The Strangers

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The Strangers

R

2008

1h 26m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

50%

Tomatometer

167 Reviews

48%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Kristen (Liv Tyler) and James (Scott Speedman) are expecting a relaxing weekend at a family vacation home, but their stay turns out to be anything but peaceful. First, a mysterious and dangerous woman arrives at the door while James is out on an errand. When he returns, he accidentally kills his friend Mike (Glenn Howerton), mistaking him for an intruder. And then real danger does show up -- in the form of three masked torturers, leaving Kristen and James struggling for survival.

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Critics Consensus

The Strangers has a handful of genuinely scary moments, but they're not enough to elevate the end results above standard slasher fare.

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Sara Vilkomerson

Observer

Mar 31, 2019

The movie is best before the mayhem actually starts: First-time writer-director Bryan Bertino gets right some priceless details as the couple try to deal with the evening's earlier fallout, and elevates his movie above other horror films.

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Nigel Andrews

Financial Times

Mar 31, 2019

The formula of calm followed by shock is repeated until one tires of the technical polish of Bryan Bertino's directorial debut (with nods towards Funny Games and the French Them?) in the absence of coherent plot or character development.

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Adam Nayman

The Ringer

Mar 9, 2018

Bertino's directorial smarts are on display from the first slow-cut montage of rural homes glimpsed from the window of a moving car. It's a passage suggesting free-floating, arbitrary menace.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Jan 1, 2026

1/4

This anemic "torture porn" thriller isn't scary, just tedious.

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Bryce Hanson

Horror Movie Talk

Sep 23, 2025

8/10

The Strangers is in a group of super nihilistic horror films that use lack of motive, message, and pretense to their advantage. The dread felt in this movie is strong, and is caused by the confusion and hopelessness of the protagonists’ situation.

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Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

Sep 12, 2025

4/5

From the character design of the strangers to the overall anxiety-inducing tone, The Strangers sets the contemporary standard for home-invasion horror.

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B P

@Bradster69 Aug 31, 2026

Not Bad, but Not My Favorite

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Kalissa H

@kali_416 Aug 15, 2026

It was good at the beginning, but was slow at the end of the middle bit. It definitely could’ve been slightly shorter or had some more happen at the hour in mark.

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Brendan K

@Bkeller25 Aug 13, 2026

Didn't jive with me. I was really excited to watch it because everyone was saying how scary it was, and I love home invasion horror. But it was painfully slow with a lot of suspense for not much payoff. I kept thinking, okay this is going somewhere, then it abruptly cuts to nothingness. It does a good job of building tension and atmosphere, I will give it that. I just wish it did more with its premise.

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Aeryane M

@RT28790069 Aug 11, 2026

I really enjoyed the filming and how it was set up. Definitely one of the scarier movies I have seen in a bit…

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Ari S

@RT76826585 Aug 9, 2026

The Strangers is a masterclass in quiet, suffocating dread. What makes it so frightening is how little explanation it offers, there’s no grand motive, no comforting logic, just the terrifying realization that sometimes evil arrives simply because it can. The performances ground the terror in believable fear and vulnerability, while the stark direction turns an isolated house into a nightmare. Cold, intimate, and deeply unsettling, it leaves you with one awful thought: sometimes there is no reason.

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Max H

@Max_Hatley Aug 8, 2026

The movie started good and then dragged

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Synopsis

Kristen (Liv Tyler) and James (Scott Speedman) are expecting a relaxing weekend at a family vacation home, but their stay turns out to be anything but peaceful. First, a mysterious and dangerous woman arrives at the door while James is out on an errand. When he returns, he accidentally kills his friend Mike (Glenn Howerton), mistaking him for an intruder. And then real danger does show up -- in the form of three masked torturers, leaving Kristen and James struggling for survival.

Director: Bryan Bertino
Producer: Doug Davison, Roy Lee, Nathan Kahane
Screenwriter: Bryan Bertino
Distributor: Rogue Pictures
Production Co: Mandate Pictures, Vertigo, Intrepid Pictures, Rogue Pictures, E1 Entertainment
Rating: R (Violence/Terror|Language)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 30, 2008, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 15, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $52.5M
Runtime: 1h 26m
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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