The 2008 horror film The Strangers, written and directed by Bryan Bertino capitalizes on some of our most common fears: home invasion and random, unprovoked violence. It takes the minimalist, almost homemade look of horror films from the early 2000s and dials up the amount of tension and suspense, relying less on gore and more on atmosphere and psychological terror to unnerve its audience.
Almost from the moment Kristen (Liv Tyler) and James (Scott Speedman) arrive at the isolated house, the feeling of dread is palpable, and it only builds and becomes more overwhelming throughout the film. The audience feels Kristen and James’ claustrophobia and paranoia as they realize they’re being hunted and Liv Tyler in particular portrays a sense of vulnerability and anxiety that at times makes it almost hard to breathe for fear that The Strangers will hear you. It’s almost as though the events of the movie are playing out right in front of you and you have no choice but to sit helplessly and watch Kristen and James fight for their lives.
The Strangers makes the most of a small cast and fairly basic set. The house Kristen and James are staying at isn’t some palatial mansion, it’s a bungalow with modest decor, dark corners, and creaky floors. And that’s what is so brilliant about it. It’s a house that could be in anyone’s neighborhood, a house that could almost be anyone’s family home. It gives it a sense of realness, a sense that this isn’t happening in some other cinematic universe, it’s happening here and now. And it could just as easily happen to you.
One of the film’s greatest strengths is its refusal to offer easy answers or clear motivations. The ambiguity surrounding the strangers’ intentions and the lack of a conventional resolution leaves the audience with a lingering sense of unease. The final moments of the film, chilling in their simplicity, remind us that sometimes, the scariest monsters are the ones that exist in the real world.
The Strangers is not without its flaws, however. The film relies a bit too heavily at times on horror tropes, such as predictable jump scares or characters making unrealistically bad decisions that leave them vulnerable. Audiences may also take issue with the pacing of the film which, while it aims to create a slow burn of anxiety and dread, often feels sluggish. While these issues might take away from the sense of immersion, they don’t hinder the overall effectiveness of the film and the atmosphere of unease it creates.
If you’re a fan of slow-burn psychological horror over bloodshed, The Strangers is definitely worth a watch. It taps into a deep-seated sense of vulnerability and isolation that stays with you long after the credits roll and leaves you wondering why, unsatisfied with the single sentence answer given by The Strangers themselves- “Because you were home.”
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As lover of cryptids, literature, and all things horror, I am so excited to be bringing my talents to the Grimoire of Horror. I am a librarian, avid gamer, TTRPG nerd, and a Mothman fangirl. I spent several years screening films for PRIMAA’s Canadian film festival Reel Shorts, and spent some time as an amateur horror filmmaker, competing in the Frantic 48 filmmaking challenge several years in a row. I love anything horror, from true crime to grindhouse to found footage and am especially interested in horror books and movies created by LGBTQIA2S+ and BIPOC as I think we have a fresh take on the genre and a fascinating perspective on what horror can be.