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The Strangers

A home-invasion nightmare

By TOM MEEK | May 28, 2008

2.5 Stars

The Strangers

Bryan Bertino’s psycho-thriller gets the job done for nearly two-thirds of its length. But when it shows its hand, it folds. Said to be “based on real events,” its home-invasion nightmare seems more greatly indebted to such cult classics as The Last House on the Left, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and the recent French entry into the genre, Ils. Unfortunately, when the sadistic sociopaths who descend on a remote bungalow occupied by two troubled lovers do emerge from the shadows, they prove to be an empty plot twist devoid of explanation. In a single, scratchy drag of a blade across a countertop, the film goes from heart-attack-inducing to gut-bustingly silly. Big props to Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman (Underworld), however: as the imperiled couple, they manage to sell the scare even as Bertino’s tangled homage guts itself. 90 minutes | Boston Common + Fenway + Fresh Pond + Circle/Chestnut Hill + Suburbs

Related: Hulk sulk, Underworld Evolution, Class project, More

Topics: Reviews , Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman

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ARTICLES BY TOM MEEK

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REVIEW: TRESPASS | October 13, 2011
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