mindset.

The Strangers: Brief Movie Review (SPOILERS)

• + You know all those times in scary movies when you wish you could tell the characters what to do because they’re being so goddamn stupid? Thankfully, this movie had none of those moments. The characters actually acted intelligently. It was refreshing, and made the movie last more than 15 minutes (they were smart enough to not open the door a second time to a girl asking for a person who does not exist).
• + Normally when the protagonist is about to look out a window or look behind a curtain for example, you expect there to be a build up in music, followed by the realization there is absolutely no one there. Not in The Strangers. Yes, there is someone staring through the window at you and standing in the doorway behind you. And every single time it’s equally as terrifyingly unexpected as the last.
• + Yeah, this movie was fucking scary. Bonus: no Saw-like gore.
• - The movie probably could have had a few more plot twists. Accidentally shooting the one person who could’ve helped you isn’t half bad, though.
• - The acting was decent. The main female character looks really similar to Hilary Swank, and this movie probably would have been better if it were, indeed, Swank. Don’t think I’m hating on Liv Tyler (the actual female actress), because I’m not. Scott Speedman, the main male character, is probably worse than Liv Tyler, but the pair seemed to work well together as a couple regardlessly.
• + The killers turn out to be a family of Christians: a mom, a dad, and a daughter. Win.
• + The fact that the couple was murdered “because they were home” is probably one of the most psychologically terrifying parts of the film.
• - We never get to see the killers’ faces… only side views. Plus, I still haven’t decided if I liked the ending or not: Two kids walk cautiously into the destroyed house (windows smashed, blood on the walls, door wide open) only to see two dead people on the ground. As they approach the woman and bend down to touch her to see if she’s alive, her eyes flash open and she screams a blood-curdling scream that fades as the credits begin to roll…
• Overall Grade: 70% - Scary enough to make the entire theater burst into nervous laughter. And actual laughter; likely not the intention of the film makers. Easily worth your money if you’re into scary movies —just be sure to bring a few friends.