RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / Upcoming / The Strangers
The Strangers

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

The Strangers (2008)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
44 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:142

Fresh:63

Rotten:79

Average Rating:4.9/10

Consensus: The Strangers provides a few scares, but offers little else to distinguish itself from other slasher films.

Runtime: 90 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

US 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... 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 secluded vacation home in the woods after attending a friend's wedding. It's four in the morning, and they're both tearful and emotionally exhausted after a disagreement about their relationship. As they awkwardly try to navigate the long night together, they are distracted by the sound of a heavy knock at the door. They open it to find a dazed young woman hidden in the shadows. Assuming she is lost, James sends her away, but Kristen is disturbed by the late-night visit. When James leaves to go on a drive and pick up some cigarettes, Kristen is left alone, and we watch her move through the huge house in a painfully eerie silence, all the while knowing that she is being watched. By the time James returns, Kristen is in hysterics, and together they must face the terrifying fact that they are indeed in grave danger. Both Tyler and Speedman give excellent, understated performances that lend the film a truly frightening edge of realism. The story's simplicity is a refreshing change from over-the-top torture films like SAW, and the violence in the film is minimal, and much of it off camera. THE STRANGERS also lacks any big-budget special effects. You won't find any CGI creatures or armies of zombies. The only monsters depicted here are the very real human kind, which is what leaves you thoroughly spooked and shaken, and ready to push a chair against your own front door. [More]

Starring: Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, Gemma Ward, Kip Weeks

Starring: Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, Gemma Ward, Kip Weeks, Laura Margolis, Glenn Howerton, Alex Fisher, Peter Clayton-Luce

Director: Bryan Bertino

Director: Bryan Bertino
Screenwriter: Bryan Bertino
Producer: Doug Davison, Roy Lee, Nathan Kahane
Composer: Tomandandy
Studio: Rogue Pictures

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • Bryan Bertino (SDCC 07)
    >
    Trailer #2
    >
    Kristen Meets Dollface
    >
    Video Interview
    >
  • RT Review Revue Mini - The Strangers
    >
1 - 4 of 5

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Reviews for The Strangers

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
 
 
101 - 120 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

The Strangers is a deadly dull experience in boredom, strangled by two cinematic stumbling blocks -- one external and one of its own unfortunate making.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
05/30/08
Bill Gibron
Bill Gibron
PopMatters

...a grab-bag of nifty widescreen compositions and sound design stingers, with nothing on its mind besides its own virtuosity.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Weekly | comment 1 Comment
05/29/08
Sean Burns
Sean Burns
Philadelphia Weekly

There are enough flaws on display in "The Strangers" to keep it from ever generating the necessary suspense to prevent viewers from noticing those flaws in the first place.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
05/29/08
Peter Sobczynski
Peter Sobczynski
eFilmCritic.com

A film to unnerve us enough to either buy some extra deadbolts or kill the next bastard who walks across our lawn.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment 1 Comment
05/29/08
Erik Childress
Erik Childress
eFilmCritic.com

Proves well executed simplicity sometimes can be more effective than bombast, blood and things that go boom.

Full Review Source: WaffleMovies.com | comment 1 Comment
05/29/08
Willie Waffle
Willie Waffle
WaffleMovies.com

The Strangers has been saddled with an increasingly uneven sensibility that ultimately dulls the movie's overall impact.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
05/29/08
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

The Strangers is full of cheap scares and unoriginality but does contain an ending that is worthy of a stomach ache beyond belief.

Full Review Source: WJFK-FM (CBS Radio) | comment Comment
05/29/08
Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy
WJFK-FM (CBS Radio)

Yes, OK, bad things happen to good people. Consider the message received... about seven movies ago.

Full Review Source: Flipside Movie Emporium | comment 2 Comments
05/29/08
Rob Vaux
Rob Vaux
Flipside Movie Emporium

Really scary. A 10 on the "creepy" scale.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
05/29/08
Brian Chen
Brian Chen
Filmcritic.com

Bertino has created a seriously harrowing cautionary tale that's sure to be remembered the next time you're left in a house by yourself.

Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net | comment Comment
05/29/08
Edward Douglas
Edward Douglas
ComingSoon.net

A knock at the door has never been this terrifying.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
05/29/08
Peter Paras
Peter Paras
E! Online

It gets less scary and less tense as it goes along.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
05/29/08
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

As an exercise in controlled mayhem, horror movies don't get much scarier.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
05/29/08
Scott Tobias
Scott Tobias
AV Club

..riddled with continuity errors...stupid victim behavior cliches...and inconsistencies...begins with its heroine's 911 call but has no viable way of incorporating that call into its own unfolding logic.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment 4 Comments
05/29/08
Laura Clifford
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews

It's an outstanding example of the horror/suspense genre, made with a refreshing approach. But it contains elements so creaky and pathetic you want to scream.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/29/08
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Is Hollywood so disconnected from its past and bankrupt of ideas that it doesn't even know this movie is a screaming cliché?

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
05/29/08
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

An immensely creepy thriller, one that plays fair with the audience, treats its characters with unusual intelligence for the genre, and is all the more effective because the minimalist plot is kept spare and straightforward.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
05/29/08
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com

Spooky horror film has both tension and gore.

Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | comment Comment
05/29/08
James Rocchi
James Rocchi
Common Sense Media

It's all efficiently nerve-jangling, with Tyler and Speedman credibly registering every hue of panic.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment 1 Comment
05/29/08
Dennis Harvey
Dennis Harvey
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Ultimately, it's an invitation best refused. 'The Strangers' offers a few memorable scares, but it is less chilling in its simplicity than numbing in its banality.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
05/29/08
Rossiter Drake
Rossiter Drake
San Francisco Examiner
 
 
101 - 120 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
all

Latest News for The Strangers

August 28, 2008: Rogue Eager to Meet More Strangers Opens in new window
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...

See All

More Movies

Coming Soon in Australia
Tomatometer Percentage Movie Date

70% 70% Where the Wild Things Are 03/12
84% 84% Paranormal Activity 03/12
89% 89% Zombieland 03/12
76% 76% The Informant! 03/12
— The Strength of Water 03/12

What’s Hot On RT

Ban Them All!

Ban Them All!

10 Most Controversial Movies

Zombieland

Zombieland

Director Ruben Fleischer's favourites

New Avatar action

New Avatar action

Watch an exclusive chase clip from the film

Kids' Book Films

Kids' Book Films

We fly through 10 of the best

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
12
  • First Look (Sort Of) at New Nightmare's Freddy Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com
24
  • First Look at Shrek Forever After Source: USA Today
48
  • Woody Harrelson Will Battle Zombies in 3-D Source: Moviehole
26
  • Natalie Portman Says Kat Denning Is in Thor Source: MTV
34
  • Disney Restructuring Has Broad Implications Source: Los Angeles Times
10
  • Joel Silver Talks Ninja Assassin, Sgt. Rock, Lobo, and More Source: Collider.com
1
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
126
  • Idris Elba Joins Thor Source: Hollywood Reporter
112
  • Jackass 3D Coming in 2010? Source: Collider.com
32
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: New Moon Shatters Records
181
  • Total Recall: John Travolta's Best Movies
90
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
63
  • 5 Facts About The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
62
  • Ban Them All! 10 Infamously Controversial Movies
58
  • Critics Consensus: Flee From Ninja Assassin
44
  • Friday Harvest: The Road, Avatar, and more!
32
  • Five Favorite Films With Zombieland Director Ruben Fleischer
22
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
16
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
4
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
16
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
11
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
21
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • RT on DVD: Wassup, Bruno
3
  • Scott Hicks Talks The Boys Are Back
0
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Richard Kelly chats about The Box
2
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
21
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • The Strangers at Rotten Tomatoes
  • The Strangers at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
Dressing Wonderland
Dressing Wonderland External Link

Tim Burton's costume designer talks to Movieline about her long collaboration with the filmmaker and Johnny Depp.

Wes Anderson on Fox
Wes Anderson on Fox External Link

The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

Win Glee DVDs
Win Glee DVDs External Link

We've got 20 copies of the hit TV series' Pilot Episode to giveaway.

Win tickets to Cold Souls
Win tickets to Cold Souls External Link

Double passes up for grabs to the new comedy starring Paul Giamatti.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Twitter External Link

Get all the latest movie updates, reviews, interviews and features here.

Competitions
Win Star Wars prizes
Win Star Wars prizes External Link

Enough Prequel, Original Trilogy and Family Guy DVDs to fill a space cruiser

Win the entire 007 collection
Win the entire 007 collection External Link

Everything from Dr. No to Quantum of Solace could be yours.

Win Fight Club Special Editions and more
Win Fight Club Special Editions and more External Link

We're giving away the 10th Anniversary Blu-ray, plus Braveheart and the Rocky collection

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.