The premise, predictably a little contrived, is simple enough – a couple (Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman) staying in an isolated, rickety old house receive a knock at the door in the early hours of the morning, resulting in them being terrorised by the creepily-masked 'strangers' of the film's title.
What's perhaps most disappointing about this film is the fact that it starts off reasonably promising with a back-to-basics feel. Yes, we all know it's ominously dark and it's a typically lonely country road that leads to this remote old house; but we buy into the scene that's being set because, to give Bertino some credit, it's done with a certain amount of subtlety and even skill. The obvious tension too between the couple, on their way back from a wedding party, also adds to the feeling of expectant dread and helps to set a mood of foreboding.
And while the audience holds its breath and braces itself with one eye closed for what it knows is coming, Bertino manages to sneak in these 'strangers' with a more convincing softly, softly approach than the usual shock-fests of the genre, thus filling us with some hope that maybe we're about to be impressed.
The end result however is nothing but a poor man's Them, the 2006 French film which also credited real events for its origin. But where Them succeeded in typical French fashion by captivating the audience right until the final frame, Bertino seems to lose his way and it all becomes a bit predictable, leaving us with that familiar feeling of it's all been done before. And it has, only better.
In fairness, it's not all bad. Bertino allows his characters to occasionally be smart enough in order to avoid a lot of the clichés; they hear what the audience is spurring them on to do which helps the film steer clear of totally disintegrating into a pantomime-esque 'it's behind you' romp.
And, as you would expect, there are a few tense 'jump-out-at-you' moments to provoke that obligatory jolt which makes you drop your popcorn, but this tormented couple, while they put in a fairly acceptable performance, fail to connect with the audience. A brief recap to explain how they have come to find themselves in this living nightmare lacks imagination and leaves us wonting. Do we really care enough about them?
With overtones of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and unashamed parallels with the aforementioned (and far superior) Them, Bertino's chiller-thriller fails to bring anything new to the genre and is easily forgettable.

VERDICT: The unsatisfying final scenes feel rushed, as though the film has run out of steam completely and is just looking for an easy wrap – particularly disappointing as the ending jars with the obvious effort Bertino went to to create the spooky, tense, expectant atmosphere of the film's first act.
We're also offered no hint of an explanation for the motivation of these 'strangers' and while this is obviously deliberate, it isn't clever and instead leaves a hollowness at the centre of the film and a sense of dissatisfaction among the audience.
To sum up, The Strangers is watchable but if you're expecting anything original or new, you too may be left disappointed.
Review by JR Lowry

THE STRANGERS
CERT: 15
RUNNING TIME: 85 MINS
RATING: **