The Strangers Review

Overall 2.87 of 5 view all 15 reviews

VolFanGrl
Sweetwater, TN

What a way to spend my Halloween.....

character-lover, a movie buff, married, a woman, an infrequent movie goer, into action flicks, Horror Fan, Not offended by foul language

show all »

Pros

based on true events, on the edge of my seat, scary, thriller

NOV

2008

The Strangers —

*****If you HAVE NOT seen the movie yet and don't want to read any spoilers, DO NOT read this*****

Since I've gotten older, and my trick or treating days are over :( my favorite way to spend Halloween night is to bundle up on the couch and watch a scary movie. This year was no different, an it was a great one! Actually, it might just be the best scary movie I've ever seen, at least in a very long time!!!

The film opens with the following narration:

“ What you are about to see is inspired by true events. According to the FBI there are an estimated 1.4 million violent crimes in America each year. On the night of February 11, 2005 Kristen McKay and James Hoyt went to a friend's wedding reception and then returned to the Hoyt family's summer home. The brutal events that took place there are still not entirely known. ”The young couple, played by Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman, are upset because he apparently proposed to her her, but, she turned him down. It's around 4 am, they are alone in the home. A girl knocks on the door and asks for Tamera. They tell her it's the wrong house. She acts very strange, but, leaves. That is the beginning of the end for these two.
They are terrorized by three "strangers", a man and two women, in masks through out the night. They come and go in the house as they please, bang on the doors and windows, move things in the house, destroy their car, and just plain terrorize them. The fear that these two feel is written all over their face as they try to hide and defend themselves.
I have never been so scared and tense throughout a movie in my life. I jumped and screamed and gasped so much, I thought I would come right out of my skin!!!
It is not for the weak of heart, that is for sure!!

****ps, I was a little disappointed when, after the movie, my husband and I did some research and found out this:
Inspiration

According to production notes, the film was inspired by an event from director Bryan Bertino's childhood: a stranger came to his home asking for someone who was not there, and Bertino later found out that empty homes in the neighborhood had been broken into that night. In interviews, Bertino stated he was "very impressed" with some of the theories circulating on the Internet about the "true events" the movie is allegedly based on, but said his main inspiration was Helter Skelter a true crime book about the 1969 Manson Family murders.

In another interview, Liv Tyler revealed that in Bertino's original script, "You saw a lot more of the strangers. It was much more of a Manson-esque experience."

(Wikipedia)