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

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

Toussaint Egan

Polygon

A lean and profoundly gripping horror movie that strips the home invasion subgenre down to its bare essential parts to drive home the intimate, primal terror of its premise.

Oct 20, 2021

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Megan K

This movie scared the crap out of me. Loved it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/16/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Severely underrated movie. It's one of those movies that changes genre mid movie. If you didn't know anything about the movie, went in blind. Then you'd be watching the first act of the movie thinking it was a drama about relationship struggles, and then it just so happens that they get a knock on the door, and the movie turns into a tense horror movie. I love that, and think it's brilliant. It's also eerily realistic at times, and it only adds to the horror. Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman is such a cool duo for a movie like this, and I appreciate them being in a slasher because their stardom elevates it to another level. Thank you.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/10/24

Full Review

Edward V

Great start to this movie, but I think the ending is a bit of a downer. The movie had the potential to be terrifying and tense the whole way through, but somewhere in the second act it dropped the ball and I found myself disengaged with the characters and action taking place in front of me. At some point in the film you just ask yourself, "Why?" and so do the victims. The strangers response and one line in the entire film? It made me laugh I thought it was so ridiculous. By the time credits roll, you have several questions that will likely remain unanswered and will wonder how such a scary setup could have such a flop for an ending. I'm sure it's not the best home invasion movie out there, but I wouldn't dissuade anyone from watching it.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

11/02/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Honk shooooo honk shooooo Sorry I fell asleep during the 20 years it takes to get through every scene. This movie feels like if you took the most mediocre aspects of every horror movie and mashed them all up. It’s just boring.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

10/29/24

Full Review

Rebecca G

I watched this movie on mute the first time. It was late, my husband was sleeping and I didn't want to wake him. I thought it was terrifying. If you're expecting a high energy slasher movie, this is not it. It gives you time to feel what it would actually be like to be there. The anticipation is scarier than any slasher scene. I loved this movie. I was scared enough to put a night light on the night I watched it. It's a personal preference, but I appreciate a scary movie when you think, "SHIT! this could actually happen to me"

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/13/24

Full Review

Dean E

It's a bit slow at times, but definitely a classic for me. Truly terrifying.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/06/24

Full Review

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Bryan Bertino

Director

Liv Tyler

Kristen

Scott Speedman

James

Gemma Ward

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Laura Margolis

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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: Intrepid Pictures, Rogue Pictures, Mandate Pictures, Vertigo, 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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