I went to watch The Strangers with great expectations, thanks to its neat official website. The film was described as a thriller, with horror elements, which increased my curiosity.
The film opens with a narrator telling us that the film is inspired from true events, and that some of it is 'still not entirely known.'
The camera shifts to a house that looks like something just happened there. There is broken glass and blood all over. You can also hear a frantic call to the 911 emergency service in the background, as two boys enter the house.
The scene shifts to a flashback of the previous evening when Kristen McKay (Liv Tyler) and James Hoyt (Scott Speedman) arrive at their summer house. Things are not very hunky dory between them, as Kristen had rejected James' proposal for marriage.
They hear a knock on the door at 4 am. A perplexed James answers the door to find a girl asking for someone, who didn't live there. Clarifying, the couple return inside.
But the girl returns later, when James steps out of the house for a while. Kristen sends her away. Gradually, the knocking turns into a loud banging. She tries to leave the house, and almost runs into a masked man standing outside.
When James returns, the two try to leave but are held back by three masked intruders.
Who are these intruders, and what do they want? What fate lies in store of Kristen and James? Watch the film and find out!
But honestly, don't bother. The thriller barely has any thrills. What it has is a bizarre, unexplained and disappointing end.
However, Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman do a good job.
The camera seems to be shaky initially, but later steadies itself. The music is superb, and sends a chill down your spine. In fact, the music alone gives you the gitters, making you jump. If only the climax could do justice to it. The film has no story, just a chain of events that do not make sense. One can expect a sequel from this, given the way it ended, but the question would be: Are we even interested?
Rediff Rating : 
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