According to overlaid lyrics and a dramatic-sounding voice à la “Law & Order” right at the beginning of “The Strangers,” the following is likely inspired by real events. It even mentions the names of the alleged victims, the location of the crime and a specific date: all lies. Director Bryan Bertino (“The Monster”) came up with the story himself and added this premise to make it seem even scarier to his audience. “The Strangers” doesn’t need such mumbo jumbo. The home invasion shocker is scary enough even without fake facts, as you can check out in the evening.
“The Strangers” will be broadcast today, February 7, 2024 at 10 p.m. on Tele 5. The station offers a repeat on the night of February 8 to 9 at 12:55 p.m. While at least the first broadcast is being edited, the theater version FSK 18 should be shown in the evening. If you want to play it safe and really see every second of “The Strangers,” you can also buy the film on Blu-ray or DVD.
It stars “Lord of the Rings” star Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman from the blockbusters “Underworld.”
“The Strangers” on Tele 5: that’s the story
James (Speedman) and Kristen (Tyler) were at a friend’s couple’s wedding reception. Inspired by the romantic atmosphere, the young man proposed to his beloved, but she spontaneously rejected it. Now that the two have arrived at James’ parents’ remote vacation home, the mood could hardly be more tense. What should happen to her now?
It’s the middle of the night and neither of them can sleep when suddenly there’s a knock on the door. A confused-looking woman (Gemma Ward) asks about someone the two don’t know and then leaves. Shortly afterwards, James goes to get cigarettes when there is another knock on the door – this time much louder. Frightened Kristen does not open the door, but soon discovers that someone must have gained access to the house in some other way. When James comes home, he doesn’t believe his girlfriend at first. A mistake, as it turns out…
Fatalistic psychological horror
It was pretty naive of The Strangers mastermind Bertino to simply claim that his film was based on a true story. In the 1970s, when this film’s atmosphere and staging were clearly based on the film’s hit film, the risqué trick might still have worked. In the Internet age, such fabricated ‘facts’ can of course be quickly refuted.
When reporters asked him about his obvious lie, the Texan took refuge in an unprovable incident from his childhood. At that moment, strangers rang his doorbell and asked about a neighbor he didn’t know. It later turned out that these people were burglars.
A much more concrete source of influence, however, is the 1969 murder of actress Sharon Tate and several of her friends by members of the infamous Manson Family. Bertino says he was fascinated by the fact that none of the victims that fateful night could have known who the killers were or why they were being attacked.
Our official FILMSTARTS review rates “The Strangers” over three and a half stars. In conclusion, the film is described by author Carsten Baumgardt as assigned. Comparisons are made to Michaels Haneke’s “Funny Games US” and Nimrod Antal’s “Motel”. If you think you can handle a brutal mix of psychological and slasher horror, then ‘The Strangers’ is the right choice, despite the director’s lie.
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