Directed by Bryan Bertino
Review based upon a theatrical preview in 2008
It is true to say that over the past thirty years the USA has produced some of the best horror movies of all time. From the likes of George A. Romero to David Cronenberg, the American love for horror has remained constant when the genre’s presence started to diminish at the close of the twentieth century.
In 2008 it is becoming more apparent that Hollywood especially is looking towards Europe for some inspiration. Producers seem to care little whether this is to be found in straightforward remakes (Quarantine being a shot-for-shot remake of the Spanish hit [Rec] for example), or employing directors like Alexandre Aja to give a different flavour to the genre staples audiences have come to expect.
But does this mean that Europe has overtaken America as the beating bloody heart of horror? If “The Strangers” is intended to redress the balance then it’s a vailiant effort, but still a failure.
The movie opens with James (Scott Speedman) and Kristen (Liv Tyler) arriving at his family retreat after a failed marriage proposal. Things are more than just a little uncomfortable between them, and rather than endure facing up to his romantic rejection, James leaves the house in the middle of the night to go for a drive. As soon as he leaves strange things start to occur to Kristen, including a strange woman repeatedly knocking on the front door, loud noises upstairs that can’t be identified, and the appearance of a very strange figure in a sack mask. But it is only once James returns from his drive and learns of the situation that things start to get very sinister indeed.
“The Strangers” (directed by Bryan Bertino in his feature debut), is very much a wannabe. It wants to be creepy, it wants to make you jump, it wants to be lavishly p
hotographed, and (most importantly) it wants to build tension via character development just like European horror flicks undertake so thoroughly. The problem here is that this is a glossy Hollywood production, with a leaden script to match.Bertino is certainly someone who knows his cinematography. One of the most redeeming features of this movie is that way that it constantly uses peripheral vision in order to unsettle and scare the audience. Things come at you from all directions, but more often than not from the sides of the frame and the background. The best moment here is when Kristen is alone in the house, and the sack-masked figure (a genuinely creepy presence) slowly appears behind her out of focus. It is a great sequence, but has been overly used to sell the film already (it’s the main image used for the poster), and so doesn’t come as the great reveal that Bertino was obviously aiming for.
In addition to this, there are several main issues with this movie that weaken the impact of the piece considerably. Firstly, the denouement of “The Strangers” is completely predictable, largely due to the narrative structure. The movie opens with some children finding blood and death in the house where the siege takes place. As a result any hardened horror fan will know exactly where this is going. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, the characters are not sympathetic in the slightest. Unlike the European horrors it borrows heavily from (Bertino has clearly seen the great French flick “Ils” (Them) several times as there are a large number of similarities here), the lead characters are wooden and very stereotypical. All of this is intrinsically linked to the casting of Liv Ty
ler and Scott Speedman, who bring such a massive amount of Hollywood glitz to their on-screen relationship that it looks like they should be in a newspaper gossip column rather than being stalked by a group of psychos in the middle of nowhere. Sure, the film may have some good jump scares and nerve-jangling moments, but without real characters to care about is that really enough to carry the 100-minute running time?“The Strangers” is arguably a horror film by numbers. From the ‘this is based on a true story’ introduction (the narrator even sounds uncannily like John Larroquette who did the voiceover for the original “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”), to the loud booming musical cues and obscure shapes running around in semi-darkness, Bertino has concocted a bakery mix that he thinks will rise to the occasion. Unfortunately, “The Strangers” is more than just a little over-egged, and sinks as a result.
Liv Tyler may play the standard woman-in-distress role with aplomb, but when saddled with such predictable material even her presence can’t save “The Strangers” from a sticky end. If you really want to see an example of how to do something like this the right way, simply watch “Ils” on DVD instead.
Bertino is obviously a talent to watch, his visuals are consistently sumptuous and interesting, but hopefully his next choice of film will be something with a little more substance rather than just a lot of style.
3 out of 10
"The Strangers" looks nice... but it's a shame about the plot and the characters
