Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: The Strangers

This is topic The Strangers in forum Film Handlers' Movie Reviews at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Michael Barry (Member # 237) on 05-30-2008, 04:02 PM:

I saw this today at the AMC Empire 25 at Times Square. I still can't believe I'm actually in New York City!

This was my first moviegoing experience in the US. I have to say it was a very good one! Presentation was above average with plenty of light on the screen, good focus and a clean print. Sure, it was opening day for the movie but it was clearly put together competently. The green bands on the trailers were scratch-free and rock steady. The 'Silence Is Golden' snipe at the start was fun and the only the AMC 'feature presentation' tag showed some wear, obviously having seen better days.

Onto the movie itself. It begins with fairly glacial pacing but as the movie proceeds, it becomes clear that the pacing is deliberate and there for a reason. A foreboding atmosphere is created with some really sumptuous cinematography. They went for the bungy-cam/handheld look, but I don't really see the reason why. Yes, it puts the viewer on edge, but the movie does this very well anyway, so there was no reason for the double-whammy. I would have preferred that the camera was locked down John Ford style and just go for carefully composed pictures instead. In fact, there are several scenes in the movie that do just that and the scope frame is really used to full advantage.

The good thing about the movie is the sense of dread throughout and the really creepy atmosphere created.

The not-so-great thing(s) about it is the dialogue and delivery of some of the lines; the actors have a tendency to say things that do nothing except narrate the events that we're watching or have just watched. Example: the couple see a girl standing outside the house. Then another shot reveals that the girl is no longer standing there. Liv Tyler says, 'She's gone'.

Often in these types of movies, there are logical lapses in the narrative. This movie is no exception. I won't spoil any of them here.

The good overcomes the bad in the end, so I thought it was pretty solid. With some improvement to the dialogue and by tightening the script to make the sequence of events flow with more logic, it could have been better. 'Vacancy' was more successful in this respect.

Chilling stuff!

Posted by Chris Hipp (Member # 1788) on 05-31-2008, 06:04 PM:

I don't normally care much for horror movies, but I actually liked this one. I liked how there was very little, if any, of the typical suspense build up then it is a false alarm or just the funny guy wearing a hockey mask.

Most horror movies just scare people by startling them, and there was a little of that in this one, but for the most part it was a slow process of getting under your skin to creep you out. Anyone who has ever been in a house out in the middle of nowhere has heard noises late at night and thought someone was out there.

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I guess my only beef is the whole shooting the friend by mistake thing. I know that hollywood types tend to think only cowboys like guns and that anyone who is not a cop will kill innocent people on accident or on purpose just because they own a gun. And that you are 9 times more likely to kill a family member than an intruder blah blah blah. I guess I am just saying that I already get plenty of horror from following politics and I really don't need it in a horror movie. Maybe it would not have bothered me if I hadn't seen it coming from 10 miles away. He calls his friend to come pick him up and then he finds a gun, what else could have happened?

Posted by Michael Dolan (Member # 4808) on 06-02-2008, 11:32 AM:

I really don't know what to say about this movie. It reminded me alot of Open water the same scene and setting the whole time. It looked like it was filmed with a home video due to how much the camera was shaking.

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The only action in the movie at all was the firend getting his head blown off. Now I like scary ovies but the ending to this one just seemed absolutely twisted and sick. And then to bring a religion into it at the end I thought was even worse. but either way thats just my opinion