The Strangers (DVD)

My first introduction to The Strangers was courtesy of a billboard that featured the haunting and frankly quite scary image of three masked faces. Stephen King's It managed to create a generation of people who were terrified of clowns and this simple poster offered the possibility that The Strangers could pick up where Jason's hockey mask left off and use simple masks to instil horror and terror in those who watched the film. The film begins with the now tired and overused suggestion that it is based on real events. Of course, you don't have to be a movie buff to take promises such as this with a pinch of salt and having read prior to the film the ...  Read the complete review

A review of the film only, The Strangers was originally produced in 2008 and was released on region 2 DVD in December of the same year. James Hoyt and Kristen McKay arrive at a friend's house in sombre spirits. Arriving back from a party in the early hours, the house serves only to remind James of the evening he had planned and only awkward conversation persists. Overcome with the emotional pressure of the evening, James decides to take a short drive out to go and buy some cigarettes, leaving Kristen alone in the house. In the dark isolation of the house, Kristen is increasingly unnerved by a knocking at the door, which initially appears to be a girl who had ...  Read the complete review

I was pulled in by the hype surrounding this film, let's make no bones about it. I'd seen flashes on the internet of scary masked people and heard clips on TV adverts of a haunting girl's voice: "Because you were home". I knew I'd get round to watching it so when I saw it on my daughter's shelf I borrowed it and watched it that same night. Oh dear, don't bother. Just don't bother. For a start, the bits you've seen in the trailers are the best bits of the film. And reflecting on it in hindsight even those aren't all that good. I was expecting a horror or perhaps a thriller as true horror films are a rarity in these days of ...  Read the complete review

I like a good chilling film, eerie outdoes gore for me every time so The Strangers sounded like my kind of film. Starring Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, Gemma Ward, Laura Margolis, Kip Weeks and Glenn Howerton it doesn't have a huge cast but the storyline doesn't warrant it. Out of all those people I only know of Liv Tyler. Kristen McKay (Liv Tyler) and James Hoyt (Scott Speedman) return from a party to his family's remote holiday home in the woods. She has turned down his marriage proposal and the couple are being rather frosty with each other as a result. After a while there is a knock on the door, a young woman is standing on the porch asking if Tamara is ...  Read the complete review

My favourite genre of film is horror but I haven't seen anything lately that has been particularly impressive. I hoped that Bryan Bertino's 2008 movie 'The Strangers' would change that. I had seen the eerie movie trailer for this when it was released in UK cinemas and on the basis of this thought the movie would be both chilling, strange and disturbing. My hopes that there would be anything otherworldy or supernatural about the events of the movie were dashed from the outset. A voice over at the beginning informs us that this story is based on actual events. I immediately assumed this meant the movie would be a simple slasher victim story. The star ...  Read the complete review