The Strangers (2008): Film Review
Liv Tyler & Scott Speedman in Glossy Slasher Flick Lacking Substance
Jan 27, 2009
The formula is pretty simple by now. Even before Jason Voorhees decided that goalkeeping wasn’t for him, the cinemas had been littered with mute, masked killers. The only other elements required are a remote location – where nowadays it is established beyond reasonable doubt that mobile phones are either without signal or power – and a few victims young and attractive enough to make the eviscerations titillating.
Cliches
In this latter role Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman graciously step up to the mark in Bryan Bertino’s The Strangers, this year’s latest instalment into the teeming slasher canon. They play a suitably cute but troubled couple, Kristen and James, who insist upon ending their relationship in a vacant holiday cabin miles from anywhere. On cue to put them out of their lovelorn misery are a trio of inexplicably masked intruders who knock on doors, peep through windows, and generally make a rather vicious nuisance of themselves.
Slick Production
The following 90 minutes serve up all the expected a la carte courses: couple fight back, cars won’t start, a friend turns up halfway through to add to the body count. It’s all done with enough style and charm to warrant its cinematic release, and even develops its own dramatic pulse instead of leaching off its numerous forebears. What really lets The Strangers down is its complete lack of plot.
Even Freddy and Jason had some kind of history but the antagonists here appear to have no motive whatsoever beyond sufficient callous gratuity to satisfy the director’s bloodthirsty requirements. When you consider that less than twelve months prior to The Strangers Juan Antonio Bayona directed the sublime The Orphanage, where the scares are skilfully woven into a gripping story, there’s really no excuse for relying on masks and shadows alone.
Shocks
Essentially this is the cinematic equivalent of hiding in a cupboard for several hours and then jumping out on your little sister. There is a modicum of suspense followed by a fleeting glimpse of satisfaction, but neither has any lasting impact. The Strangers is the sort of film that slips out of your consciousness before you've even made it back from the cinema.
If you’re a genre aficionado you may well get something out of this film. It certainly provides a few genuine shocks and jolts along the way. Then again, so does standing outside in a thunderstorm wearing nothing but a metal codpiece but it’s not everyone’s idea of a swell night out.
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