TheStrangersMovieReview


		*THE* *STRANGERS*


		Rogue Pictures, 2008. Written and Directed by Bryan Bertino. Music by Tomandandy. Starring Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, Kip Weeks as "The Man in the Mask," Laura Margolis as "Pin-Up Girl" and Gemma Ward as "Dollface."
		By Stephen Pytak This horror film with big-name stars works pretty well, when it's not trying too hard. The concept is Fantastic, simple and eerie. But the writer- director drew a little too much inspiration from classics of the genre: "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)," and "John Carpenter's 'Halloween (1978)" in particular. It starts off with a god-awful narration about this being based on a 2005 incident. I hated that. I tried to block it out while watching the rest of the film. It made me feel like I was watching a "horror film;" not necessarily some interesting contribution to the genre. I wasn't in the mood for too many cliches. I noticed there were scenes borrowed from classic slasher films and a "jump" ending seems tacked on. It's as if the filmmakers felt obligated to try to work in everything that made the classics great. If they sat down and just watched what they had, and had a little more faith in their creative abilities, maybe they would have realized they didn't have to. For me, the film starts when we meet our two main characters, "James (Speedman)," who just proposed to his girlfriend, "Kristen (Tyler)." She looks visibly upset. Guess it didn't go to well. They ride up to his parents home away from home at 8100 In- The-Middle-Of Nowhere St. It's a one-story place surrounded by trees. There's a work shed outside, filled with a lot of tools, including an axe. They stay up, talking all night, get ready to make out, then hear a banging at the door. James looks at the clock. It's 4:05 a.m. He opens the door. Standing outside is a girl looking for someone named "Tamara." He tells her she's got the wrong house and, presumably, she leaves. When James goes into town for cigarettes, the banging starts again, Kristen panics and the tension kicks into high gear. Some of the scares here really work. As three masked prowlers invade this place and drive both James and Kristen crazy, I was debating whether to give this film three stars or four (out of five). After the stupid narration at the top of the show, I doubted it was going to give it the full clip. The disguises these creeps wear are pretty simple, yet effective. They reminded me of the bogeymen from "The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976)" and "Tourist Trap (1979)." What I also liked about these villains is we never saw their true faces, even when they unmask themselves in the final reel. This suggested they could be anyone, people like you and me. The only thing I didn't like about them is a line they deliver right before they ride out, suggesting there would be a "next time." Didn't come off too well. Made it feel like we were watching a "movie," rather than a frightening experience with a sense of reality. As to their motives, we never get a hint. That didn't bother me. The world is a crazy place filled with a lot of crazy people. When Kristen asks the question, "Dollface" says "you were home." Liv Tyler is excellent. She gets my vote for best final girl of the year. Don't recall seeing her in a film like this before. Her performance is the film's most crucial. She sells it, every ounce of terror, and gives the thing nail-biting verisimilitude. Without her, I don't know what this film would have turned out to be. Scott Speedman does O.K. While he didn't detract from anything, don't know if he made any significant contributions. He was kind of just there. The film's best moments happen when Tyler's character is slowly turning corners, a record spinning on a turntable is skipping, the lights are low, one of the three antagonists is creeping around in the background and we're waiting for the payoff, which is usually a pretty strong chair-jumper. At the end of it all, these tense scenes, and Tyler's acting, were the reasons why I decided to give this film four stars (out of five). A scene before the credits involving two kids on bikes passing out Christian literature reminded me of something Mario Bava would do. They hand off a pamplet to the killers. I thought it was pretty neat. A few of the posters used to promote "The Strangers" featured stills right out out of the movie. There's, like, five. I love them all. By the way, the low, guttural score by Tomandandy is pretty good. I ordered it from Amazon.com. the other day. Meanwhile, I hunted down the other songs featured in the film. You can buy them as MP3 downloads from Amazon too. They are: "Ariel Ramirez" - Richard Buckner "Hopeful" - Jennifer O'Connor "At My Window Sad and Lonely" - Billy Bragg and Wilco "Sprout and the Bean" - Joanna Newsom "My First Lover" - Gillian Welch "Mama Tried" - Merle Haggard These songs were just "songs" before they were used in this film. But now, try playing something like "Sprout and the Bean" at, like, 3:30 a.m. when no one else is home. You'll flashback to that scene in the film where "The Man in the Mask" is peeking out of the shadows, stalking the unaware. You won't sleep at night.
Copyright 2008 By Stephen Pytak