A young couple staying in an isolated vacation home are terrorized by three unknown assailants. Kristen attempts to disarm the alarm when she is startled by another knock at the door and drops the alarm on the floor, unnerved. The Strangers is based on a screenplay written by director Bryan Bertino. While the horror flick "The Strangers" sees a young couple being hunted, tortured and murdered by a group of masked assailants, none of the aforementioned events actually happened during the "true events" that the film claims to be based on. I had been told that she really wanted to be scared. 1 VIDEO | 115 IMAGES. After kidnapping and brutally assaulting two young women, a gang unknowingly finds refuge at a vacation home belonging to the parents of one of the victims: a mother and father who devise an increasingly gruesome series of revenge tactics. "[42] Metacritic reported an average score of 47 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Kristen returns to the kitchen, where, unbeknownst to her, a masked man (Kip Weeks)—the Man in the Mask—watches her from an adjacent hallway. The couple find themselves in a violent struggle, in which they go beyond what either of them thought capable in order to survive. He enters the house, and James, mistaking him for one of the intruders, shoots him dead. "[24], The masks featured in the film were chosen by Bertino, who wanted them to appear as though the killers "could have picked them up at any store. Written by "[8], In his book Hearths of Darkness: The Family in the American Horror Film (2014), scholar Tony Williams notes the film's setting within a 1970s-era home as representative of an "American tradition of violence that is random and without any coherent explanation." Two one-sheet posters for the film were released in August 2007, one showing the three masked Strangers,[32] and the other displaying a wounded Liv Tyler. 3) – Internet Movie Poster Awards Gallery", "The Strangers: Collector's Edition Blu-ray Detailed", "When 'Strangers' Come Calling, It's Hard Knocks", "Movie review: Killers drop by in 'Strangers, "You'll want to scream, but not with delight", "Christina Hendricks, Bailee Madison, Lewis Pullman Join 'Strangers 2, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Strangers_(2008_film)&oldid=1008625472, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Album articles lacking alt text for covers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 24 February 2021, at 06:59. A brother and sister driving home through isolated countryside for spring break encounter a flesh-eating creature which is in the midst of its ritualistic eating spree. Of course, it may be that provincial violence is a result of contamination, or in other words that the kind of stranger-upon-stranger violence typically associated with urban life metastasizes to the rural, a phenomenon noted by Louis Wirth. - ( Original Title - The Strangers: Prey at Night ) "The Stranger House" is no exception and I think this is my favorite so far. [12][22], On a $9 million budget, filming for The Strangers began on October 10, 2006, and finished in early 2007. [59], In 2009, the film was ranked #13 on "Bravo's 13 Scarier Movie Moments" television piece,[60] and in a 2018 retrospective, Clark Collis of Entertainment Weekly deemed the film a "modern-day slasher classic. [7], The film has also been noted by scholar Philip Simpson as highlighting "the divide between the underprivileged and privileged classes," as well as for its inversion of commonly-held beliefs about violence in urban areas and pastoral ethics: "The Strangers, as many horror films do ... undermines the conventional notion of rural society as a simpler, crime-free place. [20] Kip Weeks was then chosen as the Man in the Mask, and television actress Laura Margolis, who found the script to be a real "page turner", was cast in the part of Pin-Up Girl. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for The Strangers (DVD, 2008) at the best online prices at eBay! [4][5] A sequel, titled The Strangers: Prey at Night, was released on March 9, 2018. The couple find themselves in a violent struggle, in which they go beyond what either of them thought capable in order to survive. A stranger pulls into your drive or knocks on your door,what's their motive? "[50] Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe said of the director, "Bertino has the pretensions of an artist and the indelicacy of a hack. It was inspired by an event from Bertino's childhood. to which Dollface responds, "Sometimes." She tries to escape but is incapacitated by the masked man. "[52], Among the positive reviews, Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times said The Strangers is "suspenseful," "highly effective," and "smartly maintain[s] its commitment to tingling creepiness over bludgeoning horror. When James tries to shoot her, the masked man knocks him unconscious, inadvertently discharging the rifle. Made on a budget of $9 million, the film was shot on location in rural South Carolina in the fall of 2006. Contemporary film scholars have interpreted it as a criticism of the perceived safety of pastoral life, as well as an exploration of stranger-on-stranger violence. "[53] Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter called the film a "creepily atmospheric psychological thriller with a death grip on the psychological aspect. The following is not for viewers of a sensitive … A family falls victim to a group of mutated cannibals in a desert far away from civilization. 1 hr 25 mins. [25] Following test screenings, it was decided by the producers that the strangers' faces should remain unseen to the audience, which required the sequences following the stabbing to be excised. In this 2008 home invasion favorite, a young couple retreat to their family holiday home after a friend’s wedding, but find their idyllic getaway turns into a living nightmare when a group of three masked strangers invade their home. "[57] Empire Magazine remarked on the film's retro-style, saying, "Like much recent horror, from the homages of the Grindhouse gang through flat multiplex remakes of drive-in classics, The Strangers looks to the '70s. It received mixed reviews from critics, with some praising its atmosphere and tension, and others criticizing its script and characters. "[6], In The Horror Show Guide: The Ultimate Frightfest of Movies, Mike Mayo noted the film's "grim realism," writing that the main characters "could have wandered out of a gloomy Ingmar Bergman film," ultimately branding the film as an example of "naturalistic domestic horror" akin to Michael Haneke's Funny Games. What ensues is a violent invasion by three strangers, their faces hidden behind masks. No case is as bizarre and unexplainable as this. The Strangers: Fun Facts. Dollface comes out of the truck and asks if she can have one of their tract cards. [12] In particular, he stated he was significantly inspired by thriller films of the 1970s while writing the screenplay,[11] and envisioned a film that "put the audience in the world of the victims. I was just getting warmed up. It was shot at the Billancourt Studios in Paris.. R. Watchlist. Kristen rushes back to the house where she encounters Dollface, who taunts her with a knife, saying, "You're gonna die." The Strangers is a 2008 horror movie written and directed by Bryan Bertino in his directorial debut and starring Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, and Glenn Howerton. As he reaches out to her, Kristen, still alive, startles him by grabbing his hand and screaming. James calls his friend Mike (Glenn Howerton) and asks him to pick him up in the morning. Characters are stabbed, beaten, and shot, often very graphically. After picking up a traumatized young hitchhiker, five friends find themselves stalked and hunted by a deformed chainsaw-wielding loon and his family of equally psychopathic killers. Additionally, Williams reads the three masked assailants as metaphors for the "repressed and unresolved tensions affecting the couple inside the house. Use the HTML below. After returning from a wedding reception, a couple staying in an isolated vacation house receive a knock on the door in the mid-hours of the night. [65] Later titled The Strangers: Prey at Night, the film was released on March 9, 2018. [11], In interviews, Bertino stated he was "very impressed" with some of the theories circulating on the Internet about the "true events" the movie is allegedly based on, but said that his main inspiration was the true crime book Helter Skelter, which is about the Manson Family murders;[14] some journalists speculated that the film was also inspired by the unsolved Keddie Cabin Murders of 1981 that occurred in a small vacation community in California's Sierra Nevada. It was shot on location roughly 10 miles outside of Florence, South Carolina, and the 2,000-square-foot (190 m2) house interior was constructed by a set crew. Bertino had a particular interest in the horror genre, noting how one can connect to an audience by scaring them, and would state in subsequent interviews that he grew up watching horror films. Jump Scares in The Strangers (2008) See below for the exact times and descriptions of the 16 jump scares in The Strangers, which has a jump scare rating of 4.5. Kristen realizes the chimney flue is closed, and attempts to open it; smoke emanating from the fire triggers a smoke alarm. "[46] Steven Rea of The Philadelphia Inquirer noted that "No one is getting at anything in The Strangers, except the cheapest, ugliest kind of sadistic titillation. The Strangers is a 2008 American psychological horror film written and directed by Bryan Bertino. Parents need to know that The Strangers is a grisly, tense, very scary horror movie with plenty of blood spilled. Kristen hears the shot and runs to the shed. Check out some of the most anticipated TV series revivals, live-action movie adaptations, and remakes currently in the works. Three backpackers stranded in the Australian outback are plunged inside a hellish nightmare of insufferable torture by a sadistic psychopathic local. "[24] The A.V. A few strangers came to his home late at night asking several times for someone unknown to him or his family. Kristen demands, "Why are you doing this?" 2) – Internet Movie Poster Awards Gallery", "The Strangers Poster (ver. Drama, Suspense. Unlike in eighties slasher horror, for example, where engaging in negative behavior such as drinking, doing drugs, having premarital sex are often forerunners to being killed by the killer(s); [here], death is random and unrelated to one's behavior. The strangers unmask themselves to Kristen and James before taking turns stabbing them in the chest and abdomen. I knew it would be interesting to act that. Hector Loursat, attorney at law, lives with his daughter Nicole in a vast and shabby mansion in this provincial town. The resulting clashes force the couple to go well beyond what they thought themselves capable of in … One might call the narrative sensibility informing The Strangers 'pastoral paranoia', in that danger lurks among the rough folk of the country rather than the suburbs and cities. Three masked intruders terrorise a young couple in a secluded country house. [43] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B–" on an A+ to F scale. [23] Though the film takes place in 2005, the house itself was deliberately constructed with an architecture reminiscent of 1970s ranch houses and dressed in furnishings applicable to the era. Shortly after 4:00 a.m., there is a loud knock at the door. [30] The trailer originally began running in theaters attached to Rogue Pictures' sci-fi film Doomsday in March 2008,[31] and television advertisements began airing on networks in early-mid April 2008 to promote the film's May release. What ensues is a violent invasion by three strangers, their faces hidden behind masks. A young couple staying in an isolated vacation home are terrorized by three unknown assailants. Johannes Roberts (whose shark diving thriller 47 Meters Down was a smash hit) directs this horror film featuring Christina Hendricks, Bailee Madison, Martin Henderson and Lewis Pullman, inspired by the 2008 classic The Strangers. The couple search the house, but find nobody, and James initially believes Kristen to be letting her imagination get to her. But Bryan doesn't write like that; he writes how normal people communicate—with questions lingering. Desperate to repay his debt to his ex-wife, an ex-con plots a heist at his new employer's country home, unaware that a second criminal has also targeted the property, and rigged it with a series of deadly traps. Not sure why it has,numerous negative reviews? [62] Directors Laurent Briet and Marcel Langenegger were considered to direct, but landed eventually to Johannes Roberts. One of the boys approaches Kristen's body and attempts to touch it. In November of 2017, a broken video camera and smart phone were recovered from a recycling centre. What ensues is a violent invasion by three strangers, their faces hidden behind masks. The Strangers ( 2008) The Strangers. When the Davison family comes under attack during their wedding anniversary getaway, the gang of mysterious killers soon learns that one of the victims harbors a secret talent for fighting back. ", and ultimately branded the film as "an effective, scary emotional work-out. "[47] Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News compared the film to 2007's Vacancy – a "comparison which does 'Strangers' no favors. When October comes around,it's always one that gets played. The Strangers What ensues is a violent invasion by three strangers, their faces hidden behind masks. [17], Bertino entered the screenplay for The Strangers into a screenwriting contest, after which he sold its directorial rights to Universal Pictures. [36] The producers instead opted for a summer release, and The Strangers had its theatrical debut in United States and Canada on May 30, 2008. Kristen notices the smoke alarm she left on the floor is now sitting on a chair, and realizes someone else has been in the house. [11] Tyler, who had not worked for several years after the birth of her son, accepted the part after being impressed by the script, which she read while on a flight from Japan to Los Angeles:[18] "I especially liked Bryan's way of saying a lot, but not saying everything. Title: He tries to get under our skin with a pile driver. Club named it the 23rd best horror film made since 2000. When she hears a noise from the backyard, she arms herself with a knife, and opens the curtains to find the Man in the Mask staring at her. [11], During production, it was reported that Liv Tyler came down with tonsillitis due to the extensive screaming the role required her to do. Do we get to see the strangers without their masks? Often in movies, it's all spelled out for you, and the dialogue is very explanatory. Anonymous. Screaming, she stumbles into the hallway and watches as the front door is forced ajar. Club said that "as an exercise in controlled mayhem, horror movies don't get much scarier. living out in the country, if you are not familiar with it, trust me it is a little scary!! This is mostly because Lapena makes use of the various narrators a lot more. Take a look back at the TV series that took home Golden Globe Awards for Best Television Series in the categories of Drama and Comedy. [40] In commemoration of the film's 10th anniversary, a two-disc collector's edition Blu-ray by Scream Factory was released on March 6, 2018, featuring a 2K video transfer, as well as a combination of new and archival cast and crew interviews. Film scholar Kevin Wetmore noted the film's portrayal of violence as a reflection of its contemporary culture, writing: "Death is a random act in post-9/11 horror—the result of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, as the cliché goes. As pointless suspense exercises go, "The Strangers" at least gets off to a good start. The Strangers: Prey at Night, a 2018 American horror film, sequel to The Strangers (2008 film) Podcasts. In a secluded area, away from civilization, James Hoyt (Scott Speedman) and Kristen McKay (Liv Tyler) arrive at night to James' childhood summer home, returning from a friend's wedding. Bonus materials include two deleted scenes and a making-of featurette. "[51] Stephen Whitty of The Star-Ledger opined of the film, "Unfolding with an almost startling lack of self-awareness, young filmmaker Bryan Bertino's debut is such a careful, straight-faced knockoff of '70s exploitation films that it plays like a parody. [11] In retrospect, Bertino said he chose the three actors based on their abilities to convey their characters in spite of the fact that their faces remain unseen onscreen. They soon realize that unless they escape, they'll be the next victims of a snuff film. Some journalists noted similarities between the film and the Keddie cabin murders that occurred in Keddie, California in 1981, though Bertino did not cite this as a reference. "[54] James Berardinelli of ReelViews gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, saying that, "This is one of those rare horror movies that concentrates on suspense and terror rather than on gore and a high body count. That got me interested from the first pages". [3], The Strangers was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United States on October 21, 2008. The film was shot in Florence in the fall of 2006 and was released May 30, 2008. One night, while our parents were out, somebody knocked on the front door and my little sister answered it. [41], On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 48%, based on 164 reviews. One of the boys asks her, "Are you a sinner?" This is that material. 165 Reviews 250,000+ Ratings What to know. Was enjoyable,suspenseful in places & of course typical clichés. I wrote: "What a waste of a perfectly good first act! 'Vacancy' director Nimród Antal gave us a pair of heroes who fought like hell to survive, becoming closer and stronger in the effort. He leaves and encounters the pin-up girl, searching the backyard with a flashlight. My mistake was to read the interview with the director. She finds the radio, but the Pin-Up Girl smashes it with an ax. Plot. Tension and dissatisfaction plagues their relationship, as they've returned from a friend's wedding where Kristen rejected James' … Refusing to let anything spoil their romantic weekend break, a young couple confront a gang of loutish youths with terrifyingly brutal consequences. Cast: Alex Fisher, Peter Clayton-Luce, Scott Speedman, Liv Tyler. Originally slated for a theatrical release in November 2007, it was postponed before a theatrical release on May 30, 2008. 2008. A caving expedition goes horribly wrong, as the explorers become trapped and ultimately pursued by a strange breed of predators. After returning from a wedding reception, a couple staying in an isolated vacation house receive a knock on the door in the mid-hours of the night. "[9], Bryan Bertino, on his inspiration for the film. James goes for a drive to purchase a pack of cigarettes for Kristen; before he departs, he starts a fire in the hearth. A Stranger in the House has a slightly different tone than The Couple Next Door. Liv Tyler was a frequent visitor to the local Florence bar "Therapy Now" during the production of The Strangers. "[11] Canadian actor Scott Speedman was cast as James. Strangers (1978 TV series), an ITV police drama set in the North West of England In particular, he stated he was significantly inspired by thriller films of the 1970s while writing the screenplay, and envisioned a film that "put the audien… After locking the door, Kristen hides in the bedroom and hears the strangers outside bashing the walls of the house. [26] The album was received with generally positive reviews by critics. Mike arrives and realizes something is wrong after seeing James's wrecked car. Speedman was also impressed by the script, stating that "the audience actually gets time to breathe with the characters before things get scary as hell. Released in 2008, The Strangers upped the fear factor by throwing ... is the visual equivalent of the iconic reveal from When a Stranger Calls that the killer is calling from inside the house… Bertino's undeveloped protagonists are colossally stupid and frustratingly passive. After returning from a wedding reception, a couple staying in an isolated vacation house receive a knock on the door in the mid-hours of the night. "[49] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle, said the film "uses cinema to ends that are objectionable and vile," but admitted that "it does it well, with more than usual skill. A sequel to The Strangers (2008), the film follows a family vacationing to a secluded mobile home park, where they are attacked by three masked offenders. The couple find themselves in a violent struggle, in which they go beyond what either of them thought capable in order to survive. [19] In preparing for the role, Ward read Vincent Bugioisi's Helter Skelter for inspiration. Because the narrative jumps around from character to character so much, the reader is kept in the dark until the author wants them to know something.