with too little variation and the last two thirds have little to no character development. The ending could also be seen as a cliché, although one could also interpret it, charitably, as an extension and deeper revelation of its’ antagonists’ defining sadism.

Still, this is, I would argue, one of the best American horror films of the last several years. While some might accuse it of being derivative and it clearly hearkens back to the 70’s (the original ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ and the exploits of the Manson family are obvious influences) its’ bracingly stark minimalism gives the film an aesthetic that feels fresh. The performances are also strong. Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman are both solid here, but Speedman is the revelation; completely convincing as a decent, average guy way out of his depth.

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK of this page on www.WILDsound.ca
Re:
First Name
E-mail Address
TELL US WHAT YOU THINK of this page on www.WILDsound.ca
Finally, the greatest achievement of “The Strangers’ is that it refuses to let the audience off the hook for watching the sadistic physical and especially psychological terrorism that the intruders enact on their victims. There are no self-conscious winks to the audience, no leavening bits of humour and almost no shots from the antagonists’ point of view. I challenge you to watch this film and cheer for the villains, as one is sometimes tempted to do in movies of this genre. Here, the victims’ pain and suffering are always in the foreground.

I’m not saying that this is the ‘Unforgiven’ of slasher movies but it’s a film where the wounds really hurt, one that never lets you forget that the blood from these wounds comes from real, hurting, terrified people and that, sadly, makes it extraordinary.

3 stars out of 4!

Buy Hollywood Movies OnlineHit Movies Under $10 - Get the Deal!

Take a look at more Movie Reviews

CLICK HERE and read some Classic Movie Reviews!

CLICK HERE and read the Daily Box Office results

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal SkullIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring
Harrison Ford
Shia LaBeouf

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince CaspianThe Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Directed by Andrew Adamson
Starring
Ben Barnes
Sergio Castellitto



Speed RacerSpeed Racer
Directed by Andy Wachowski
Larry Wachowski
Starring
Emile Hirsch
Christina Ricci

What Happen in VegasWhat Happens in Vegas
Directed by Tom Vaughan
Starring
Cameron Diaz
Aston Kutcher



Iron ManIron Man
Directed by Jon Favreau
Starring
Robert Downey Jr.
Gwyneth Paltrow

Baby MomaMade of Honor
Directed by Paul Weiland
Starring
Patrick Dempsey
Michelle Monaghan



Harold and KumarHarold and Kumar
Directed by Jon Hurwitz
Hayden Schlossberg
Starring
John Cho
Kal Penn

Baby MomaBaby Moma
Directed by Michael McCullers
Starring
Tina Fey
Amy Poehler



Return from The Strangers to home page

Google


footer for The Strangers page