At first, I wanted to write about the sequel to The Strangers, 2018’s The Strangers: Prey at Night. It is undeniably the better of the two, but I thought, why not watch and study the one that started it? There had to be a reason why a movie was granted a sequel. It also made for the perfect installment for Wrongfully Rotten, not just because it sits at a measly 49% on Rotten Tomatoes, but because I myself remember not exactly loving Bryan Bertino’s debut feature on my first watch. Upon second viewing, I believe that I was wrong, although there may still be flaws in minor details, The Strangers is terrifying as a home invasion story and a stark example of a cold dark world. This deserves another look, both as a horror film and as entertainment guaranteed to scare the crap out of you. That’s what we want for Halloween…right?
The lead couple is Scott Speedman as James and Liv Tyler as Kristen, arriving home from a wedding, both with shades of disappointment on their faces. James proposed and had it all set up with flowers, candles, and champagne, but to his shock, he was rejected. The tone and direction from Bertino is one of the “where do we go from here?” mentality. The romance is broken and now this couple is left to pick up the pieces. It’s after this heartache (and at three in the morning) that strange things start happening. There’s a knock on the door, a woman asking if her friend is home, but she has the wrong house. They can’t see her face under a broken light. A bit later, James goes to get cigarettes, while Kristen takes a bath. When she is done, to her surprise her cell phone is missing, and after she gets dressed, we see a terrifying figure behind her, a man with a bag on his head, with holes punched out for his eyes and mouth. Phones are down, power is cut out, and words are written on windows. Someone is torturing these two, and at each turn, the torment, the terror has them fighting for their lives.
One of the fascinating parts of The Strangers is how it presents itself as a new-age version of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It begins with an opening statement, about how there are “an estimated 1.4 million violent crimes in America each year”, creating an aura of reality, making it hard to fathom the events that follow. What Bertino does in an excellent fashion, something I noticed watching the second time around, is that not until the film’s final five minutes, there is nary a single bullet fired, knife puncture or ax swung at the couple. The terror created is simply through harassment and getting into the couple’s heads with the threat of terror. Unlike Tobe Hooper’s legendary classic, The Strangers is a study in paranoia used as a weapon. And most often it is that paranoia that can do more damage than a single blow to the head.
But why is it Wrongfully Rotten, you might ask? In a manner of speaking, it’s too real, both as something that can be a dark fear for people. And unlike TCM, where a chainsaw-wielding maniac pursues helpless young people, isolated from the modern world, The Strangers is an example of just how terrifying a home invasion can truly be. That’s the underwritten tale. Texas Chainsaw is a divide between city and country folk. An example of humans isolated from the rest of the world and giving in to violent urges. The Strangers is an expression of pure sociopathic behavior, a dark. disturbing example of what people are capable of. It’s an excellent choice for your Halloween viewing, worthy of a fresh look, and standing up against those who deemed it Rotten in the first place. The Strangers is genuine terror. Now just don’t be too afraid to give it a second chance.
Author — Leo Brady
Leo Brady of AMovieGuy.com is a proud member of the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle. For this review and more, visit AMovieGuy.com for some of the best movie critiques, unique interviews, and coverage of film festivals all over the world.
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