An Average Movie-Goer’s Review
Spoilers! If you don’t want spoilers – check out the Spoiler-Free post
I love horror movies and if I’m going to watch them anyway, why not write an entertaining and funny review from the POV of an average movie-goer and not a professional critic.
Today’s movie is the theatrical version of 2008’s The Strangers at a runtime of about 76 minutes (1 hour 16 min) it’s not long at all.
A couple going through a rough patch, played by Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman, are targeted by a trio of killers while isolated in a cabin.
We also recently explained/reviewed its sequel which you can read by clicking here, 2018’s The Strangers: Prey at Night
Quick Review:
If “always go with strangers with candy” is bad advice and “never talk to strangers” is good advice then this movie is “never go to a second location with a stranger.”
Is The Strangers Scary?
Wear your brown pants and don’t turn off the lights, this movie is terrifying mainly because of the tension and atmosphere. I turned around to make sure no one was behind me about every 20 minutes. I recommend not watching this movie if you’re stuck in a cabin alone, otherwise, enjoy!
The Strangers (2008) Full Plot Summary:
The movie starts with text and a narrator telling us the movie is inspired by true events. If you’ve seen plenty of “inspired by” and “based on” true events movies, you know “inspired by” means the events in the movie didn’t happen but the idea for the movie came from something in real life.
In this case, the writer/director Bryan Bertino has stated the inspiration came from a stranger knocking on his family’s door looking for someone during a time of heightened break-ins in his neighborhood, as well as the Manson family murders.
Despite this, the movie tries really hard to make you believe the events of the movie really happened. The text also tells you about the number of violent crimes in the United States per year (1.4 million) and follows it by telling you the setting of the movie.
After the text, you hear an audio call between a 911 operator and a panicking kid named Jordan playing over scenes of two kids wandering into a home with an open door. They see blood on the walls, a ring box on the floor, and a bloody knife. The title card appears as Jordan tells the operator “There’s blood everywhere.”
The movie cuts to James Hoyt (Scott Speedman) and Kristen McKay (Liv Tyler) at night driving towards the Hoyt family’s summer home. A couple of things become clear as they enter the home, the summer home is the same bloody cabin that Jordon walked in on at the start of the movie, and there are some relationship issues between James and Kristen.
In barely any words between the two, it’s revealed Kristen refused a marriage proposal from James during the wedding reception they just came from. A flashback then confirms this. Depressingly, James assumed she was going to say yes and had his friend, Mike, help him put rose petals all over the cabin. While Kristen takes a bath, James leaves a voicemail for Mike to pick him up from the cabin.
At 15 minutes in the couple are at the table, share a few words, and are about to have sex when there’s a knock at the front door. Despite the confusion at someone being at the door at 4 am, James opens the door to a woman hiding in the shadows asking, “Is Tamara home?”
James flips the switch for the porch light but the light doesn’t turn on preventing him from getting a good look at her, nonetheless, he tells her she has the wrong house.
Afterward, James and Kristen are sitting apart when Kristen announces she ran out of cigarettes. Looking for a way out of the awkwardness between the two, James offers to drive to a store to get her some more. He starts a fire at the fireplace for her and leaves.
Kristen kills some time by playing some music on the record player, putting on the engagement ring, debating her choices, and doing a bit of drinking before a couple of loud bangs at the front door interrupts her. The girl looking for Tamara is back and once again asks for her through the door. Kristen tells her she’s got the wrong house again and after asking if she’s sure, the girl leaves.
Kristen locks the door, telling us a crucial piece of information; THE DOOR WASN’T LOCKED!
The event clearly shakes Kristen but she has no time to relax as someone has closed the chimney flue and smoke begins pouring into the room. She rushes to open it but the smoke alarm begins to blare. Using a chair to grab the alarm, multiple bangs at the front door scare her and she drops it on the ground.
She rushes to her cell phone and tries to call James but her phone dies. She puts it to charge and grabs the landline to call James. While changing out of the wedding reception dress, she explains to him the girl came back and is now banging on the door. Right as she asks him to stay with her on the phone, the phone lines are cut.
Still shaken, Kristen wanders around the home smoking while in the background a man with a mask watches her for a full minute, which tells us another crucial piece; THEY’RE IN THE HOUSE.
Kristen never notices him but, at about 28 minutes, she sees the smoke alarm, which was once on the floor, has now mysteriously appeared on a chair and she loses her shit. As the panic starts to set in, the banging starts again but not just at the front door, it’s now all around the home. Kristen rushes to her cell phone which is now missing and in an unusually smart move by someone in a horror movie, Kristen goes to the kitchen and grabs a knife to defend herself.
But as one of the Laws of Horror movies states “for every smart decision there’s an equal and opposite dumb decision” and Kristen proves this by walking to the full glass kitchen doors after she hears a sound. Pulling a curtain back reveals one of the few jump scares of the movie.
The Masked Man appears just behind the curtain causing Kristen to jump back and scream bloody murder.
Kristen runs to the room cutting her hand on a lamp while the strangers kick it up a notch, banging on all doors, making all sorts of noise, and making the record player skip, causing a very fear-inducing scene. This is probably one of the more terrifying scenes because of the suspense and the chaotic atmosphere caused by the sounds and music.
Everything stops and footsteps are heard coming down the hall but it’s James, who has finally returned. In another smart move for horror movie characters, James believes Kristen almost immediately, grabs the knife and the two go around the home checking the rooms, not noticing Kristen’s phone in the fire. From a window they see one of the trio staring at them from outside.
The law of horror happens again and James realizes his dumb move is he left his phone in the car and now decides to go get it. He sees his car has been basically destroyed, the windshield smashed and all four tires slashed.
While he searches the car, one of the trio reaches from what appears to be the backseat and touches his neck, making him, I think, shit his pants. He makes his way back to the home, threatening the watching Blonde Masked Woman from a distance.
Once inside he notices his phone, without its battery, has been placed on the piano. He now realizes the trio of killers are able to enter and exit the home at will. James and Kristen decide to make a break for it even if they have to use the broken car.
The moment they get into the car, the Brunette Masked Woman drives up in a truck behind them while the Masked Man appears in front of them. The truck rams them from behind forcing them to escape the car and run back into the home.
Arriving back in the home, James finds his father’s hidden shotgun just in time to defend themselves from the axe-wielding Masked Man attempting to break down the front door. After he runs off, James and Kristen run into a room, get into a corner and position the shotgun to blast anyone who comes in. A smart decision in a horror movie. They decide to wait it out, hoping the trio of killers decide to leave when the sun comes up.
While they hide the killers enter the home, put on some country music, because murder party, and continue making noise to instill terror. Outside another car pulls up revealed to be Mike (played by Genn Howerton), who James called earlier to pick him up. Mike attempts to call James’ cell but jumps out of his car when something is thrown at his back windshield.
He cautiously walks into the home noticing James’ broken car and the broken front door. Stopping the music he looks around the home and walks down the hallway towards the rooms with the masked man behind him.
Mike approaches the room where James and Kristen are hiding and is accidentally shot in the face by James who mistook him for one of the killers. The Law of Horror strikes again! James immediately realizes his mistake and breaks down. After composing himself, James’ last plan involves getting to the barn as he thinks there might be an old radio that can be used for help.
Shotgun in hand, he rushes to the barn but before he can get there he is attacked and taken by the masked man. Kristen doesn’t see the attack and after a few minutes, she realizes something might be wrong.
She makes a dash for the barn but falls injuring her leg. Still, she manages to crawl to the barn and find the radio. When someone finally responds on the other end, the Brunette Masked Woman smashes the radio causing Kristen to run out of the barn and crawl back to the home.
She’s able to hide in one of the pantry cabinets and watches the masked man through the slats as he looks for her. The masked man leaves and, in another jump scare, the Blond Masked Woman appears in front of the closet scaring Kristen.
The Blonde Masked Woman grabs a knife and Kristen exits the pantry grabbing another knife and preparing to defend herself. The Masked Man then enters throwing James onto the ground who yells at Kristen to run.
Kristen runs to the bedroom as the lights are cut by the killers once again. In the dumbest move of the movie, Kristen exits the bedroom and is immediately attacked by the masked man who knocks her out. She slowly comes to but is unable to escape while she’s dragged to the living room.* The movie cuts to black.
The Brunette Masked Woman opens the shades revealing it’s now morning. In the living room, Kristen, wearing the wedding reception dress, is tied up in a chair next to James. The trio stands in front of them with knives in their hands. Kristen asks the very logical question, why they’re doing this, to which the Blonde Masked Woman responds with, “Because you were home.”
James and Kristen profess their love for each other as the trio take turns stabbing them.
Shortly after, the trio are driving away in their truck when they stop in front of two young Mormon boys with pamphlets. No longer in masks, the blonde woman asks one of the boys for a pamphlet.
He asks “Are you a sinner?” to which she replies, “Sometimes.”
As the trio drives off again, one of the women says, “It’ll be easier next time.” (sequel baiting!)
The two young boys are the same from the start of the movie and the scene now connects with the beginning. The two enter the Hoyt home, see the dead James, call the police, and find Kristen.
In the final jump scare and scene of the movie, as one of the boys looks over at Kristen, she wakes up screaming and the movie cuts to black.
Overall Review
If “always go with strangers with candy” is bad advice and “never talk to strangers” is good advice then this movie is “never go to a second location with a stranger.”
This is a great October/Halloween movie since it will definitely scare you without too much gore or blood. It’s a self-contained story with villains that have no motive other than to kill which is pretty refreshing and terrifying when a movie does it right. Definitely recommend this movie to anyone looking for a good horror movie for the Halloween season.
We also recently explained/reviewed its sequel which you can read by clicking here, 2018’s The Strangers: Prey at Night
NOTES
*Not many films/television shows do the knockout correctly so it’s nice to see one do it somewhat right. If you’re knocked out for more than a few minutes there’s a huge chance of brain damage. Shows that have characters that are constantly knocked out giving the villain enough time to tie them up or for hours to pass are not scientifically accurate.
Cast IMBD