The film's most potent claim to success is its lengthy and cleverly edited stretches of spookiness, which it tends to extend to almost breaking point, keeping us in heightened suspense.
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08/07/08
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The Strangers (2008)
44 %
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 135
Fresh: 59
Rotten:76
Average Rating: 4.9/10
Consensus: The Strangers provides a few scares, but offers little else to distinguish itself from other slasher films.
Theatrical Release: May 30, 2008 Wide
Box Office: $52,534,295
Synopsis: For his film debut, director Brian Bertino has crafted a fantastically creepy horror flick based on the very simple premise of strangers who come knocking late at night. Kristen (Liv Tyler) and James (Scott Speedman) have arrived at a... [More]
DVD Info
Reviews for The Strangers
Top Critic The cumulative effect of unexpected knocks at the door, creaking floors, shadows, noises and strange happenings is a heart-pounding experience
08/07/08
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10/18/08
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10/18/08
Top Critic
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10/18/08
Top Critic
Top Critic A good-looking, sophisticated, if somewhat pointless addition to the slasher-horror genre.
08/29/08
For most of its length, this is a grippingly unpleasant picture of barbaric, gratuitous evil, stealthier and scarier than Funny Games, to which it bears a slight resemblance.
08/29/08
Inevitably, the cat and mouse game goes on too long and the tension dies a slow death. A bit like Liv’s career.
08/29/08
Top Critic Clearly influenced by slashers such as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Last House On The Left, there’s a decent sense of claustrophobia in the first hour.
08/29/08
There's no denying that The Strangers fulfils its limited objective of showing nasty things happening to defenceless people. For some audiences that may be enough - but not for me or, I hope, for you.
08/29/08
Lean, mean and razor-edged, this nasty little home-invasion thriller drags you by your white knuckles on a horror chill-ride while flicking its middle finger at Funny Games. Prepare to be scared something rotten.
08/29/08
Delayed by over a year, but don’t let that fool you: this may be lightweight, but it knows what goes bump in the night.
08/29/08
As a simple exercise in tension and dread, this is a gripping hour at the multiplex - it's just a pity that it goes on for a further 20 minutes.
08/29/08
Top Critic The usual stupidness ensues. “Stay here darling with the axe-wielding psychos while I go and get help,” says Speedman. Ugh.
08/29/08
Top Critic A lean, effective little exercise in scares. It offers nothing new but is perfect for breaking the ice on a first date.
08/29/08
This suspense film by first-time writer-director Bryan Bertino initially squeezes some surprisingly effective scares out of familiar elements. Sadly, the scenario quickly becomes attenuated and unbelievable.
08/29/08
Latest News for The Strangers
August 28, 2008:
Rogue Eager to Meet More Strangers 
Rogue Pictures has greenlighted a sequel to the Liv Tyler horror movie "The Strangers," and hired the original's writer/director, Bryan Bertino, to pen the script. More...
June 05, 2008:
Box Office Guru Preview: Black vs. Sandler in Comedy Showdown
Two big doses of comedy from a pair of Hollywood's funniest men will hit the multiplexes across North America on Friday in a fierce battle for the number one spot. For family... More...
May 29, 2008:
Box Office Guru Preview: Sex in the Multiplex All Weekend Long
This weekend a quartet of New York City gals will try to boot Indiana Jones out of the number one spot at the North American box office as the much-hyped comedy Sex and the City... More...
May 29, 2008:
Critical Consensus: Sex and the City Will Please Fans
This week at the movies, we've got love and commerce (Sex and the City: The Movie, starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall) and romantic getaways gone wrong (The... More...
Related Forums for The Strangers
There's just no reason to see this movie
by: peterius 8/15
by: peterius 8/15
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