The Strangers starring Scott
Speedman, Liv Tyler, Gemma Ward,
Glenn Howerton, Kip Weeks
The Strangers starring Scott Speedman, Liv Tyler, Gemma Ward, Glenn Howerton, Kip
Weeks
A lean, briskly paced and exceptionally creepy thriller, The Strangers earns
its scares the old-fashioned way: through atmosphere, sound design, and
a simple yet undeniably upsetting central premise that allows for maximum
tension throughout its running time. Attractive young lovers Liv Tyler and
Scott Speedman are already having a bad day--shes turned down his
marriage proposal--before a knock on the door in the middle of the night
announces a full-fledged siege on their remote vacation home by a trio of
masked assailants. The films first third delivers the most consistent shivers
as the visitors make their presence and intentions known to Tyler; the
second half grows more frantic and bloody before a gruesome finale that
may leave viewers either rattled to their core or bothered by its empty
nihilism. Speedman is fine as the downtrodden male lead (whos seen
tucking into a carton of ice cream after being rejected), but its Tyler who
impresses the most by shouldering the lions share of the terror. First-time
writer/director Bryan Bertino impresses by forsaking the current passion for
over-the-top violence (save for the finale) in favor of more traditional
means of generating fear, and if his project borrows heavily from other
films, most notably the French chiller Them (which shares its inspired by a
true story origin) and Michael Hanekes Funny Games, at least hes taking
from the best. The sound design is among the many technical standouts,
and the unsettling score by tomandandy (The Hills Have Eyes) pleasantly
evokes Ennio Morricones fuzztone-heavy work for Dario Argento in the
early 70s. On a completely unrelated note, LP fanatics should appreciate
how both the films heroes and villains share an affinity for folk and country
music on vinyl. --Paul Gaita
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