First time writer-director, Bryan Bertino, makes his debut with The Strangers, an unpleasant movie that fortunately is not unpleasant to watch. And yes, there is a difference. An unpleasant movie gets under your skin, unnerves you, and generally makes you feel uncomfortable. For his first time out, Bertino shows a lot of skill in terms of drawing suspense out of a minimalist idea. He does not emphasize the violence, the gore, or the torture of the situation, which is what would have made it unpleasant to watch. Judging by this film, I look forward to what Bertino can do with an actual budget, and a premise that doesn't feel so old hat, or cannot be written out on a napkin.

A young couple named James Hoyt (Scott Speedman) and Kristen McKay (Liv Tyler) arrive at an isolated family vacation home, where a romantic Valentine's Day weekend has been planned. Rose petals line the bed and the bathtub, champaign is on ice, and a roaring fire sets the mood in the living room fireplace. And yet, the couple is distant and sad. We learn through flashbacks that while they were attending a friend's wedding earlier that day, James proposed to her, and Kristen turned him down. As the awkward silence of what was supposed to be an unforgettable evening builds between the two, there is a loud knocking on the door. A woman (whose face is hidden by the darkness of the night) stands on their front step, asking for someone. They tell her she has the wrong house, and she leaves, only to come back later, banging more fiercely on the door. She is soon joined by two other people who hide their identities behind ghoulish and crude masks. The night wears on, and the demented games of these masked intruders grow more serious and deadly.

The Strangers is extremely conventional in its structure and plotting (if you can call it that, since the entire movie really is just the young couple trying to figure out what's going on, and what these people want with them), but it is executed with a certain style that instantly pushes it up into a higher category than some other recent thrillers. The camera work is first rate, giving us a lot of effective first person shots, and some eerily effective scenes where we can see things that the lead characters can't. It's a bit of a cheat that the film's theatrical poster gives away one of the more effective moments when this happens, but the sequence is still able to generate some real tension when it happens. It's also admirable that Bertino seems to be determined to make a genuine old fashioned suspense film here. Aside from one sequence involving a tragic mistaken identity, and a very unwise "shock scare" at the very end that closes the film on an entirely wrong note, the violence and gore is kept mainly off camera. The movie opts instead to continuously ratchet up the tension, as the home intruders watch constantly from the shadows, and sometimes from the next room, unseen. By relying on visual and sound effects, instead of gore and elaborate torture scenes, The Strangers ends up being a lot more effective than such recent films as Hostel: Part II and Captivity.

Even before the nightmare begins, there is still a sense of tension with the couple. The way they are acting is completely contradictory to the setting that surrounds them, and we become immediately drawn in, wanting to know what has happened to them. We can sense embarrassment, awkwardness, and sadness between them. They try to act warmly to each other from time to time, but they almost seem to be going through the motions when they talk. Both Scott Speedman and Liv Tyler do a great job of setting up the uncomfortable atmosphere between them, and it strangely allows us to be more sympathetic with them. Once they find themselves trapped in the house, they come across as resourceful at least. Neither one plays the victim, and the movie doesn't cheat by making them incredibly stupid, or forcing them to do things that would automatically spell their doom. And with a running time of just 85 minutes, the movie is quick and to the point, offering viewers very little time in catching their breath.

So many horror films start out psychological, only to turn into an endless chase picture, or a string of elaborate and brutal killings. The Strangers plays it safe and eerie, tapping into our inherent fear of certain dark places, or the unknown. The movie uses light and shadow to brilliant effect, such as the sequence early in the film when the mysterious woman arrives on the couple's doorstep. Her face and features are kept hidden, and although she is asking a simple question, the use of shadow makes it much more ominous. I like that Bertino never lets us see the faces of his villains, not even after they take their masks off, as the camera keeps on cutting away. We don't even know their real purpose, aside from a hint dropped by one of the three intruders late in the film. The mystery that the film develops is genuine, and makes it all the more effective.
While not a perfect film, The Strangers does do a lot of things right, and is able to create an undeniable sense of fear out of a simple premise. There has been some debate as to wether Bertino has made a remake/tribute/rip off of some other recent home invasion horror films such as Funny Games or the French film, Ils. The way I see it, his work here stands out enough to stand on its own. All he needs is a script and a premise that truly lets him run free with his imagination, as well as his natural gift for building tension. If he can combine the two, he'll knock one out of the park.