The Strangers (2008)

A couple are terrorised in their own home by three masked intruders
The director says he wrote the film about two years before Ils (Them) was released. Maybe so, but I’ll lay bets to say that his script altered somewhat after Ils’ release. After watching Ils I was wondering when a remake would take place and, barring a few minor plot points, The Strangers is that remake. But can it stand on it’s own?

Actually, there’s plenty of films about with common themes to this; Haneke’s masterly Funny Games springs to mind and you can even go back to the 60s to In Cold Blood. In fact the director said one the inspirations was Helter Skelter – the story of the Manson atrocities.

Anyhow, the film opens strongly with Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman arriving at a summer house after a party in a subdued mood as Tyler has just turned down Speedman's proposal. They are interrupted by a girl knocking on the door asking for someone called Tamara. Sending the girl on her way Speedman goes into to buy some cigarettes for Tyler and while he is away the terrorising slowly starts. In one of he most quietly impressive scenes in the movie we see Tyler lighting a cigarette when slowly, and without background music, a masked figure appears in a darkened corner of the screen and stares at Tyler’s back. It’s a genuinely creepy moment and is never bettered throughout the film. At this point I was looking forward to something a bit different but it quickly becomes a by-the-numbers horror, although there are still effective moments. The ending is one of those open ends which are starting to become incredibly passé, which is something I never thought I would find myself saying. But sometimes a film cries out for a more solid ending.
Still, it was a box-office success, and being an American flick, that’s all that counts. Look out for a sequel.