3 1/2 stars:
What constitutes a scary movie nowadays? The Saw and Hostel franchises would have you believe it's torture and gore. I guess every horror fan has a different definition of what's truly scary. For me to be truly scared I have to be disturbed. Aliens, ghosts and monsters don't scare me because they're not real - at least I don't think so.
In order to disturb me, the idea has to be very real and very possible. "Last House on the Left" or "I Spit on Your Grave" are so sick and twisted that they are scary to me. Recently I saw a movie called "The Girl Next Door" which may be the most sick and twisted of them all. It disturbed me so much that I wasn't even sure I liked it. The common denominator of all of these movies is that the "monsters" are just normal human beings. Yeah they may be crazy human beings, but they are not super human, they don't come back from the dead, they're just people.
"The Strangers" is not as sick and twisted as the movies mentioned above, but it is scary because it is realistic. What "The Strangers" have in common with the movies mentioned above is that the bad guys are humans and the motive to their madness is unknown. "Because you were home," is the reasoning one of the masked "monsters" gave when asked why they were doing what they were doing.
The movie starts off with an awkward moment between two lovers played by Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman. You're not really sure what happened but you quickly figure out that shortly before the movie started, Speedman proposed to Tyler and she turned him down.
As you're figuring this out the shit begins to hit the fan. The awkwardness of the opening is what really makes this movie fresh. This movie isn't trying to redefine the horror genre; it is just trying to be a fun ride.
I'm not lying to you when I tell you this, but I saw this movie in the theater and at one point one male member in the audience just started screaming out, "Oh God, Oh God, Oh God!" I don't think this guy was joking around either, he seemed genuinely scared. Another male member of the audience actually got up out of his seat and took off running out of the theater. This movie is not the scariest movie I've ever seen, but it is definitely edge of your seat exciting. There are predictable moments in the movie, but they aren't disappointing. Most importantly, the stupid decisions that are made by the victims in most horror movies are kept to a minimum in this.
What's Bad? Like I said before, there are predictable moments that you can see coming two or three scenes in advance. Fans of the "torture porn" genre will probably be disappointed, because there is very little gore or torture. This movie is just another take on the classic slasher story, so it is nothing new. I thought it was a genius move on the writer's part to start the movie out just after the botched proposal.
The performances are great, both Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman are believable in their roles. This movie is the perfect example of less is more. There is one scene that is so well done, so frightening and so simple, that you'll find yourself digging into the arms of your chair - you'll know what scene I'm talking about when you see it. There's not much too the scene, it is very subtle. The scene that I'm referring to is the scene in which one of the members of the audience ran out of the theater. I definitely recommend this movie if you're up for a fun, scary ride.
BYLINE:
Bob Zerull is a frequent movie and concert goer who talks about his ventures to arenas and theaters more than any person should be allowed to do. Now, he puts them down on paper. Email him your thoughts at: bzerull19@gmail.com.
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