Morgan Hill Review

Whatever you do, don’t watch The Strangers alone in a strange house in the middle of nowhere.

Somehow I never quite got around to seeing The Strangers in the theater, despite it having the most promising horror trailer in recent memory. Now that I’ve had the pleasure of being creeped out by this short and austere film I realize the error of my ways. Slated to release on DVD a mere 10 days before Halloween, this is sure to be a staple of parties everywhere this season. For those who grew up with the gore films of the 1990s and the early 2000s, this is a must see film. Not because it is similar to the films you’ve learned to love, but because it demonstrates just what the horror genre is capable of – total and utter creepiness. Because the only thing more creepy than thinking there’s some stranger lurking about the house you thought you were alone in is discovering that there actually is.

The tale told is a simple one: a young couple, (played by Liv Tyler and James Hoyt) arrive late, late in the evening at his parent’s vacation home. They’ve just attended a wedding and had a fight, so all of the romantic touches he laid out in the house (champagne, rose petals, candles, etc) are going to waste as they bicker and brood in silence, glaring at one another. Then comes the knock at the door – at 4am a complete stranger has arrived at this home in the middle of nowhere looking for someone who isn’t there. Gathering their wits about them our heroes inform her she’s got the wrong house and send her on her way. A short time later James decides he needs to go for a drive, leaving Liv all alone in an unfamiliar house. It doesn’t take long for Liv to start hearing suspicious creaking noises, of course, but we found uot much sooner than she that the house isn’t settling at all – The Strangers have arrived.

Despite internet assertions that this is a remake of the 2006 French film Ils (aka Them), it is an original tale scripted and directed by freshman filmmaker Bryan Bertino. It’s also not based on a single specific crime, despite the marketing hype involved in the (true, but misleading) opening line: inspired by true events. According to Bertino those true events were not the slaughter of a young couple anywhere, nor were they the “Keddie Murders” as claimed by many websites and even a few newspaper reviews. rather, those events were a combination of Bertino’s personal experience being left home alone as a young child and his reading of Helter Skelter at the age of thirteen (a gift from his Dad).

Regardless of his inspiration, Bryan Bertino has a bright future ahead of him in Hollywood.  If you’re a fan of horror films, you’ll be a fan of The Strangers.  If you’re not a fan of horror films, then it’s possible you’ve only seen the gore-infested fare that has passed for such in the last decade or so and I heartily recommend you give The Strangers a try if you’re looking to get creeped out.

Tags: Bryan Bertino, Creepy, DVD, film, Halloween, Helter Skelter, horror, horror genre, liv tyler, review, The Strangers