The Strangers

Until his ego exploded and he delivered what is quite possibly 2008's worst movie with schlock-fest The Happening, M Night Shyamalan was a master at crafting intelligent horror films.

With The Strangers, Hollywood might just have found a suitable - and timely - replacement.

That's thanks to Bryan Bertino, a fledgling director with little experience who expertly helms a hand-wringlingly tense and occasionally very scary film.

Bertino understands for a horror film to deliver decent thrills, the 'creep' is scarier than the 'boo'. 

So The Strangers - which lays dubious claims to being based on a true story - is all about the creep. Blood-soaked franchises like Saw and Hostel, this is not.

It follows a couple - played by Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman - who have arrived at a log cabin with their relationship in turmoil after attending a friend's wedding.

When they get a knock on the door at 4am from a creepy girl looking for someone called 'Tamara', it begins a terrifyingly real and horrific experience for the couple - and the audience.

Bertino documents what follows using genuinely unsettling techniques.

The off-camera noises are scary enough, but when combined with shaky camera angles that allow the audience to see what the characters sometimes do not, it can be downright terrifying.

You'll find yourself jumping in your seat, even when you're not supposed to.

It helps that Bertino's got pale-faced beauty Liv Tyler delivering some of the most blood-curdling screams since Poltergeist, even if Felicity's Speedman doesn't always seem to be on the same level.

Some might gripe that The Strangers' plot lacks, er, meat, while there might be one-too-many cliched horror moments for others. Why do characters always insist on going their separate ways in horror films?

But the secret to The Strangers' success lies in its simplicity. There's no big reveal and no real conclusion, and there seems to be no real reason for what happens to the couple.

Therefore, it's easy for audiences to imagine they're in the same situation.

What you see is definitely what you get: A chair-grippingly scary horror film that might very well make you lock your doors, leave the lights on, and probably seek out a stranger for a comfort hug when you leave the cinema.

Isn't that exactly what Shyamalan used to do?

The Strangers
Director: Bryan Bertino
Starring: Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman
Time: 90 minutes
Rating: R16
Trailer: Flicks.co.nz

* What did you think of The Strangers? Post your comments below.

 

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