After a wedding, James Hoyt (Scott Speedman) and Kristen McKay (Liv Tyler) go back to the Hoyt family house in a remote part of town. Their plans to be alone are quickly interrupted by a trio of sociopaths. Their lives will never be the same as the couple’s already fading relationship faces obstacles that no one should ever have to face. Death looms over them and happiness, more than ever, appears to be a fantasy that may never come true. Tensions rise as The Strangers torment them simply because they were home. Can they survive, and will life ever be the same again?
The Strangers opens with narration that makes viewers’ spines tingle. Whoever the creepy narrator is reads statistics of 1.4 million violent crimes taking place in the United States every year. Writer and director Bryan Bertino already has audiences on the edge of their seats and has them anticipating what this horrific statistic might mean for the film’s protagonists. It is clear, early on, that audiences are in for an intense ride. Bertino, in some ways, is a genius. He finds ways to torture his audience and he keeps them anticipating the trio’s next horrific move. A simple knock on the door or even the sound of the smoke detector causes anxiety. Like Ivan Pavlov with his dogs, Bertino trains his viewers to expect something terrible everytime they hear a bang on the door.
Horror films are sometimes too unrealistic, and this creates a disconnect between the story and audiences. The scenarios in this film are realistic, and they somehow feel relatable. There is a connection between the anxiety that the characters are feeling in the film and the paranoia that everyone has experienced at some point in their lives. The audience is introduced slowly to the intensity of the situation and then, bang, they are hit in the face. Everything begins to escalate at an immense rate and in a fashion that will not allow audiences to relax. They are constantly on the edge of their seat and in fear for the lives of both Kristen and James.
As previously mentioned, the pacing of the film is truly wonderful. Bertino eases audiences into the horrific nature of the film and then speeds everything up. He never looks back and never appears to consider slowing things down creating high-octane suspense and violence that grips audiences and makes them feel terribly uncomfortable. The discomfort creates a narrative of its own that is gripping and electrifying.
Perfectly executed shots adds to the suspense and the intensity of the story. The audiences catches glimpses of the antagonist and director of photography Peter Sova captures the raw emotion on the faces of Tyler and Speedman, making audiences empathize with them and appreciate their struggle even more. The acting, the suspense, the impeccable way in which every shot was made and the horrifically graphic (and somehow relatable) story created a uniquely intense product that took audiences by storm. Every aforementioned aspect of the film is done with such precision that it is almost impossible to say anything negative about the finished product. Bryan Bertino outdoes himself in this horrifying masterpiece.
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