The Strangers

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The Strangers

R

Released May 30, 2008

1h 25m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

49%

Tomatometer

164 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

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.

Mar 31, 2019

Full Review

Nigel Andrews

Financial Times

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.

Mar 31, 2019

Full Review

Adam Nayman

The Ringer

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.

Mar 9, 2018

Full Review

Sebastian Zavala Kahn

Me gusta el cine

It's not perfect, but it still works—still—as a good example of the genre; it's not hard to see, therefore, why it ended up becoming a franchise that continues to this day. [Full review in Spanish].

Rated: 3.5/5

Apr 2, 2025

Full Review

Preston Barta

Denton Record-Chronicle

A taut and incredibly gripping horror story that distills its subgenre to its core elements.

Oct 25, 2024

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Not even Bertino’s impressive formal control as a first-time director can make up for how empty the material is and how absurdly familiar the whole thing proves to be

Rated: 1/4

May 19, 2024

Full Review

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Sir M

The strangers feels as if it is trying too had to be a horror movie with stupid logic by both the 'victims' as well as the 'killers'. Also this definitely isn't 'based off true events' and definitely more "a little inspired", a lot of this is very unrealistic. I am aware that they have tried to create a scary film but due to the illogic actions by both parties it turns more into a comedy (although a very dark comedy). I also felt that they were setting up for a second film too much through out it making the ending obvious from the beginning - following typical horror movie logic that can be done well but wasn't in this case.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

08/12/25

Full Review

Raymond C

For the most part, The Strangers is a fairly effective home invasion thriller. I think it benefits from such a simple concept and that isolated setting can really get under your skin once the action picks up. Unfortunately, the film drags in the final third. It starts to feel repetitive at times and our characters begin making stupid decisions just to move the plot forward. Neither of our two lead performances blew me away. They weren't bad but they weren't particularly great either. But as a whole, I think this movie is really well done. It subverts my expectations at time and provides a tense atmosphere with some well done scares.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/05/25

Full Review

e6 e

The Strangers is a tense and unsettling home-invasion thriller with an effectively minimalistic approach. The cinematography captures the isolation perfectly, and the masked killers’ makeup and design add to the dread. While the characters are somewhat thin and the pacing can drag, the atmosphere and suspense make it a solid late night horror watch

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/01/25

Full Review

Gregory S

To say that I enjoyed this movie wouldn’t be the right characterization. This movie is simple, brutal, and gritty. Definitely no fluff. I actually enjoyed that we are left with way more questions about the strangers than where we started.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/29/25

Full Review

Dwayne W

Underrated and twisted tale that’s beautifully shot

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/17/25

Full Review

Jen W

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.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/11/25

Full Review

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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 25m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby SRD, DTS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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