| The Strangers | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
|
| Directed by | Bryan Bertino |
| Produced by | Nathan Kahane Doug Davison Roy Lee |
| Written by | Bryan Bertino |
| Starring | Liv Tyler Scott Speedman Gemma Ward and Glenn Howerton |
| Cinematography | Peter Sova |
| Editing by | Kevin Greutert |
| Distributed by | Rogue Pictures , Universal |
| Release date(s) | May 30, 2008 August 14, 2008 [1] |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $9,000,000 |
| Followed by | The Strangers 2 |
The Strangers is a horror film released in the United States on May 30, 2008. The film was written and directed by Bryan Bertino, and stars Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman. The film’s score was composed by Tomandandy.
Though the plot of The Strangers is entirely fictional, the film opens with the following narration:
“What you are about to see is inspired by true events. According to the F.B.I. there are an estimated 1.4 million violent crimes in America each year. On the night of February 11, 2005 Kristen McKay and James Hoyt went to a friend’s wedding reception and then returned to the Hoyt family’s summer home. The brutal events that took place there are still not entirely known.”
The sound of an engine running plays over shots of houses in a rural neighborhood. The scene then cuts to the interior of a ravaged house, with holes in the walls and doors, a bloody knife lying on a table, and blood smeared across the walls. A frantic 911 call plays as two young boys enter the house through the open front door.
The narrative then shifts to the night before, with Kristen McKay and James Hoyt (Tyler and Speedman) arriving at the Hoyt family’s isolated summer home. There’s obvious tension between the two, and flashbacks reveal that James had proposed to Kristen earlier in the evening, and his proposal was rejected. While discussing their relationship, the couple is interrupted by a loud knock at the front door.
James opens the door to find a young woman with blond hair who asks if “Tamara” is home. They tell the girl that no one by that name lives there, and she walks away. James then leaves the house to buy Kristen a pack of cigarettes.
James arrives home a few minutes later. He’s skeptical of Kristen’s story until he sees the blond girl standing outside in the driveway, wearing a white, doll-like mask. The couple try to leave in James’ car, but are stopped by a second woman, also wearing a white mask, who proceeds to batter James’ car into wreckage with a pick-up truck.
The ordeal continues throughout the evening, with James and Kristen constantly trying to evade their intruders and find some means of escape or summoning help. Kristen manages to escape the blond girl and the man in the mask in the kitchen, only to encounter the other woman standing in the doorway. Kristen and James are knocked unconscious. The film closes with James and Kristen gagged and tied to a pair of kitchen chairs. The strangers take off their masks, though their faces remain hidden from the audience. When asked why the strangers targeted the couple, the blond-haired girl replies, simply, “Because you were home.” Kristen pleads with their attackers as both she and James are stabbed repeatedly.
The three strangers are then seen driving away in the pick-up truck. They stop beside the two young boys from the opening, who are walking by the side of the road, handing out religious pamphlets. The blonde girl asks for a pamphlet and, when asked if she is a sinner, she replies, “Sometimes.” The dark-haired girl proclaims, “It’ll be easier, next time,” as the truck drives off. The audience never sees their faces.
The last scene shows the two boys entering the home and discovering the couple. It turns out that James is dead and one of the boys kneels down to Kristen and is about to touch her when she suddenly wakes up and begins to scream wildly.
The movie is inspired by an event from director Bryan Bertino’s childhood: a stranger came to his home asking for a person and he would later find out that empty homes in the neighborhood had been burgled. With that memory in mind, Bertino created this screenplay. In an interview, Liv Tyler revealed that in Bertino’s original script “You saw a lot more of the strangers” and “It was much more of a Manson-esque experience.”
Cast
- Liv Tyler as Kristen McKay
- Scott Speedman as James Hoyt
- Gemma Ward as Dollface
- Kip Weeks as The Man in the Mask
- Laura Margolis as Pin-Up Girl
- Glenn Howerton as Mike
- Alex Fisher as Missionary Boy #1
- Peter Clayton-Luce as Missionary Boy #2
A sequel has been planned. It is said to start right when the first film ended and rumored to star Scout Taylor-Compton (who was last seen in Rob Zombie’s Halloween).
