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The Strangers

The Strangers

2008
Suspense/Thriller, Horror
1h 26m
After returning from a wedding reception, a couple staying in an isolated vacation house receive a knock on the door in the mid-hours of the night. What ensues is a violent invasion by three strangers, their faces hidden behind masks. The couple find themselves in a violent struggle, in which they go beyond what either of them thought capable in order to survive. (imdb)
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The Strangers

2008
Suspense/Thriller, Horror
1h 26m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 35.12% from 1840 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(1839)
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Rated 28 Oct 2008
20
21st
IMDB tells us this about the film: "According to director Bryan Bertino, 'The Strangers' is partially based on an incident that happened to him as a child. One evening a stranger came to his door and asked for someone who wasn't there. The stranger left, but later Bertino found out that other homes in his neighborhood had been broken into that night." Fittingly, that story is just about as fucking boring and pointless as "The Strangers" itself.
Rated 08 Sep 2015
54
20th
So, here's the thing. You can't make a slasher movie without any slashing, especially when you're trying to (poorly) channel the era of Black Christmas and Halloween. When the only suspense your movie can create is the possibility of two terrible characters dying, you have to make us root against it happening, not praying for it.
Rated 13 Feb 2017
30
32nd
Underrated mass murderer skill #12: the ability to never move when your victims are staring at you from four-score paces, but deftly maneuver behind a tree/shed/crate the minute they are distracted, so that it will appear that you've vanished once they look back again. Max difficulty: syncing ability up with two other malcontents.
Rated 09 Feb 2009
35
37th
The initial suspense is palpable but soon becomes redundant and leaves the viewer just waiting for the movie to end, however once you reach the ending you'll be let down to the point you'll wonder why you wished for it.
Rated 28 Dec 2009
40
7th
Scary, scary tedium. How 73 minutes could feel so long I don't know. The only reason the score on this isn't LOWER is that its so short. Characters I could care less about, far from scary, just arse
Rated 12 Jun 2010
31
14th
An initially unnerving and suspenseful little horror film, The Strangers quickly loses its appeal and becomes a one-note exercise in tedium. What a terribly over-serious film this is, with nary an ounce of fun to be found. I patiently waited for the film to end, only to discover that I should have just turned it off an hour ago. An utterly pointless waste of time that has a decent premise but doesn't know what to do with it.
Rated 03 Oct 2017
5
57th
I think it's very well executed for what it's trying to be - suspenseful, disturbing, hopeless, well-acted and written and shot in a compellingly lean, no-frills fashion. I'm not sure however that I particularly care for what it's trying to be. It feels like a movie with no real POINT other than, I guess, "don't answer the door to a weird knock at 4am."
Rated 29 Apr 2013
40
26th
The problem with this film is not so much its “nihilism” as the fact it presents a particularly egregious example of illogical behaviour from its protagonists, with the boyfriend’s decision-making being especially ludicrous. Additionally, it really goes nowhere, so that what was effectively tense for the first half becomes decreasingly so as it dawns on the audience that they can expect few if any narrative surprises. Genre fans willing to overlook these flaws may find it pleasingly scarifying.
Rated 27 Dec 2013
36
7th
The movie opens with the aftermath, so for the following eighty minutes instead of actual suspense you're just left with the violence. I found this to be a much more apt example of torture porn than Hostel or its ilk.
Rated 13 Apr 2022
75
41st
Gives me what I want from my horror: 3 dimensional protagonists who have a compelling problem even before the evil shows up. They don't do anything stupid either. The director also wrings a great deal of suspense out of 1 of the most relatably scary scenarios: the fear anyone would feel if they were alone in an isolated area & someone started banging on the door at 4am. The attempt at torture porn at the end started to lose me though & the lack of explanation, while expected, was unsatisfying.
Rated 02 Jun 2008
85
87th
Among the better of the by-the-book slashers. Well shot and well executed, but ultimately mired in the genre-typical sequences and imagery. Still probably among the best mainstream horror films in the past few years.
Rated 02 Jun 2008
46
6th
*SPOILER* I waited the entire movie to see some killing but it boils down two stupid wussy stabs, Liv Tyler proves once again that just because your father is a living legend doesn't mean you can act.
Rated 07 Jun 2008
57
17th
The mood and atmosphere are tense and suspenseful, at least at the beginning. The problem is that for a film purportedly on a very "real" topic, having ingenious, practically invincible baddies makes this less scary and more like watching nihilistic torture of innocents.
Rated 07 Jun 2008
72
53rd
A better-than-usual horror entry that loses steam as it goes on. However, about 2/3 of the film is taut and highly suspenseful without the cheap tactic of using blood and gore.
Rated 24 Jul 2008
35
4th
:facepalm:
Rated 26 Jul 2008
65
29th
This could have been great. The first 30 minutes or so were really intense, with some really memorable scenes, but then it just kept getting worse and worse. Still, it is a nicely directed movie from a first timer, and this is better than a lot of popular horror movies in the last few years, if only because of the beginning.
Rated 10 Oct 2008
50
20th
Supposedly based on a true event: The director as a kid remembered when someone knocked on his door asking if so and so lived there, and the next day his neighbor got robbed...really? They're going to promote this on a true event on that shitty story??? The beginning gets your hopes up, but shortly after that, the film drops off..
Rated 20 Oct 2008
20
9th
Strong start, but it gets pretty silly halfway. Why is she crawling all the time? I gave up at the end. Can somebody explain the plot to me, I wasn't paying attention anymore.
Rated 21 Dec 2008
40
17th
Some decent suspense and nice shots, but an utterly pointless and cynical piece of sadistic cruelty.
Rated 31 Dec 2008
70
67th
Even though I am not a fan of Liv Tyler, she actually carries this movie pretty well on her own. Pretty suspenseful movie that that, at times really relies on the fact that there was a lot of total silence in some scenes. This was much better than I thought it was going to be.
Rated 15 Apr 2009
0
1st
This movie is fucking awful. HEY GUESS WHAT, WHEN YOU BUILD TENSION YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BREAK IT, NOT HAVE IT RUN FOR AN ENTIRE MOVIE. This film is one long cheap trick.
Rated 16 Nov 2009
30
18th
I went into this expecting good things, and I totally understand the minimalist techniques to build suspense, but this film takes it a broad jump too far to the point that it actually becomes annoying to watch and you're begging for the the main characters to get maimed and killed already.
Rated 17 Dec 2011
69
27th
This movie starts off great, I really liked the first half of the movie. Unfortunately the movie begins to drag in the second half. Liv Tyler is good in this movie. If the movie was just a little shorter I would be able to recommend it.
Rated 07 May 2014
46
36th
Admittedly, the shot of the stranger in the house for the first time (seen to the left) was one of the scarier moments I've experienced in a horror movie for a while. Unfortunately, the strangers' inscrutable motive of very slowly capturing the two people definitely begins to take its toll as the movie slowly starts to bore. I can't help but think that they would have survived if Dennis Reynolds didn't turn up, or that the movie could have been much better if the Mormon bookend wasn't included.
Rated 31 Oct 2015
6
95th
Terrified the shit out of me last night. Better than Funny Games fyi
Rated 20 Aug 2018
6
61st
Not very impressed. There has always been kind of a cult following for this, but I don't really get it. It's kind of just another slasher/home invasion movie. The strangers themselves aren't really creepy or terrifying, they're just bland killers. Also aside from the first 10 min, the main characters don't have anything to them, and it makes it hard to root for them. The cast had decent performances, and the cinematography had a few nice shots, but it's not very memorable.
Rated 14 Apr 2020
87
67th
An underrated home invasion movie that I think every horror fan should watch. Get on it.
Rated 01 Apr 2022
50
19th
This felt uneven, with some parts better and some parts utterly boring. Overall it amounts to quite an average movie, plus me thinking all the time how much Liv Tyler looks like an elf. I wish it didn't resort so much to the cheap 'boo!' stuff, because it often just cheapens the horror for me. There are parts that are quite disturbing and creepy, but the mood wasn't maintained throughout the entire movie. This is also one of those movies where you go "well that was a stupid decision to make".
Rated 10 Jun 2023
60
35th
This film is fine, but it is also my favourite film that features Joanna Newsom on the soundtrack.
Rated 31 May 2008
58
40th
Sufficiently scary and really keeps ahold of you throughout the (rather brief) entirety. That said, there's nothing truly unique here: A number of well-placed jumps, suspenseful moments, and unexpected turns. I actually found this movie to be rather unpredictable plot-wise (though the plot became an after-thought in the dragged-on high-angst moments). This movie (unsuccessfully) tries to tie in to the Blair-Witch-esque "based on true events" craze, but is overall nothing more than a good scare.
Rated 02 Jun 2008
20
12th
some nice screaming from liv tyler, that's about it.
Rated 11 Jun 2008
89
89th
While the plot itself isn't anything of any kind of incredible strength the fact it is based off of a true story bolsters it. What really makes the movie is how well it is put together. Lighting is used in a brilliant manner and it plays off of very realistic fears.
Rated 11 Jun 2008
9
0th
I have never laughed so hard during a movie. Really, they outdid themselves. Pure genius. Can't wait for the sequel. The best part was definitely the sequence on the road, when the three murderers met some young Christians and asked for a pamphlet because they sin "sometimes." The symbolism was so rich, I felt it explode on my face.
Rated 11 Jun 2008
61
33rd
Things start out pretty well for "The Strangers," as the filmmakers slowly crank the tension and escalate menacing dread, but at about the halfway point, the characters get a little too dumb, and we soon realize these killers have no sense to them or any new trick to pull on us. The goofiness increases and by its sadistic ending, "The Strangers" misses an opportunity to be creative, a disappointment since things started out so well. "Vacancy" is about the same movie, just a little better.
Rated 22 Jun 2008
25
1st
Very disappointing. The trailer was better than the film itself. Completely illogical and frustratingly bad. It was just one horror cliche after another.
Rated 23 Jun 2008
80
57th
Much better than the torture porn that has become so popular as of late. One of the very few films that have kept me tense for quite some time after the credits rolled. This film is the first in a very long time to remind us what fear really means. Tyler and Speedman play well with what they have, although not much is required on their parts. It is shot beautifully frightening and all aspects of set design are well-done (including within the house, where you feel claustrophobic as well).
Rated 30 Jun 2008
70
58th
For what it was, it was a well-executed and very tense movie. Despite the fact that the whole plot was evident from the get-go (including major developments, such as the friend's unexpected appearance, and the entire ending), the film still made you squirm in a lot of places. My one real complaint (besides the Carrie-ripoff ending) is that the film initially impressed me for not relying on gore, but threw that out the window in one of the final sequences.
Rated 11 Jul 2008
69
43rd
Good for this kind of horror movie. The scariest part about it was just how easy it seemed for the killers and the reality of it.
Rated 24 Jul 2008
65
45th
well-executed and suspenseful movie. Doesn't rely on gore, but in one of the final scenes it uses it. Besides the ripoff ending, a pretty decent film.
Rated 27 Jul 2008
60
42nd
- recommended
Rated 09 Aug 2008
50
18th
Actually had forgotten that I'd seen this. That's kind of the motife though -- ultimately, not a lot to remember about this flick, other than a few choice scenes. This had a decent amount of potential as a sociological and psychological case study, and the ending was pretty cool. It gets a pass.
Rated 25 Aug 2008
65
24th
Starts out too light, hits a point and stays too heavy for suitable viewing until end. Not enough tempo changes, not enough hope supplied to the character events. Story lacked any real point or reason. Points for heartbeat raising.
Rated 06 Sep 2008
75
63rd
Of all the horror movies released in early '08, many were utter wastes of time. This one, however, found a way to be simple, yet innovative -- and above all, gut-wrenching.
Rated 07 Sep 2008
50
16th
can we PLEASE stop making the Texas Chainsaw knock offs?!?! Love liv Tyler she does a good job (new Scream Queen!?!?) otherwise been there done that & won't people learn what not to do in their own horror movie?!!?
Rated 19 Sep 2008
60
50th
A refreshing debut from the young director, The Strangers starts off incredibly strong, but sadly then loses much of its momentum due to the lack of original ideas and evolution in the script. The ending is a bore, though, and the whole idea is better executed in that French flick I shall not mention, should someone consider it a spoiler.
Rated 04 Oct 2008
20
11th
Although the producers say that it is not a remake...The original French film was way better and scarier. It also made much more sense.
Rated 18 Oct 2008
75
82nd
Love horror! and this is horror! Great!
Rated 19 Oct 2008
58
47th
All points for mood and atmosphere. The story's not that impressive, since everything is explaned in the beginning. Should work better if the strangers were less active, more spooky. The story reminds us all the late Sharon Tate and Manson gang massacre.
Rated 23 Oct 2008
65
14th
good movie but takes the whole cat and mouse game to far. and it starts to get old.
Rated 26 Oct 2008
65
40th
Probably the best thing the mainstream American horror genre has produced in a long time.
Rated 28 Oct 2008
1
10th
The Strangers has the potential to be a great horror film. It's not. Instead, its a nasty piece of business in which a young couple is stalked, attacked, and brutally murdered for absolutely no reason. If this sounds unpleasant, that's because it is. Their killers, who hide behind masks, are never given a motive: they exist only to kill. This is one of the most hopeless and nihilistic films I've seen in recent memory, and I would suggest that you avoid it. It's not scary, it's just depressing.
Rated 30 Oct 2008
84
59th
The strangers is against all odds that I got because of those bad reviews a very good Thriller. You have to be patient and try to get "inside". Bertino thrills with simple things like a cracking door and emotionless masks. Overall it's a quiet Movie but keeps me entertaining, more than the last 50 "asia remake crap, like The Eye & Shutter for Example.
Rated 31 Oct 2008
32
9th
Tense and creepy for the first half hour until the people begin entering the house, then it becomes one cliche after another and every action becomes increasingly illogical. What was the point?
Rated 01 Nov 2008
60
48th
No jump scares in a modern-day horror movie? Pretty much unheard of. Kinda flames out towards the end, but tense nonetheless.
Rated 01 Nov 2008
74
43rd
Contrary to some other people in this forum, what I particularly liked about this movie was that the killers had no reason whatsoever for what they were doing, they just were pure evil. If you want motifs, go and see some psychological drama, I prefer horrors.
Rated 03 Nov 2008
45
36th
Can't help feeling that if I surprised the killers, this movie would have turned out very differently. At the end, I felt the characters died out of their own stupidity.
Rated 05 Nov 2008
70
35th
Held my attention.
Rated 12 Dec 2008
50
30th
"Don't run into the woods!" "Well, there she goes; she ran into the woods." "Don't leave her in the house alone!" "Welp, there he goes; he left her in the house by herself." "Don't lay down that knife!" "Well, there she went; she laid down the knife." *sigh* No matter how well shot and creepy The Strangers is, the fact is.., the movie is merely a sequence of contrived scenes where characters stumble around without thinking or reacting rationally. Blame this on a poorly written script.
Rated 25 Dec 2008
41
12th
Mialo byc klimatycznie i niepokojaco, wyszlo po prostu nudnie
Rated 23 Jan 2009
40
9th
Tired and incoherent.
Rated 02 Feb 2009
90
70th
There were moments when I watched this when I felt like I was getting physically ill from being scared. Liv Tyler does a nice job. It makes you pray to God that you are never the victim of a home invasion.
Rated 07 Feb 2009
67
34th
The whole movie is based on the boo-affect and really, that's all that it has to offer. The lighting and the sets work and that's why it's a pitty they left the movie kind of half way there. No plot? What is that?
Rated 08 Feb 2009
37
34th
Pretty suspenseful through most of its duration, but I wish that its serviceable tension wasn't done at the behest of such nihilism. Ends about five minutes too late.
Rated 09 Feb 2009
24
14th
It was ok for the first 20mins then it started to suck.
Rated 18 Feb 2009
25
18th
"...bears more than a passing resemblance to Them, the French horror film about a couple in a secluded house who are stalked by mysterious, almost supernatural tormenters."
Rated 26 Feb 2009
23
67th
Really scary scenes conveniently made scarier thanks to our stellar heroine.
Rated 07 Mar 2009
38
32nd
I dont like it much
Rated 12 Mar 2009
35
20th
After a really promising first half hour, it becomes pretty clear that the film has run out of tricks and it all becomes routine. Someone hears a bump, they investigate it, a person in a mask pops up behind them and they scream and run. This repeats for about an hour with little variation or plot advance (making the proceedings ultimately seem quite pointless). Ultimately the antagonists cease to be human and become the cliche omniscient stalkers and foil what tension there was.
Rated 16 Mar 2009
70
61st
If you dont like the slash-film genre, you will hate this movie. The film fulfills the mission to make you tense and give a few scares. But nothing beyond that.
Rated 21 Mar 2009
27
46th
"When the film is this effective, it's hard to complain."
Rated 08 Apr 2009
40
9th
seems like a worse vacancy
Rated 17 Apr 2009
67
26th
Not very scary.
Rated 17 Apr 2009
75
74th
Very good thriller.
Rated 19 Apr 2009
70
51st
"While The Strangers certainly doesn't forge any new ground, there's always something to be said for a horror flick that forges old ground colorfully."
Rated 18 May 2009
40
19th
Passes the time.
Rated 05 Jun 2009
89
77th
This movie freaked me out.
Rated 09 Jun 2009
80
14th
Annoying characters.
Rated 15 Jul 2009
40
6th
The scariest parts were in the trailer. VACANCY did what THE STRANGERS tries to do much better. Entertaining, but so is a walk outside, and I probably should've spent my time doing that instead of watching this.
Rated 26 Jul 2009
55
20th
Seen it all before.
Rated 01 Aug 2009
20
5th
Sucks
Rated 12 Aug 2009
60
37th
Very above average horror film.
Rated 05 Sep 2009
65
24th
Things I remember about this movie: the beginning was quite tense, the soundtrack/atmosphere sounds were really creepy and well done, it got hammy halfway through, the villains masks were neat.
Rated 25 Sep 2009
20
1st
This was not worth the 2 hours I put into it. If you're looking for substance or story or closure or logic, don't come to this movie.
Rated 12 Oct 2009
75
74th
First half is really good, in my opinion, with a great performance by Liv Tyler. Super creepy. Then it just gets repetitive and falls completely apart by the end.
Rated 17 Oct 2009
1
11th
Starts off strong but quickly trips face first into a festering pool of cliche. I literally snorted in disgust at the final moment. Snorted, I tell you.
Rated 04 Nov 2009
48
9th
Good job remaking Ils and stripping it of any real suspense or thought.
Rated 05 Nov 2009
54
17th
"Run over here! Now run over there! Hide!" Repeat. Atmosphere and sound = very very good. Being a typical horror flick for 80% of the film = shame on you
Rated 06 Dec 2009
60
13th
Predictably awful in places, like knowing the best friend was gonna get shot by Speedman- how very lame. Even though Tyler was good, what could have potentially been truly horrifying just drags on to a climax that although grim and chilling, is far too brief. And it would have been far more effective had it ended there instead of the lame christian fellowship discovery epilogue.
Rated 18 Dec 2009
63
15th
Perhaps the most random horror film I have ever seen, I realize the whole scary thing about it was a random crime, but it didnt really add anything or nothing came out of it.
Rated 31 May 2010
73
50th
I like this movie..I thought it was tense the actors were good and the setting was eerie
Rated 25 Jun 2010
10
0th
Horror at its worst.
Rated 25 Jun 2010
1
11th
Final Rating: 1/100 (F) - The director of this pitiful movie cannot be serious about what he has produced - foolish sounds, a silly plot, and actors that fail to engage. A pathetic movie.
Rated 25 Jul 2010
40
20th
It's very scary, and it is so in a good old psychological manner, but it doesn't work entirely.
Rated 27 Aug 2010
69
48th
The first half of this movie is worth a viewing, but over the 2nd half it slowly loses steam. Isn't it funny that when a movie gains momentum it's good but if you start really strong and lose it, it's considered a mess?
Rated 28 Sep 2010
38
2nd
Horrors often frustrate me with the stupidity of the characters but this really takes the biscuit. Given any number of options these idiots will undoubtedly choose the stupidest most dangerous option. I've seen everything here before only this is worse!
Rated 02 Oct 2010
90
58th
moments are truly scary. that is rare.
Rated 21 Oct 2010
30
78th
"As with last year's lean, mean B movie Vacancy, Bryan Bertino's The Strangers is a white-knuckle thriller in which a couple going through relationship difficulties is terrorized by psychos." - Nick Schager
Rated 07 Jan 2011
81
18th
~2
Rated 29 Mar 2011
4
51st
An incredibly lazy horror film, full of cliched, cheap and repetitive scares. The nihilistic storyline does not shock/disturb and only serves to illustrate that the filmmakers were unable to imbue it with any kind of emotional weight or significance.
Rated 20 Apr 2011
40
34th
Though its premise provides plenty of opportunity for character and atmosphere, the Strangers fails to deliver on either by living solely on its basis and never raising the stakes. Liv Tyler carries the movie with her tortured performance, but there can only be so many minutes of her hiding in silence or screaming in desparation before it gets old.

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