The Strangers Collector's Edition Blu-ray Review

James and Kristen are having a rough night. A failed marriage proposal reveals strains in their relationship and it appears they may be heading towards a break. They retreat to James’ family summer home only for things to get much, much worse. A knock at the door leads to the worst night of their lives as a trio of strangers begins their psychological and physical attack on the couple. What follows is a dark and twisted game of cat-and-mouse as our heroes try to get help and keep the assailants out of their house. Keep the bad guys out and stay alive. The plot really is just that simple, but what makes things work is the level of suspense that builds across the majority of the film’s running time.

With The Strangers, writer/ director Bryan Bertino (Mockingbird) makes a strong debut filled with tension as the villains demonstrate early on that they already have access to the house and are merely choosing to wait outside. Bertino tackles the story as a slow burn filled with quiet moments that set up the looming terror. Working closely with cinematographer Peter Sova (Diner), the story is told in a series of wide shots that manipulate images in the foreground and background of the frame. Audiences are frequently aware of the intruder’s presence while characters remain hopelessly unaware. Editor Kevin Greutert expertly keeps the pacing fluid and builds one strong sequence after another. As a director, Greutert would later revisit the material with his film Jackals (2017).

The script plays with viewers’ expectations as it places characters in increasingly dire positions as help remains elusive. This is a very simple, straightforward home-invasion picture that we have all seen before, but in Bertino’s hands the material is elevated to an impressive level. The nihilistic piece contains no social commentary and there is not a specific reason for the strangers’ actions other than random opportunity. The film is dead serious without moments of levity, which builds a melancholy vibe that slowly suffocates the audience with dread. The Strangers shares an uncomfortable similarity to the French thriller Ils (aka Them, 2006) about an isolated couple terrorized in their home overnight by hooded intruders.

Liv Tyler (Heavy) and Scott Speedman (Underworld) star as Kristen and James, the unfortunate couple caught at the center of this web of terror. Tyler appears in almost every scene and gives a stunningly vulnerable performance. The characters are resourceful and react believably to their increasingly hopeless situation. Thankfully, neither makes boneheaded decisions simply for the sake of advancing the story. Tyler and Speedman share terrific onscreen chemistry and audiences will be pulling for their eventual escape from this hell. The Strangers is a dark film that will stick with audiences long after it is over. Genre fans looking for gratuitous sex and violence will need to look elsewhere since this movie takes a more mature approach to the content. If you somehow missed this title, do yourself a favor and turn out the lights, curl up under a blanket – and don’t answer the door.