The Little Stranger: A slow burn pushing you over the edge
By Luke Lucas
The Devil You Know
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Faraday’s does provide sparse narration via him writing in a journal. It’s a lot like an episode of MASH where Dr. Sidney Freedman (Allan Arbus) would comment on the morale of the unit in his notes.
We don’t hear much. What we do hear is man who is obsessed by the class system. A man who is resentful of his parents for having to work to give him a chance to be higher class. A man who believes the best thing his parents did was to die because it brought him back to the area he loved most.
But, this time the good doctor has a much higher status. Want to see Dr. Faraday seethe? Watch another character refer to him as a servant. He practically blinks sideways like a lizard person.
All of this is the backdrop to a moody, gothic ghost story set after World War II. The youngest child of the Ayres family died when Faraday was a child. It haunted the family for decades and led to their descent in the socialite ranks. They’re still revered, but mostly in name only.
You’re watching a family driven to their wits end by decades of grief.
Rest assured, you find out if there is a ghost causing the creaks, odd sounds, and poltergeist activity. There are a couple of solid jump scares and an oddly lit death that seems like an angel devouring a devotee in stark brightness. It’s as if the character is happy to be killed by something of a higher standing than themselves.
On Happy ,Sad, Confused, Gleeson refers to The Little Stranger as part Remains of the Day. I get that.
People from different classes long to be a part of the class they’re not. It’s not for superficial or overcooked romantic reasons. They just feel stunted by the identities they have. It’s not always on grand, Upstairs, Downstairs levels. These are feelings felt deep in their souls. It’s something that I feel many people have felt in their own lives.
Blu Ray Specs
I can’t get too much into the particulars of The Little Stranger because the story is rather simple once you see it. It’s a ghost mystery. It’s not a mystery box. So, as I mentioned, you get a definitive answer to your questions. The film slowly builds its tension by exploring the motives and true natures of its characters. I was lost in the world for the whole runtime.
The special features on the Blu Ray are sparse. There is a digital copy and two shorts.
One is called The Power to Haunt. The other is Inside Hundreds Hall. I’d be more interested in exploring that crumbling manor, Hundeds Hall. It’s creepy, winding, and enveloping. Yet, it’s a normal looking manor that carries none of the self-altering architecture of something like the Overlook Hotel in The Shining. You get what you take in with you. And I love that.
If you’re in to tense ghost stories that explore every possible side of their narrative, The Little Stranger is worth a watch.
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Did you see The Little Stranger when it was in theaters? Will you be buying the Blu Ray? Let’s discuss in the comments!