THE STRANGERS

Bryan Bertino Starring Liv Tyler,Scott Speedman, Gemma Ward, Kip Weeks,Laura Margolis,Glenn Howerton Distributed by Mandate Pictures & Vertigo Entertainment Film was released 30th May 2008 (U.S.) & 12th September 2008 (U.K.) Review by Ray DeRousse

rating:3

The last ten years have been brutal for the horror movie genre. The wild success of films like THE RING, THE SIXTH SENSE, and several remakes have led to a terrible run of supposedly scary films overloaded with computer generated monsters, beautiful cinematography, moronic twists, and numbing shock cuts. We can't have a simple, scary film anymore; instead we receive long, tedious set ups and elaborate backstories that strain the nearly-torn filaments of reality, in the process destroying the delicate air of mystery that infuses the best horror films. Think about the bizarre over-plotting of THE RING. Or the ridiculous story in SILENT HILL that led to a ridiculous CGI finale. These and many more fail the test of simplicity that often defines the genre. There have been some throwbacks to the leaner, meaner horror style of classics like HALLOWEEN and THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. Independent films like MALEVOLENCE and THE DESCENT remained faithful to the simple storyline in favor of putting their heroes in terrifying and relatable circumstances. Unfortunately, these kinds of films are hard to come by, and often not promoted well enough to make an impression. Now comes THE STRANGERS, another journey down the "defenseless people trapped in a remote location by scary, bloodthirsty psychos" path ... not necessarily a bad thing. In this case, though, the storyline claims to be based on a "real" incident" that occurred on February 11, 2005. It involves a young couple - James (SCOTT SPEEDMAN) and Kristen (LIV TYLER) - who are staying the night in James' father's deserted house after a late night at a wedding. All is not well; James proposed to Kristen at the wedding, and she rejected his offer. So they settle into the house in separate bedrooms, preparing for their last night together as a couple. Then, at four in the morning, there is a knock at the door. The creepy young woman is looking for a girl who does not live there, so she leaves. Then, she returns with two other people and all hell breaks loose. The film's scares come from the reasonable actions of James and Kristen in the face of abject brutality and attack. These are thankfully not stock horror characters, who constantly insist on putting themselves in danger for no reason. Instead, they try to barricade themselves in the house with a gun with the intelligent intention of fending off the violent intruders, which is probably what most of us would do in similar circumstances. There is a palpable fear that arises from this, as we can easily put ourselves in that situation and experience the attack personally. Unfortunately, the film falls victim to one of the worst trappings of horror films: the villains are almost omniscient and all-powerful. Again and again we see these psychopaths - effectively creepy in white stitched masks - appearing as if they were ghosts, only to disappear just as easily. After the fourth or fifth time, this gimmick wears out its effectiveness and begins to make the film almost comical. This would work if the villains were supposed to be malevolent spirits or supernatural beings, but they're not. They're supposed to be very real psycho killers, so their ability to pop up out of nowhere and disappear at will becomes pretty silly. By contrast, think about The Shape from HALLOWEEN. While he is certainly superhuman - even called the Boogeyman at one point - Carpenter wisely gave him a legitimate physical presence. When he pursued Laurie Strode around the neighborhood and through the house, he gave very slow but deliberate chase. When he was struck and injured, he slowed or stopped, only to regain his forward momentum. Had HALLOWEEN been made like this film, it would have consisted of Michael Myers constantly appearing in the background without any sense of actual action. There are some points in this film that simply make no sense, once again removing much needed tension. For instance, Kristen hobbles out to the shed at one point to try and get help. While there, she is attacked by one of the omniscient hooded villains. Kristen flees the shed and stumbles about sixty feet away, where she lies there. The villain that attacked her apparently just lets her leave without coming after her, and mysteriously remains in the shed. Why? It has nothing to so with any plot point or motivation. The net effect is to make the villains appear to be monsters that pop out at pre-determined moments in a carnival spookhouse ride, do their business, and then disappear into the darkness without explanation. For a film that trades its scares on real-world dynamics, this is fairly disastrous. Speedman is terrific in the lead, projecting an honesty throughout his performance that is usually lacking in this type of film. Most impressive is his believable emotional shift from heartbroken to terrified to embittered and determined. I thought it was one of the better horror film performances of recent times. Less successful is Liv Tyler as the petrified Kristen. Tyler has never been one of my favorite actresses, mainly because she always relies on that doe-eyed, sleepy-voiced, cutesy-pooh routine in every role. We see that overused part of her repertoire in the first segment of this film, and it gets annoying quickly. However, as the action escalates, Tyler manages to elevate her performance level and attempt to project the fear of the situation. She mostly succeeds. Some of what her character does near the end borders on unintelligent, but Tyler sells it with her wild-eyed terror. First time writer/director BRYAN BERTINO does an impressive job with this slight material. The camerawork is unsteady without resorting to a BOURNE level of shakycam, and the editing is tasteful and intelligent. I loved the fact that there is little in the way of soundtrack music here; Bartino wisely allows the silences and sounds to create atmosphere in most scenes rather than have the soundtrack telegraph it. I just wish that many of the skills on display here serviced a meatier thrill ride. I must admit that the ending was a little brutal and unnerving. Since we come to care for these characters, the final shots are awful to endure. It made me think about what goes through the mind of a killer during the act, and the inexplicable violence like this that happens every single day around our world. Awful stuff, and somewhat angering considering the classy and restrained material that precedes it. This is a fast, fairly effective horror film that manages to evoke a better era in the genre. Idiots like Eli Roth would do well to study it and learn that horror does not need elaborate storylines, fancy CGI, or nasty, shocking, and disgusting effects to scare and audience. It's a lesson that THE STRANGERS teaches well. If only it had better structure and more intelligent use of its villains, this might be a new classic. As it stands, it's not too bad considering the rest of the horror films littering the landscape today.