The Strangers [Blu-ray] [2008]

+

+

Total RRP: £77.97
Price For All Three: £44.94

Show availability and shipping details

• This item: The Strangers [Blu-ray] [2008] DVD ~ Liv Tyler

  In stock.
  Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
  This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
  

• Hellboy 2: The Golden Army [Blu-ray] [2008] DVD ~ Ron Perlman

  In stock.
  Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
  This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
  

• The Dark Knight (2 Discs) [Blu-ray] DVD ~ Christian Bale

  In stock.
  Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
  This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
  

Amazon.co.uk Review
A lean, briskly paced and exceptionally creepy thriller, The Strangers earns its scares the old-fashioned way: through atmosphere, sound design, and a simple yet undeniably upsetting central premise that allows for maximum tension throughout its running time. Attractive young lovers Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman are already having a bad day--she's turned down his marriage proposal--before a knock on the door in the middle of the night announces a full-fledged siege on their remote vacation home by a trio of masked assailants. The film's first third delivers the most consistent shivers as the visitors make their presence and intentions known to Tyler; the second half grows more frantic and bloody before a gruesome finale that may leave viewers either rattled to their core or bothered by its empty nihilism. Speedman is fine as the downtrodden male lead (who's seen tucking into a carton of ice cream after being rejected), but it's Tyler who impresses the most by shouldering the lion's share of the terror. First-time writer/director Bryan Bertino impresses by forsaking the current passion for over-the-top violence (save for the finale) in favour of more traditional means of generating fear, and if his project borrows heavily from other films, most notably the French chiller Them (which shares its "inspired by a true story" origin) and Michael Haneke's Funny Games, at least he's taking from the best. The sound design is among the many technical standouts, and the unsettling score by tomandandy (The Hills Have Eyes) pleasantly evokes Ennio Morricone's fuzztone-heavy work for Dario Argento in the early '70s. On a completely unrelated note, LP fanatics should appreciate how both the film's heroes and villains share an affinity for folk and country music on vinyl. --Paul Gaita

Synopsis
For his film debut, director Brian Bertino has crafted a fantastically creepy horror flick based on the very simple premise of strangers who come knocking late at night. Kristen (Liv Tyler) and James (Scott Speedman) have arrived at a secluded vacation home in the woods after attending a friend's wedding. It's four in the morning, and they're both tearful and emotionally exhausted after a disagreement about their relationship. As they awkwardly try to navigate the long night together, they are distracted by the sound of a heavy knock at the door. They open it to find a dazed young woman hidden in the shadows. Assuming she is lost, James sends her away, but Kristen is disturbed by the late-night visit. When James leaves to go on a drive and pick up some cigarettes, Kristen is left alone, and we watch her move through the huge house in a painfully eerie silence, all the while knowing that she is being watched. By the time James returns, Kristen is in hysterics, and together they must face the terrifying fact that they are indeed in grave danger.


Both Tyler and Speedman give excellent, understated performances that lend the film a truly frightening edge of realism. The story's simplicity is a refreshing change from over-the-top torture films like SAW, and the violence in the film is minimal, and much of it off camera. THE STRANGERS also lacks any big-budget special effects. You won't find any CGI creatures or armies of zombies. The only monsters depicted here are the very real human kind, which is what leaves you thoroughly spooked and shaken, and ready to push a chair against your own front door.

The Dark Knight (2 Discs) [Blu-ray] DVD ~ Christian Bale 4.6 out of 5 stars (112)  £14.98

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army [Blu-ray] [2008] DVD ~ Ron Perlman 4.1 out of 5 stars (24)  £13.98

Quantum of Solace [Blu-ray] [2008] DVD ~ Daniel Craig 3.3 out of 5 stars (67)  £9.98

Tropic Thunder [Blu-ray] [2008] DVD ~ Robert Downey Jr 3.6 out of 5 stars (21)  £16.68

Death Race Blu-Ray With Digital Copy [2008] DVD ~ Jason Statham 4.2 out of 5 stars (20)  £15.68

› Explore similar items

5 Reviews 5 star:  (2) 4 star:    (0) 3 star:  (2) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:  (1)           Average Customer Review 3.4 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Ignore all the other weak reviews!, 27 April 2009 By  Mr. D. A. Farrance "Immolated Soul" (UK....) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    This film IS amazing! It's got a real nice quality, and it's got a good enough story to make you want to watch it time and time again. It is a film that shows just how sick and depraved the world can be around us. People are saying that it is poor but it's not in any way poor! It is a proper refreshing look at the horror genre as it is a modern day old skool attempt and this is something missing from the world nowadays. From the start you feel a slight chill as the film steadily wanders along an atmospheric set, and then when the frights start to come about you really do end up sitting on the edge of your seat (or bed in my case)gritting your teeth and waiting for the lead cast to get the hell out of there! It isn't a modern day slash and gorefest to which I am usually a considerable fan, but it does really give you the willys and ok, you may be able to see a few of the scary moments coming, but even after watching it again a mere day later the jumps are done so that they can still catch you out. I watch loads of japanese horror and gore films nowadays and frankly a lot of hollywood films do nothing for me any more, but again this one really works! Even watching it drunk with slightly slower reaction times I was jumping! BRILLIANT!!! :) Please, if you're a true horror fan that loves horror in any form, even the old style, then ignore the other reviewers and give it a try coz it really is awesome! And again, it has plenty of those 'GET UP... GET UP!!!!' moments which were killed in teen slashers, but work perfectly here! That aside, has anyone actually seen the Blu-Ray version to rate that? You can get reviews of this film in the DVD section, or on IMDB and the like... but what we need is a review of the actual blu-ray disc! Watch this space, as I'm probably going to find myself doing my own, but until then... please give us a sign! :D Comment Comment (1) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   1 of 2 people found the following review helpful: 3.0 out of 5 stars Not as scary as I expected..., 31 Dec 2008 By  PrivateRyan (South, UK) - See all my reviews First off, I would say that I would buy this film just to encourage the film industry to make *more* like it! A lot of reviews that I have seen on this film state that it is 'terrifying' and that it's not a 'horror' movie, but a 'terror' movie... Really, for me, the front cover on the box makes the film look scarier than it is. Many have said that it relies on 'jump' moments to scare you (i.e. 'boo' moments). And there are a fair few, but I found them quite predictable. I would say this 'is' a scary movie, I LOVE how it's made so that the horror is more in what you imagine and subtly see (and here) rather than just pure teen slasher flick esque 'gore' (but there's still enough to hold a candle up to the genre). If you've seen Vacancy (2007), however, you've basically already seen the premise of this film - so there won't be much to entice you. Ultimately, it's worth a watch... but perhaps I've become desensitised to these type of films due to over-stimulated gore fests like Saw and Hostel? :( Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   3.0 out of 5 stars Could have been so much more, 18 Jun 2009 By  Svenski (UK) - See all my reviews What should have been a romantic night to remember goes from bad to worse as James (Speedman) finds himself dealing first with rejection and then crazy mad strangers waltzing through his house. This film is short, around 80 minutes, and the first twenty are spent in a very slow, scene setting fashion, that I found frankly annoying. Then the frights begin, slowly at first, but the tension soon begins to build as the main characters realise the seriousness of their situation. This film is let down by the slow build up plus the fact that the characters just don't seem in a hurry to save themselves as the terror begins. They choose instead to adopt a somewhat relaxed approach to survival and by the time they try and do anything it is too late. There are some moments which will make you jump, there are elements of terror and the film benefits from a great set and suitably scary sound effects and music. It is watchable but it left me feeling frustrated, thinking the film could have delivered so much more. The Blu-ray version offers great picture quality and sound, and comes on a round disc thing that spins. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 5 customer reviews...		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing on Blu-ray absolutely awesome, scared me witless. if you live alone do not watch this film! or at least keep the light on! Published 1 month ago by technojunkie 1.0 out of 5 stars What a let down The premise of this movie was so promising, being based on a true story I thought it would be quite frigtening. It isn't. Read more Published 5 months ago by Ms. H. Mellors Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 5 customer reviews...

My Blu-Ray: A list by SuzeeQ "Movie Lover"   My ps3 setup: A list by Mr. Luke CJ Tamlyn "MR.LCJT"   My Blu Ray colection (so far): A list by Simon Donald "thugernomics666" Create a Listmania! list

Search Listmania!

• DVD & Blu-ray > Crime, Thrillers & Mystery
• DVD & Blu-ray > Horror

Horror
Thriller


i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

• Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?