Do you want to see ‘The Strangers’?

The Strangers (2008)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 5/10
Reviews Counted: 148
Fresh: 67 | Rotten: 81

The Strangers provides a few scares, but offers little else to distinguish itself from other slasher films.

Average Rating: 4.7/10
Critic Reviews: 27
Fresh: 13 | Rotten: 14

The Strangers provides a few scares, but offers little else to distinguish itself from other slasher films.

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Average Rating: 3.1/5
User Ratings: 294,157

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Movie Info

A suburban couple returning to their semi-secluded house after attending a wedding finds their lives suddenly thrown into chaos with the arrival of three malevolent, masked strangers in director Bryan Bertino's tense tale of survival. Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman star as the couple forced to resort to violence they never thought themselves capable of as they struggle for their lives, and model-turned-actress Gemma Ward continues her transition from the catwalk to the silver screen as one of the

R, 1 hr. 25 min.

Mystery & Suspense, Horror

Directed By: Bryan Bertino

Written By: Bryan Bertino

In Theaters: May 29, 2008 Wide

On DVD: Oct 21, 2008

Box Office:$52.5M

Universal Pictures

The Strangers Trailer & Photos

More Photos (22)

Cast

Liv Tyler
Kristen McKay
Scott Speedman
James Hoyt
Gemma Ward
Dollface
Kip Weeks
Man in the Mask
Laura Margolis
Pin-Up Girl
Glenn Howerton
Mike
Alex Fisher
Mormon Boy #1
Peter Clayton-Luce
Mormon Boy #2

Critic Reviews for The Strangers

All Critics (151) | Top Critics (27) | Fresh (69) | Rotten (81) | DVD (17)

The Strangers has a couple of scares, but it's not anywhere near as frightening as advertised. The creepy folks of the title are more fumbling than fiendish.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: USA Today

| Comments (5)

Claudia Puig

USA Today

Top Critic

At least it's short.

July 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle

| Comment

Amy Biancolli

Houston Chronicle

Top Critic

A sadistic, unmotivated home-invasion flick.

June 2, 2008 Full Review Source: NPR.org

| Comment

Bob Mondello

NPR.org

Top Critic

Don't let the attractive cast, the slick look or the 'inspired by true events' nonsense mislead you. The Strangers is a despicable and mean-spirited practical joke.

June 2, 2008 Comments (13)

Ebert & Roeper

Top Critic

Kind of like what The Shining might be if you took out the ESP. And the ghosts. And the chilling atmosphere. So call it The Sucking.

May 31, 2008 Full Review Source: New York Post

| Comment (1)

Kyle Smith

New York Post

Top Critic

I like watching snakes eat mice just as much as the next fella, maybe even more, but The Strangers turns the gobble-'em-up into an ordeal. It's a fraud from start to finish.

May 30, 2008 Full Review Source: Washington Post

| Comment

Stephen Hunter

Washington Post

Top Critic

Writer-director Bertino just wants to scare our pants off, and succeeds admirably.

August 15, 2011 Full Review Source: East Bay Express

| Comment

Kelly Vance

East Bay Express

There?s no better feet-on-the-seat execution for the home-invasion genre than this. "The Strangers" twists the knife with scenes lasting a beat longer than normal to maximize dread and sound design excavating a hole in your cortex and nestling there.

October 11, 2010 Full Review Source: Suite101.com

| Comment

Nick Rogers

Suite101.com

Grinding and suffocating

August 26, 2009 Full Review Source: CinePassion

| Comment

Fernando F. Croce

CinePassion

Bryan Bertino's psycho-thriller gets the job done for nearly two-thirds of its length. But when it shows its hand, it folds.

April 23, 2009 Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix

| Comment

Tom Meek

Boston Phoenix

An extremely effective claustrophobic horror picture that starts slow but ultimately provides us with plenty of suspense all the way through to its very dark ending.

November 21, 2008 Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium

| Comment

JoBlo

JoBlo's Movie Emporium

I can't say the new ending is any worse than what you already saw in the theaters from a violence standpoint, but the brief addition seems a little more satisfying.

October 22, 2008 Full Review Source: 7M Pictures

| Comment

Kevin Carr

7M Pictures

An effectively grim, exceedingly well-made horror thriller.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Screen International

| Comment

Brent Simon

Screen International

Nerve-jangling horror flick that wrings maximum scares out of its simple premise, thanks to strong direction and superb performances from Speedman and Tyler.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: ViewLondon

| Comment

Matthew Turner

ViewLondon

You have to admit, it's a unique approach to a horror film, though not ultimately a fulfilling one.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Bullz-Eye.com

| Comment

David Medsker

Bullz-Eye.com

A retread of just about every home-invasion movie of the past 50 years mixed with elements of torture porn and chick-flick romance.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine

| Comments (5)

Pete Hammond

Boxoffice Magazine

When the film is this effective, it's hard to complain.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk

| Comment (1)

James Kendrick

Q Network Film Desk

[A] cheapo, shaky-cam knockoff of a horror film from foreign shores.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Boston Herald

| Comment

James Verniere

Boston Herald

A good-looking, sophisticated, if somewhat pointless addition to the slasher-horror genre.

August 29, 2008 Full Review Source: This is London

| Comment

Charlotte O'Sullivan

This is London

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for The Strangers

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Pretty creepy movie but watch the movie Them (ills) for a better version. I like it but just really could have been better.

January 11, 2009

John Manard

Super Reviewer

To briefly sum up the film for those people with little time or short attention spans, here is a brief summary: it's an average flick with some jumpy moments and a lack of story. Now, for people with more time and are happy to read that little bit more, here is the usual more detailed review! The Strangers is just one

October 23, 2011

BG Movie Reviews 2011

Super Reviewer

The Strangers Quotes

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1. Kristen McKay: Why are you doing this to us?
2. Dollface: Because you were home.
– Submitted by George R (9 months ago)
1. Kristen McKay: He was wearing a mask...
2. James Hoyt: What like a ski mask?
3. Kristen McKay: I don't know? A fucking mask!
– Submitted by George R (9 months ago)
1. Pin-Up Girl: [to Dollface] It'll be easier next time.
– Submitted by Lucas M (9 months ago)
1. Kristen McKay: Help me!
– Submitted by Griffin B (9 months ago)
1. Dollface: Because you were home.
– Submitted by Griffin B (9 months ago)

Character	Quote
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