The Strangers is a 2008 horror film written and directed by Bryan Bertino and starring Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman. The film score was composed by Tomandandy. The film was rated R by the MPAA for violence/terror and language. The Stranger may mean: The Stranger (album), by Billy Joel The Stranger (novel), by Albert Camus The Stranger (1946 movie), directed by Orson Welles The Stranger (1967 movie), based on Camus novel and directed by Luchino Visconti The Stranger (newspaper), an alternative weekly newspaper in Seattle, Washington The Stranger (Myst... Image File history File links Acap. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 402 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (500 × 746 pixel, file size: 52 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This image is of a poster, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher or the creator of the work depicted. ... Roy Lee (born in Brooklyn, New York, USA in March 23,1969) is a Korean American producer who regularly takes well known Asian films and remakes them for American audiences. ... Liv Tyler (born Liv Rundgren, on July 1, 1977, at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, New York[1]) is an American actress and model. ... Actor Scott Speedman in Underworld: Evolution Scott Speedman (born September 1, 1975) is an English-born Canadian actor. ... Gemma Ward (born November 3, 1987) is an Australian supermodel and actress perhaps best known for her prominent modeling career. ... Glenn Franklin Howerton III (b. ... Rogue Pictures is a division of Focus Features, the specialty film division of Universal Studios, which is a division of NBC Universal. ... is the 150th day of the year (151st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... 2008 in film is slated to have sequels such as: Rambo, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Lost Boys: The Tribe, The Dark Knight, The Incredible Hulk, The X-Files... Horror Movie redirects here. ... Liv Tyler (born Liv Rundgren, on July 1, 1977, at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, New York[1]) is an American actress and model. ... Actor Scott Speedman in Underworld: Evolution Scott Speedman (born September 1, 1975) is an English-born Canadian actor. ... A film score is a set of musical compositions written to accompany a film. ... A musical group, founded in the late 80s in NYC, chiefly known for their work in film scores and television commercials. ... The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) is a non-profit trade association formed to advance the interests of movie studios. ...

Plot

The film begins with a voiceover, framing the film's fictional events within a real world statistic and similar real world crimes:

"The film you are about to see is inspired by true events. According to the F.B.I. there are an estimated 1.4 million violent crimes in America each year. On the night of February 11, 2005 Kristen McKay and James Hoyt went to a friend's wedding reception and returned to the Hoyt family's summer home. The brutal events that took place there are still not entirely known." For other uses of the initials FBI, see FBI (disambiguation). ... Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized... is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A wedding reception is a party held after the completion of a marriage ceremony. ...

A 911 phone call then begins to play, with a sobbing boy who is hysterical and tells the 911 operator he doesn't know where he is and that there's blood everywhere. This article is about the emergency telephone number. ...

The narrative shifts to Kristen McKay and James Hoyt, a couple who return to James' father's isolated summer home in South Carolina from a wedding reception, where we learn that Kristen refused James' marriage proposal. The home is covered in rose petals and candles, indicating that James had planned a romantic dinner with the expectation that Kristen would accept his proposal. After the awkward arrival at the house, James calls his friend Mike (who helped him set up the whole vacation) and asks him to pick him up in the morning. The couple discuss their relationship, which results in a passionate clinch. Their passion is interrupted by a knock at the front door. Official language(s) English Capital Columbia Largest city Columbia Largest metro area Columbia Area  Ranked 40th  - Total 34,726 sq mi (82,965 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 260 miles (420 km)  - % water 6  - Latitude 32° 2′ N to 35° 13′ N  - Longitude 78° 32′ W to 83...

James goes to the door and opens it after realizing his porch lights don't work. He notices there is a young skinny blonde female who asks if Tamera is there. Kristen goes to light up a cigarette after this, but realizes she has none. James offers to drive out and buy some more. Kristen, who is left alone, begins being stalked and terrorized by the masked man and Dollface. James returns soon, only to find Kristen in a terrified state. He threatens Dollface, who is standing at the end of the driveway, but she disappears into the night. Later on, they find their car completely wrecked in the driveway. He attempts to drive away to get the police (seeing as both their phones were missing), but is scared out of the car by one of the killers. James finds a shotgun and shells for it in the house and they hide in the bedroom with the shotgun ready to fire. Mike (who was previously called by James) shows up and parks outside the house, but is unable to reach either of them by phone. He sees James' wrecked car and the front door hacked with an axe and blocked. He slips in through the back unheard, when the masked man begins to sneak up on him. James hears footsteps and assumes it to be the killer. Just as the man makes his move to attack, James sees someone appear in front of the doorway and fires blindly. They check the body and are shocked to see that it is Mike. The killers mock James by writing 'KILLER' in blood on the bedroom window. The two try to go back to the car and drive away, but they discover it is on fire. James decides that it is time to do something about the situation and goes out into the woods to search for them, leaving Kristen unprotected in the house.

James is going to the farmhouse, but then finds Pin-Up Girl searching for the couple with a flashlight. As James plans to take his shot on her, she spots him and the masked man runs up behind him, and knocks him unconscious. Meanwhile, Kristen is scared out of the house. In an attempt to simply run away, she trips and injures her leg. She limps into the shed nearby, (which actually turns out to be the hiding spot of the killers) being secretly followed by Pin-Up Girl. Kristen attempts to use a radio there, but her conversation is cut short by Pin-Up Girl, chopping the radio into pieces. Kristen flees back into the house and sees the masked man walk into the bedroom. She then hides in the cupboard and watches the masked man sit down at the table and look around. As she is doing this, Dollface whispers "You're gonna die" and breaks down the door of the cupboard. Kristen is then knocked out.

The shades are opened to show that morning has come, and the three strangers begin taking off their masks. Kristen, in a desperate attempt to be saved, tells them that 'they don't have to do this.' She then asks them why they did it, to which Dollface replied "Because you were home," which remains unexplained. A possible meaning would be that the strangers just kill for the fun of it.

Although their faces are never fully revealed to the audience, removing their masks shows that they will soon carry out their plans to kill the couple.

Ignoring Kristen's pleading, the strangers each take turns stabbing James in the stomach, who moans in pain while Kristen is forced to watch. Kristen is then stabbed in the chest and shots of their home and the outdoors are shown while her screams can be heard. The three strangers are then seen driving away in a pick-up truck and stop beside two boys who are walking around handing out religious pamphlets. Dollface asks for a pamphlet and is asked if she is a sinner, to which she replies, "Sometimes". Pin-Up Girl then proclaims, "It'll be easier, next time", as the truck drives off. Pickup truck with extended cabin and homebuilt lumber rack. ...

The last scene shows the two boys entering the home and discovering the couple untied and James dead, with Kristen presumed dead. One of the boys kneels down to Kristen and is about to touch her when she suddenly wakes up and begins screaming wildly.

Inspiration

The movie is inspired by an event from the director Bryan Bertino's childhood, among other things. A stranger came to his home at 12:00 a.m. asking for someone who did not live there. Later, he found out that empty homes in the neighborhood had been burgled. With that memory in mind, Bertino created this screenplay.^[1]

The screenplay is also inspired by the events of the Charles Manson murders. Some of the earlier disturbances, (such as the smoke detector being moved), are based on 'creepy crawling', a so-called 'game' played by Manson and his followers where they would enter a house at night and rearrange furniture and other objects in the house while the occupants slept. The core of the story is based^{[citation needed]} on the murders that took place in Cabin #28 at Keddie Resort, in the remote township of Keddie, CA, where three people, Sue Sharp, John Sharp and Dana Wingate; were found tied up, stabbed, bludgeoned by a hammer. A fourth victim, Tina Sharp who had been with the group was found some years later, the body dumped 90 miles away at Feather Falls near Oroville, CA.^[2] Charles Milles Manson (b. ... Keddie is a census-designated place located in Plumas County, California. ...

Cast

• Liv Tyler as Kristen McKay
• Scott Speedman as James Hoyt
• Gemma Ward as Doll Face
• Kip Weeks as The Man in the Mask
• Laura Margolis as Pin-Up Girl
• Glenn Howerton as Mike
• Alex Fisher as Mormon Boy #1
• Peter Clayton-Luce as Mormon kBoy #2

Liv Tyler (born Liv Rundgren, on July 1, 1977, at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, New York[1]) is an American actress and model. ... Actor Scott Speedman in Underworld: Evolution Scott Speedman (born September 1, 1975) is an English-born Canadian actor. ... Gemma Ward (born November 3, 1987) is an Australian supermodel and actress perhaps best known for her prominent modeling career. ... Glenn Franklin Howerton III (b. ...

Production

The Strangers was filmed in the United States in Florence, South Carolina beginning on October 10, 2006 and finishing in 2007. The production's estimated budget was around $10,000,000. The release of the film was postponed twice. The producers originally intended to release the film in Summer 2007, but due to complications, the date was pushed back to the Autumn. The release was pushed back yet again to May 30, 2008. This article is about a city in the US state of South Carolina. ... is the 283rd day of the year (284th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 150th day of the year (151st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ...

Marketing

A short promotional teaser trailer for the movie was released in August 2007 on the internet, and can be found on YouTube^[3] and on Apple's Quicktime.^[4] It was not until March 2008 that a full-length theatrical trailer for the film was released, which is available at Yahoo Movies.^[5] This theatrical trailer began showing in movie theaters soon after to promote the film, first being attached with Rogue Pictures' Doomsday. Rogue Pictures is a division of Focus Features, the specialty film division of Universal Studios, which is a division of NBC Universal. ...

There were two promotional one-sheet posters for the film that were released in August 2007, one displaying the three masked Strangers,^[6] and the other displaying a wounded Liv Tyler.^[7] In April 2008, the final, official one-sheet for the film was released.^[8]

Critical reception

The Strangers received mixed reviews from critics. As of June 17, 2008, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 41% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 110 reviews — with the consensus that the film "provides a few scares, but offers little else to distinguish itself from other slasher films." The film has a 55% rating based on the reviews from Top Critics.^[9] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 47 out of 100, based on 27 reviews.^[10] The movie received an average score of 51.2% from 50 film critics according to Movie Tab.^[11] On IMDB, the movie has received a 6.9/10 with 8,064 people rating it.^[12] is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The slasher film is a sub-genre of horror film typically involving a masked, psychopathic killer who stalks and graphically murders a series of victims in a random, unprovoked fashion, usually teenagers or young adults who are away from adult supervision and involved in illicit activities (e. ... Metacritic is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows, DVDs and books. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) [1] is an online database of information about actors, movies, television shows, television stars and video games. ...

Box office performance

The Strangers opened in the United States and Canada on May 30, 2008 and in its opening weekend the film grossed $20,997,985 in 2,467 theaters, ranking #3 at the box office and averaging $8,514 per theater.^[13].As of June 23,2008 the film has grossed $50,067,445 in the U.S. alone exceeding industry estimates^[14] and is considered a box office success considering the production budget was a mere $9 million. is the 150th day of the year (151st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Soundtrack

In addition to the film's score by Tomandandy, "The Strangers" features the following songs: A musical group, founded in the late 80s in NYC, chiefly known for their work in film scores and television commercials. ...

• "Ariel Ramirez" - Richard Buckner
• "Hopeful" - Jennifer O'Connor
• "At My Window Sad and Lonely" - Billy Bragg and Wilco
• "Sprout and the Bean" - Joanna Newsom
• "My First Lover" - Gillian Welch
• "Mama Tried" - Merle Haggard

Richard Buckner Richard Buckner is an American singer songwriter born in California, resident in Edmonton, Canada for a number of years, and currently living in Brooklyn, NY. A critically-acclaimed artist most often associated with the Alternative Country movement, Buckner has in recent albums eschewed his initial acoustic approach and... Stephen William Bragg (born December 20, 1957 in Essex, England), better known as Billy Bragg, is an English musician who blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs. ... This article is about the music group. ... Sprout and the Bean is a single by Joanna Newsom. ... Joanna Newsom (born January 18, 1982) is an American harpist, pianist, harpsichordist, singer and songwriter from Nevada City, California. ... Gillian Welch Gillian Welch (born October 2, 1967 in New York City) is a singer-songwriter whose musical style combines elements of bluegrass, neotraditional country, Americana, old time string band music and folk into a rustic style that she dubs American Primitive. All of her recordings feature the close-harmonies... Merle Ronald Haggard (born April 6, 1937) is an American country music singer, guitarist and songwriter. ...

DVD

An Unrated Directors Cut is rumored for an October release.

References

This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 150th day of the year (151st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Metacritic is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows, DVDs and books. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 150th day of the year (151st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 151st day of the year (152nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) [1] is an online database of information about actors, movies, television shows, television stars and video games. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 160th day of the year (161st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Box Office Mojo is a website that tracks box office revenue in a systematic way. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 153rd day of the year (154th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Official site
• The Strangers at the Internet Movie Database
• The Strangers at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Strangers at Metacritic
• The Strangers at Box Office Mojo
• The Strangers at Allmovie
• Official trailer at alliancefilms.com
• Rogue Pictures