The Strangers

"Lock the door. Pretend you're safe."

2008 1h 26m EN

😐

6.1

MID

🥫

50%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.1

IMDB

★6.1TMDB · 2,762🥫50%Rotten Tomatoes●47Metacritic★6.1IMDB · 155,327

Horror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After a 4 a.m. knock at the door and haunting voices, Kristen McKay and James Hoyt’s remote getaway becomes a psychological night of terror as three masked strangers invade. Now they must go far beyond what they thought themselves capable of if they hope to survive.

“Lock the door. Pretend you're safe.”

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Where to watch · US

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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

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Bryan Bertino
Writers: Bryan Bertino, Daniel Auber, Helen Fooks
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

86 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 9.2× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 18 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Strangers Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Bryan Bertino, shot by Peter Sova. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Tom Hajdu. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kevin Greutert shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman and Gemma Ward carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Bryan Bertino directs. Peter Sova behind the camera. Tom Hajdu scores. Kevin Greutert cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

186 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Made its money back 9.2× over at the box office.
3Released 18 years ago.
4Part of the "The Strangers Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Bryan Bertino, shot by Peter Sova. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Tom Hajdu. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Kevin Greutert shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman and Gemma Ward carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Lock the door. Pretend you're safe.".
10IMDB entry: tt0482606 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Peter Sova
Original score: Tom Hajdu
Editing: Kevin Greutert
Production design: John D. Kretschmer
Costume design: Susan Kaufmann
Makeup / hair: Leigh Ann Yandle
VFX supervisor: Mark Freund
Sound: Marti D. Humphrey
Stunt coordinator: Cal Johnson
Runtime: 86 min · 1h 26m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $9,000,000
Box office: $83,051,676
Return: 923% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Strangers (2008)
Rotten Tomatoes: 50% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 47/100
IMDB rating: 6.1/10 · 155,327 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

1 win & 15 nominations total

Part of

The Strangers Collection

An American horror & slasher film series that follows people who are terrorized by three masked assailants: the Man in the Mask, Dollface & Pin-Up Girl.

Also by

Bryan Bertino

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Gimly2018-10-02
★ 7/10
Upon first viewing, The Strangers was one of only two films I'd seen that actually ever frightened me as an adult (well, a seventeen year-old, but close enough). To be fair, both films I'd seen in the same setting - alone, the middle of the night, in the aptly named "Suicide Flats", and what's more, I've since re-watched The Strangers a couple of times and realised that both my fear, and my enjoyment, were perhaps a bit overstated on that first viewing. Even taking that into account though, and seeing it again almost a decade after that first time, I still honestly believe that The Strangers is a good movie, with some pretty genuinely creepy elements. Final rating:★★★½ - I really liked it. Would strongly recommend you give it your time.
Key-Si2019-08-24
★ 7/10
I know this movie gets hyped without end, and I think, that has mainly to do with Liv Tyler playing the lead. I remember seeing this, as it first came out, and even though I enjoyed it, it didn't really stick with me. Nothing overwhelming, but a nice watch. Liv Tyler does a fine job here, but for most of the time she is alone in the house, and the movie becomes quite repetitive after a while. Once we get to the killers, most people were so excited about the reason, they did all this. Because 'Kristen' was home! Seriously? Who would have thought? Isn't that the same reason, why 'Jason Voorhees' kills people all around 'Camp Crystal Lake'? Because they are there? But I get it. The point is, that the killers have no other motivation than just to attack random people. There is no desire for money or jewelery... just the pure lust to take lives. But that is a motivation, most serial killers have, and therefore it doesn't seem all that special. When the movie becomes bloody towards the end, I really loved it though. It is nice, to see a movie like this acted by someone, who is as well known as Liv Tyler, and also Scott Speedman was totally fine. "The Strangers" is a fine little home invasion movie, but most certainly it doesn't deserve this extreme hype.