Review of The Strangers (2008) by William T — 29 Aug 2012

If someone knocked at my door at 4am itâ(TM)s most likely a stranger and I wouldnâ(TM)t answer. The Strangers is about a couple who left from a friends weeding to stay the night in a cabin in a secluded area. They get a visit from three strangers who turn out to be psychopath murderers. This poor couple goes thru hell and back in a terrifying ride which strikes fear into the audience.

James and Kristin are the main characters in this movie and James proposed and Kristin said no, she wasnâ(TM)t ready. James had the entire house set up for their engagement with rose petals, drinks, and he was highly disappointed with her answer. It sets the tone for the entire movie. James is pissed and doesnâ(TM)t really care anymore. His life got turned upside down and he is miserable. She feels awkward and disappointed and thatâ(TM)s how the movie starts. It was a strong start and it set the stage.

Its 4am and someone knocks on the door. James answers and a woman asks for a woman who clearly isnâ(TM)t in the house. Itâ(TM)s just creepy and you canâ(TM)t see her face which makes it even creepier. The scariest aspect of this movie is the believability. The audience can imagine this happening to them and it hits on the fear of having your house being broken into. I was so scared I was shaking.

James gets frustrated and leaves the house. He is just pissed and needs to leave. He canâ(TM)t stand the sight of his own girlfriend and he just leaves. Meanwhile she is being terrorized by the three maniacs. Kristin calls James and he doesnâ(TM)t even care. He has this attitude that she could die and he wonâ(TM)t even shed a tear. I thought it was great and characterization is not something you see in a horror movie.

This movie had a lot of great scares, surprising scares, and a lot of predictable or cheesy jump scares. The Strangers is still a really scary movie that plays with the audience but the scares didnâ(TM)t last long. This movie was around 80 minutes and I felt the story was a bit rushed and there had potential for a lot more scares. For the time it gave the movie did its job.

The masks and the idea of not being able to see the faces made the movie unique. Even in the end where the masks are taken off, you still are not allowed to see their faces. I wanted the see their face. The audience wanted to see the psychos who committed the crime. We have to wait for the sequel because when the truck pulls away in the end the woman said, âNext time it will be easier.â? That line made me cringe because it showed just how sick these people were. They messed with these people and walked around the house like they owned it. Apparently they did it for no reason too. âBecause you were home,â? one said. That is the best and scariest line in the movie.

Overall this movie was incredibly scary and I did like it. It is a movie you have to invest your time in and watch without distractions. If you want the full experience, watch this movie alone, or with friends, with all the lights off at night. You will have trouble sleeping, guaranteed. I did enjoy the movie but Iâ(TM)m not sure itâ(TM)s a movie I can watch again and again. It only has that really scary feeling once so I would probably only watch it with people who have not seen it. For that it does not get the WillyT seal of approval but it did scare me. That certainly counts for something.