This was recommended quite highly by a mate of mine upon its theatrical release. I didn't catch it until last week on satellite. I guess something must have been lost in the transition from large to small screen - either that or he really doesn't watch much horror.
For me, it was barely average. I found myself watching the background at certain points because I knew, without doubt, that something would be going on back there and not in the foreground, where the main character was doddering about being inept and, sometimes, unbelievably stupid.
Before long, I was cueing the actors:
'And...face against the glass!', 'And...Step out from behind the tree!', that sort of thing. In that, I failed only once and wasn't surprised one time as a sort of compensation. The director also seemed to go for the 'We'll make a loud noise...HERE!' approach rather than going for actual, earned 'jumps'.
What got me most, though, was the sheepish stupidity of the main pair. Sorry, but if you come into my home intent on doing rather nasty things, you're not leaving. Not walking, anyway. But this pair were so passive it was untrue. I mean, there they were, in the car. He has a knife. The truck rams them. They get out just as the truck rams them a second time. Does the guy with the knife run to the open truck window and give the driver a Colombian neck-tie? No, but he should.
Second, the guy is having his 'Here's Johnny!' moment. When the axe comes through the door, where's he going to be? That's right. So stick the shotgun into the gap and do a Hicks (Aliens) impression: 'Eat this!' KABOOM! Two down, one to go...and she's now outnumbered and literally outgunned.
I know this was based on true events, or at least it was according to the blurb at the beginning, but seriously, if those real events went anything like the scriptwriter/director imagined, those folks were dumb as posts - and I doubt they were, tbh. They'd have been fighting for their lives, after all, and that makes people do some unusual things. Being a passive sheep waiting for death isn't usually among them, though.
To say I was severely disappointed in this film is a massive understatement.
I really enjoyed this film, finding parts of it quite scary. I think the normal, Don't Go Outside... Don't open the door... Leave the house, unlock the car... and the amount of times an actor(ess) falls over ... etc with most horror films is to be expected, surely? The banging on the door and weird little girl just standing in the porch freaked me out a bit. Gruesome ending too! DKK
this had to be one of the worst movies I have ever seen, absolutely no creativity, the only truth about it was that some strangers dropped by a writers house one night, and left them with the idea. Based on a true story was sure to get it more viewers though.
This was recommended quite highly by a mate of mine upon its theatrical release. I didn't catch it until last week on satellite. I guess something must have been lost in the transition from large to small screen - either that or he really doesn't watch much horror.
For me, it was barely average. I found myself watching the background at certain points because I knew, without doubt, that something would be going on back there and not in the foreground, where the main character was doddering about being inept and, sometimes, unbelievably stupid.
Before long, I was cueing the actors:
'And...face against the glass!', 'And...Step out from behind the tree!', that sort of thing. In that, I failed only once and wasn't surprised one time as a sort of compensation. The director also seemed to go for the 'We'll make a loud noise...HERE!' approach rather than going for actual, earned 'jumps'.
What got me most, though, was the sheepish stupidity of the main pair. Sorry, but if you come into my home intent on doing rather nasty things, you're not leaving. Not walking, anyway. But this pair were so passive it was untrue. I mean, there they were, in the car. He has a knife. The truck rams them. They get out just as the truck rams them a second time. Does the guy with the knife run to the open truck window and give the driver a Colombian neck-tie? No, but he should.
Second, the guy is having his 'Here's Johnny!' moment. When the axe comes through the door, where's he going to be? That's right. So stick the shotgun into the gap and do a Hicks (Aliens) impression: 'Eat this!' KABOOM! Two down, one to go...and she's now outnumbered and literally outgunned.
I know this was based on true events, or at least it was according to the blurb at the beginning, but seriously, if those real events went anything like the scriptwriter/director imagined, those folks were dumb as posts - and I doubt they were, tbh. They'd have been fighting for their lives, after all, and that makes people do some unusual things. Being a passive sheep waiting for death isn't usually among them, though.
To say I was severely disappointed in this film is a massive understatement.
lol the true events....when the director was a boy there was a warning out in his neighborhood that some ppl were knocking on doors to see who was home and who wasnt. when the ppl were home, they'd just ask if so and so was home and when they were told wrong house they'd leave. but if ppl werent home, they'd break into the house. this scared him when he was 5 b/c supposedly someone came and knocked on his door and his mom answered. blah blah. its about as based ona true story as texas chainsaw massacre, which was based on the writers going through the tool section of a sears.
An awful, awful film, right down to the (totally unjustified) Carrie-type ending. Liv Tyler was so wet and whingey that I would have been prepared to murder her myself.
View Profile
View Forum Posts
View Forum Threads
Show All Albums
Private Message
View Friends
The Strangers (possible spoilers)
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Mr Nobody
Bookmarks