The Strangers, (2008), Directed by Brian Bertino
Grade: A
*Mild spoilers follow*
Perhaps it's the simplicity, or the quiet mood, or the cameo of Dennis from It's Always Sunny. Whatever the reason, The Strangers is a great horror film and one of the best this blogger has seen in a long, long time. The pacing, the performances, the unknown backstory, the long desolate shots....everything in this film is top-notch.
It was a sleeper hit when released, but was quickly dismissed afterwards and the backlash surfaced that it was "boring" and "nothing happens in it". I guess when there's evil around and it's not explained, audiences tend to want answers. But then, we go see haunted house movies and it's never explained why the residents won't do the most sensible thing and just leave the house. And then of course 17 years ago, critics wondered why Keanu Reeves didn't just shoot the tires of the bus before it got up to 50 mph. Well, here's the answer:
There would be no movie.
Film ain't reality. It's an entertainment medium and art form. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, but just remember you have to sit back and let it work its magic, or lack thereof. So within that regard, that's what was done when I watched The Strangers.
The film opens in a very glib mood. A young couple returns from a wedding reception (not their own) to a summer home where they are staying. A woman obscured by the darkness comes to the door looking for someone and is told by the couple that she is at the wrong house. Afterwards, the couple kisses, words are exchanged, he leaves to go to the store (She needs cigarettes! That's real love!) and while he is gone the strange woman returns and the terror begins, with ghoulish faces emerging from the shadows in masks, and conceived scenes of slow build-ups.
The Strangers is a basic home invasion movie, but done in the simplest of terms. Like the classic In Cold Blood, the film relies on the lighting and it's eerie effects to establish it's mood, particularly the darkness and what emerges from it. Although the movie formula of someone being in your house has been done to death, (sigh, I didn't even realize I did that) here, there's toying of the audiences emotions. The sound design is carefully thought out. We hear the noises of nature surrounding the woods, the skipping record player adds something that you might here in a nightmare. And, in one of the film's best scenes, Bertino relies on nothing but camera space, staging, and the quiet.
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| "Yes, Dad...I told you. You're too old to tour anymore." |
The film continues its quiet sense of dread as the suspense builds, ultimately resulting in an outcome that leaves the door open for a sequel, but also with its last shot, closes the movie perfectly. And of course, earlier in the film we see Glenn Howerton show up, and those who hate the show It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia will no doubt be standing up and cheering.
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| "Arrgh! I've had enough of the yelling on EVERY Sunny episode!" |
Roger Ebert didn't like this movie. He HATED it and considered it a waste. I don't know what he was expecting in a movie like this, as he says at the end of his review that the movie "does what it sets out to do". So in that regard, I got my fix of masks, mayhem, and murder.
And now I'll shut up...because corny alliteration is a bad thing.
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