Scary masks + Liv Tyler do not a good horror make (The Strangers (DVD))

Member Name: kitschkitty

Product:	The Strangers (DVD)
Date:	19/04/09 (207 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: None.

Disadvantages: Appalling script, a whining Liv Tyler, not a patch on Ils

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 so-called real events on which the film was based, I was sceptical from the beginning. The film also gives the viewer a rather unsubtle spoiler in the opening scene as the final scene of the film is played as an introduction. It certainly doesn't take a genius to work out where the plot will end up.

But of course I persisted and we soon meet the characters of Kristen McKay (Liv Tyler) and James Hoyt (Scott Speedman) who arrive at the Hoyt family's isolated summer house in awkward silence following an altercation at a wedding reception earlier that night. First time writer-director Bryan Bertino doesn't make much effort to create amiable characters. Instead Bertino seems to hope that the uncomfortable silence between the two will enable the viewer to sympathise with the couple as and when required. Just after 4am, there is a knock at the door and, following a weak attempt to build some pathos into the film, we are introduced to the three masked strangers and the appropriate terror ensues.

You don't have to be a particularly astute reader to have noticed that The Strangers failed to capture me, horrify me or impress me in any way, shape or form. With Liv Tyler heading the bill, I had hoped that this was a sign of an excellent script and plot by a previously unknown writer that she couldn't resist getting her teeth into. Unfortunately, it would seem Liv has lost favour in Hollywood and instead found her way onto the set of The Strangers by scouring the bins of more successful actresses and begging for roles using previously rejected scripts. The dialogue is sparse but what little features in the film is clichéd and irritating. The character of Kristen does little other than whinge and I found myself rooting for the sadistic masked slashers in the hope that she wouldn't feature too heavily in the film. Having turned down a wedding proposal from James, Kristen later whines that she has run out of cigarettes. It's 4am. They're in the middle of nowhere and she's just declined her boyfriend's proposal of marriage and yet the bumbling 'hero' of the film drives off to purchase some smokes for his girlfriend.

Of course, it is a fact of slasher films that the central characters do stupid things and it's an element that most viewers can turn a blind eye to but in the Strangers, the actions of Kristen and James are downright idiotic. Despite the couple finding themselves in possession of a loaded shot gun, the three masked villains manage to run rings around the couple, despite their only weapons being their wit and, later in the film, an axe.

Another let down with The Strangers is the general lack of suspense. Ten minutes could elapse with nothing happening other than Kristen looking scared and backing into a corner. The suspense that may have existed during the first minute or two soon evaporates and the element of surprise when the masked strangers suddenly reappear is more of a welcome relief than a terrifying ordeal.

Perhaps my biggest disappointment with the film was due to having seen Ils, or Them to give it its English language title. The plot of The Strangers has been heavily drawn upon from Ils and yet the haunting suspense, dark and sinister atmosphere and intensity that Ils drew upon were aspects Bertino chose not to replicate in The Strangers. Even the 'shock' ending will provide little shock value to those who have previously watched Ils. I feared the intensity and pathos of Ils would be lost were it to be remade in Hollywood and The Strangers proved me right. Ils goes to show that the premise behind the story, though littered with horror clichés, can be successfully translated to film. The Strangers goes to show how, even with a Hollywood budget and a potentially half decent plot, film makers can still fall a million miles short of making the grade. Don't be afraid to be a stranger to The Strangers. Just watch Ils instead.

Summary: Scary masks + Liv Tyler do not a good horror make