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The Strangers

More or less scary than having to see "Sex and the City," depending on who you are

By Matt Pais

Metromix
May 29, 2008

Critic's Rating:

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It's already a lousy night for Kristen (Liv Tyler) and James (Scott Speedman), who return to his parents' vacation home after she turns down his proposal outside their friends' wedding. Things get even worse when a trio of masked loonies pound on the house doors, stand creepily at a distance, appear and disappear at random, and pick up knives super-slowly to prolong the inevitability of what the film's opening virtually guarantees: James and Kristen are going to die.

Big question: Can this horror flick, allegedly based on real-life events, generate the same anxiety—and discussions about onscreen and offscreen violence—as Michael Haneke's superb attacked-at-a-lake-house thriller, "Funny Games"?

Skip it: First-time writer-director Bryan Bertino avoids excessive gore and "Prom Night"-style lameness, but you'd think his patient touch would allow for a few moments that explore the nature of violence or relationships or, heck, how to select a set of kitchen knives that best protects from intruders. Without that, it's just a crisply made exercise in empty tension, like the stretched edges of an over-inflated balloon animal.

Catch it: If you've been waiting for a horror movie without a blaring hard rock or metal soundtrack. For a great deal of "The Strangers" a country record blasts throughout the house that, for non-country fans, may be just as agonizing as the killers themselves.

Bottom line: More like "suspense porn" than "torture porn," "The Strangers" will, like most decent horror movies, give you a renewed appreciation for your own safety. Whether that alone is reason to watch and wait for people to be murdered is your call.

Bonus: James admits that, when trying to set a romantic mood, he isn't sure if rose petals go in the tub before or after the water. Our take: Spend less time worrying about this than on ensuring your significant other will accept your proposal before you set the scene for lovin'.

Video: Watch the review of 'The Strangers'

What do you think of 'The Strangers'? Email me: mpais@tribune.com

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