THE STRANGERS
RYAN: I’m so excited that there was a screening of “The Strangers” because as we know, a lot of the bad horror movies don’t have advanced screenings for critics. It gave me high hopes for this movie.
CAROLINE: I was so psyched to see it based on the trailer, which is unusual for me since I normally can’t stomach scary movies. I really love the Scott Speedman and I also enjoy the Liv Tyler, so I figured if I have to suffer through a horror movie, at least it stars people I like who are hot.
RYAN: I’ve always enjoyed Scott, though I don’t love Liv. She was fine in this though.
CAROLINE: She’s looking really good these days! Her weight fluctuates a lot, and even though she’s not scary-Hollywood-skinny in this movie, she looks in shape and great.
RYAN: She looks better than she ever has in this movie. I think it’s the best I’ve seen her. Let me just say, I jumped a lot in this movie. I may have even shouted a couple times. It had some real scares, but ultimately I would attribute them mostly to the editing and the music.
CAROLINE: Seriously, this movie would not have been scary at all were it not for the sounds. There were tons of scary noises and creepy music throughout. To me, the tension was heightened solely through the music.
RYAN: It reminded me a little bit of one of the most disturbing movies we’ve ever seen, “Funny Games.” The premise is kind of similar, though “Funny Games” is much more terrifying.
CAROLINE: “The Strangers” gets a little gory at times, especially the end. But mostly, it’s a psychologically scary movie where you’re trying to figure out what freaky thing is going to happen next and where it’s gonna come from. That started to frustrate me toward the end.
RYAN: It has some scenes that are clearly there just to make you jump.
CAROLINE: It’s not a teenybopper horror movie like “The Grudge” or “The Ring” that the kids will all rush out to see. It’s a little more adult. It’s also one of those plausible scary movies where everything that happens could actually happen in real life. There’s no supernatural element.
RYAN: It’s a pretty upsetting movie, but the surround sound is great so I’d recommend it on the big screen if you like horror movies. I think if this happened in real life though, the killers would be much more efficient.
CAROLINE: I see what you mean, but I think for the so-called Strangers in the movie, half the thrill is the torture and the drawing out of the attack as opposed to just killing someone and being done with it. I fear this movie will give me nightmares, but it’s a nice, short 90 minutes, which we always appreciate.
RYAN: Bottom line?
CAROLINE: If you like these actors, it’s worth seeing. It’s a fun movie but the ending kind of annoyed me.
RYAN: Ugh, it’s one of the worst endings ever. It’s both stupid and bad.
CAROLINE: A lethal combo.
RYAN: There’s very little dialogue in the movie, so the script isn’t great, but the editing and the music are good.
CAROLINE: It’s from first time director, Bryan Bertino, who claims it’s based on a true story. But I think it’s very loosely based. It’s coming out against “Sex and the City,” so I’m sure I don’t know who’s going to see it this weekend other than teenage boys.
RYAN: For the people who like scary movies, this will probably be the only one you get for six months, so enjoy it. It’s a decent movie, but it’s not a classic. I’d say it’s a cross between “Funny Games” and “Vacancy.”
CAROLINE: Totally! I’m sure I’ll be thinking about it as I fall asleep tonight. People, if you decide to wait to see it on DVD, don’t rent it alone.
RYAN: Especially not at your secluded cottage in the woods.