Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Universal Studios Home Entertainment – 91 mins – 2008 – Rated R and Unrated – 1080p Widescreen 2.35: 1 – DTS-HD Lossless Master 5.1 Audio

Every year there is an offering of Hollywood thrillers with tag lines like “The ultimate journey into fear,” or “The most intense thriller of the year,” but then you see them and realize that they suck to the point that they become more comedic than terrifying. Every now and then somebody does it right, releasing a solid thriller that delivers exactly what it promised. 2008 still has a few months left in it, but I will still crown The Strangers as the best thriller of the year. It was a sleeper hit at the box office this summer, even with mega giants like The Dark Knight looming over it. For those of you who missed it in theaters, The Strangers is now available on Blu-ray from Universal Home Entertainment, and it’s highly recommended that you watch this one alone in the dark.

THE MOVIE

The best thing about The Strangers is that the plot is simple; James (Scott Speedman) and Kristen (Liv Tyler) are a young couple who return from a friend’s wedding to spend the evening in a house that is completely isolated. In the middle of the night, a woman knocks at the door asking “Is Tamara here?” then mysteriously disappears. Things get more intense as three strangers wearing mask slowly infiltrate the house, playing a deadly game of cat and mouse with the couple. At first it’s more of a mind game, but then things turn extreme, resulting in violence and death.

Written and directed by first timer Bryan Bertino, The Strangers is in no way the torture porn that we’ve seen in the Hostel or Saw movies, because it focuses instead on just making the viewer uncomfortable instead of grossing them out with blood all over the screen. You always look at the news and from time to time will see some insane story about people in their own homes who are for no reason held captive, tortured, or killed and the only reason that put them in that situation is that they just happened to be home. On an everyday basis none of us, (hopefully), are chased around by a guy with a chainsaw, or a dude with a machete wearing a hockey mask, but we all go home at night, and while we sleep someone can find a way to enter our homes and harm us. This is what heightens the fear factor in The Strangers, because what happens to James and Kristen could happen to any of us if we were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The Strangers is not perfect, because there are times you may ask yourself why James and Kristen do certain things that seem to be obviously bad decisions, but then you have to think that when you’re afraid, you’re definitely not in the right frame of mind. The one thing this film excels at is the creep factor, because if you were in a house alone in the middle of the night and watched this, any noise that echoes around you may send you into cardiac arrest.

Anyone looking to see a good thriller that doesn’t have any crazy twists that never pay off, and keeps things simple to focus on the element of fear, should definitely give the Strangers a look. Seeing it at home on a rainy night is the best setting, and if you’re by yourself that’s an extra plus. Either way, for fans of this genre The Strangers is a must see.

VIDEO

The Strangers comes to Blu-ray in full 1080p with a 2.35:1 widescreen aspect ratio. Ninety-five percent of the film takes place at night in dark, so this disc is a true test to see how your HDTV handles blacks. Being that this is a new film the transfer is mint and there are very few screen artifacts. Skin tones also look good; particularly Liv Tyler who seems to have filters on all her close up to make her features softer. Details are sharp, displaying objects clearly that are in the backgrounds of the dark rooms, such as pictures and other household items. Overall, the picture quality looks good, though some may need to adjust their blackness levels on their TV’s, but you won’t be disappointed.

AUDIO

For a film with no exploding helicopters or car chases, the sound mix is very impressive, featuring a Dolby DTS-HD 5.1 mix; The Strangers make great use of subtle sounds. This is one of those films when silence is a character in the story, so when you’re not hearing anything, something can happen at any second. When loud actions do occur such as screams or a shotgun blasts, the sound will make you jump because it’s been purposely over-modulated for shock value. If you have a good sound system you will not be let down by the audio design.

EXTRAS

This Blu-ray gives you the option of watching the theatrical version or the un-rated cut of the film, which runs five minutes longer adding some extra dialogue to scenes as well as instances of more blood.

Unfortunately, there is no director’s audio commentary, because this is a film I would have been interested in hearing the director’s backstory of getting the production made.

‘Elements of Terror’ is a ten-minute behind the scenes look at The Strangers, featuring interviews with the stars, director and producer. There’s really not much here, which is a let down, but it’s enough to get a taste of what the filmmakers intended to do and how it was executed.

There are two deleted scenes, but it’s just character side stories between James and Kristen. Worth a look, but it won’t alter the film in any manner.

BD-Live can be accessed if you have a Blu-ray player that enables it, so you can see information about other titles from Universal.

BOTTOM LINE

The Strangers is a gem of a film that will find a big cult following now that it’s on home video. The Blu-ray offers two versions of the film, with good sound and picture quality. The extra features a flat, but this was a low budget film and is not going the get the same package as The Transformers. Even if you choose to rent this film first to check it out, there’s a good chance you will decide to purchase it for your collection. The Strangers is highly recommended.

SCORES (out of 5):

The Movie: 4.0

Video: 4.0

Sound: 4.0

Extras: 2.5

Bottom Line: 3.5