The Strangers | 
 enlarge | Director: Bryan Bertino
Actors: Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, Glenn Howerton, Kip Weeks, Gemma Ward
Studio: Universal Studios
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.98
Buy Used: $6.10
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Avg. Customer Rating:  92 reviews
Sales Rank: 498
Format: Ac-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: Unrated
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 174
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.7
MPN: 62033302
UPC: 025193330222
EAN: 0025193330222
ASIN: B001D2WU9I
Theatrical Release Date: 2008
Release Date: October 21, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
A young couple staying at a summer retreat are faced with a night of psychological terror. As the night goes on the reality of what will come is more terrifying than anything both could have imagined. Inspired by true events Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 10/21/2008 Starring: Liv Tyler Scott Speedman Run time: 91 minutes Rating: R
Amazon.com
A lean, briskly paced and exceptionally creepy thriller, The Strangers earns its scares the old-fashioned way: through atmosphere, sound design, and a simple yet undeniably upsetting central premise that allows for maximum tension throughout its running time. Attractive young lovers Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman are already having a bad day--she's turned down his marriage proposal--before a knock on the door in the middle of the night announces a full-fledged siege on their remote vacation home by a trio of masked assailants. The film's first third delivers the most consistent shivers as the visitors make their presence and intentions known to Tyler; the second half grows more frantic and bloody before a gruesome finale that may leave viewers either rattled to their core or bothered by its empty nihilism. Speedman is fine as the downtrodden male lead (who's seen tucking into a carton of ice cream after being rejected), but it's Tyler who impresses the most by shouldering the lion's share of the terror. First-time writer/director Bryan Bertino impresses by forsaking the current passion for over-the-top violence (save for the finale) in favor of more traditional means of generating fear, and if his project borrows heavily from other films, most notably the French chiller Them (which shares its "inspired by a true story" origin) and Michael Haneke's Funny Games, at least he's taking from the best. The sound design is among the many technical standouts, and the unsettling score by tomandandy (The Hills Have Eyes) pleasantly evokes Ennio Morricone's fuzztone-heavy work for Dario Argento in the early '70s. On a completely unrelated note, LP fanatics should appreciate how both the film's heroes and villains share an affinity for folk and country music on vinyl. --Paul Gaita
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| Customer Reviews: Read 87 more reviews...
 The ways of evil November 21, 2008
1 out of 9 found this review helpful
Let it not be said that fiction is scarier than truth. "The Strangers" shows the viewer what evil is in its purest form--inexplicable, cold, merciless. We are told at the beginning that this is a true story, thus truth is far, far more terrifying than fiction. Because it is true.
James had set up a bower of love to take his beloved Kristen after he proposed. Things went wrong and the bower became a cold place, almost embarrassing in its intended intimacy. Now reread the previous sentence, with the knowledge that a blood bath will take place during the early hours of the morning.
Three strangers terrorize the young couple in one way after the other, extemporaneously making up their next act of terror based on the actions and reactions of the couple. At one point Liv asked, "Why us?" The answer: "You're at home." The setting was a vacation home at the lake.
Evil is cold and merciless and inexplicable. Then it moves on to kill again and again and again. Until it is caught. But we don't know that, not in this story, not in truth and not in the film.
Not for the squeamish. In fact, I wish I hadn't seen it. I rated four stars because the film has a sense of documentary, even of being right there with the characters. Liv Tyler's sense of horror is palpable and our sense of inescapable, inevitable death is totally visceral.
An eerie but slow film November 20, 2008
The Strangers is very low-key, it doesn't take speed or any big dramatic measures - instead it very slowly builds to the ending, which is surprisingly lacking in surprises. Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman don't dazzle in their roles, but I'm also sure they're not the worst choices for their parts.
The Strangers is not a great exciting slasher bloodbath, or even an innovative horror-thriller, but it is a pretty eerie and ambiguous film, and while its not the best to come out in some time, it's a pretty decent experience unless you're looking for extreme gore or a very rapid pace. If you can't sit still for an hour without labeling it "boring", go look elsewhere.
Noises Within, Noises Without November 19, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
There are a few flaws in this otherwise successful film that is in fact as frightening as the trailer makes it out to be. Not being one for the constant barrage of thriller films (the 'Saw' Series, the endless vampire variations, 'I know what you did...', etc) this viewer hesitantly watched what could have been yet another exercise in blood and gore. But surprise! The story (based on a true incident in 2005 as outlined by an off camera narrator discussing the number of violent deaths in America each year before the film opens) is tight, credible, and deals more with the emotion of terror of the unknown than images of gore. Kudos to writer/director Bryan Bertino for finding the core of the macabre. And it is true!
James Hoyt (Scott Speedman) is driving his girlfriend Kristen MacKay (Liv Tyler) to the isolated summer home in the woods that James and his best friend Mike (Glenn Howerton) had earlier decorated with rose petals, candles and champagne in preparation for what was supposed to be a celebration of a marriage proposal. Sadness prevails in the car as Kristen has turned James' proposal down. They quietly enter the decorated house, and almost immediately begin to hear sounds outside and a door knock by a young girl apparently looking for a person not living in this house. Kristen asks James to go out and get her cigarettes and the creepy action begins. Three strangers each in masks terrify Kristen with noises, secretly entering the house, and creating a tense atmosphere until James returns. At this point the story becomes an almost unbearable sequence of events: it is clear the strangers are out to murder James and Kristen. Bound and beaten by the three strangers Kristen asks 'Why us? Why do you want to kill us?' and the simple answer from of the strangers is 'Because you're home'. The ending of the film could have been better handled by someone telling us the results of the night - the follow up to this true story. But instead Bertino elects to keep the level of terror high.
Peter Sova (cinematographer) finds the right amount of shadow and dark to keep us guessing and the musical score by tomandandy is pitch perfect. This is a fine little film, but be prepared to jump in a few spots...and keep the lights on! Grady Harp, November 08
SCARY AS HELLZ November 18, 2008
If you are looking to be scared to death, by all means pick this DVD up. Those who tell you not to watch this at night alone are not kidding, it's one of the most disurbing movies I have ever seen. First of all the cut up sacks on the heads of the Strangers is spookeeyyyy, really the site of them give you like a viseral scare. The movie has holes yes, I mean it's a horror film, they all do, I mean, right?..but really this movie is one that will give you nightmares, sort of like watching, the little girl crawl out of the TV in, The Ring, or the zombies in 28 weeks later, it's the way it's filmed and edited that makes this a real fright. Highly Recomended if you're into this sort of thing, personally, after seeing this, im good on horror films for a while.
 Awesome horror/thriller. November 17, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Was Charles Manson or his apprentice unseen in the background here? This is one of the best horror films I have seen in years for suspence, tension and sheer terror. I watch 90% horror films and this one stands out. The fact that they use the classic scare process makes the film that much more enjoyable. Gore, although a great factor when done right in horror films doesen't even have to be used here. It's used just not alot, but again it doesen't need it. the atmosphere is enough to scare the crap out of anyone. This awesome film will go next on my list as movies to try and watch alone with the lights off. The fact that this film is based on true happenings makes it even more disturbing. Great job!
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