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Originally Posted by Frankie Teardrop  THE STRANGERS – Put this on, looking for a nice bit of creepiness. It is that, but I’d forgotten how bleak and nasty it is. ‘The Strangers’ was always mentioned in the same breath as the French film ‘Ils’ from a couple of years before. Whilst the basic premise is identical i.e home invasion focussing on a young couple up against seemingly unknowable assailants, the same could be said of lots of other flicks. ‘Ils’ actually gave an implicit rationale for the attack in the end, whereas ‘The Strangers’ probably has a lot more in common with the horror trends active in the US around the time – ‘torture porn’ and the whole grindhouse throwback thing. Tonally and visually it’s really compelling, definitely atmospheric, and there is something of the seventies horror flick in there. Most of it plays out in a standard cat-and-mouse fashion, but there is a relentlessness to it and it does manage to ratchet up the suspense. Again, I was surprised at the nihilistic, forlorn feel, although admittedly it concentrates at the end, rather than being constant… nothing new for a horror flick, but ‘The Strangers’ was a fairly mainstream effort with some biggish names (Liv Tyler for one) that did well at the box office. Looking back, one of the stronger movies of its time – see it if you haven’t. |
I absolutely hated this. There just seemed so many instances where the couple could escape or get one over their assailants yet they didn't. I can't go into detail or discuss it more as i tried to wipe it from memory it was that bad.
Where is
Giallo A Venezia available from Frankie? I've never seen it but would quite like to, good or bad.