31 movies to watch in October: The Strangers

We are almost three weeks into the 31 movies to watch in October challenge, and today’s choice is a home invasion horror film starring Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman.

The Strangers was released in May of 2008, even though it feels very much like a flick that should have been released in October. Or, maybe I just feel that way because of the masks. Either way, it scared the crap out of me when I first saw it.

First time writer/director Bryan Bertino used a very simple question as his premise: “What would you do if you were under attack by people whose only mission was to harm you and the person you loved most?” His primary focus was on the two victims, and we never really learn anything about the attackers.

Things are tense between James and Kristen (Tyler and Speedman) when they leave a friend’s wedding. It seems that James proposed to his girlfriend, she didn’t say yes, and he didn’t take it well. They drive to James’s family home, and he calls a friend to ask if he can pick him up at the house in the morning.

They hear a knock on the door in the wee small hours of the morning, and find a young blond woman on their doorstep asking for Tamara. After they turn her away, things start to go south, as the blond returns with two of her friends, and they begin to torment James and Kristen throughout the long, horrific night.

More from 1428 Elm

• Shudder Original Terrified: Poltergeist or Dimensional Beings?
• Godzilla Minus One makes the King of the Monsters terrifying again
• A Creature Was Stirring scares up yuletide frights
• Unwrapping the Unhappy Holidays collection on Shudder
• Holiday Horror viewing guide: 20+ movies to stream this Christmas

In the beginning, it’s more of a cat and mouse game than you see in most home invasion flicks. They knock on the door and windows, sneak into the house and take their phones, and thwart their attempts to leave the property. All three of these strangers are now wearing masks, and are credited as Doll Face, Pin-up Girl and The Man in the Mask.

These masks are creepy, particularly the man’s, because what’s scarier than a burlap mask, right? Even worse, James and Kristen have no idea why they were targeted by the psychos. Later in the film, Kristen asks “Why are you doing this?” The answer she receives is pretty chilling, and I won’t give it away on the off-chance that any of my readers haven’t yet seen The Strangers.

A sequel, The Strangers: Prey at Night was released last year, and I thought it was pretty decent, although not as good as the first film. The Strangers can be seen on a number of streaming platforms, including Amazon Prime and Vudu.

Have you seen The Strangers or The Strangers: Prey at Night? Let us know what you thought about these movies in the comments section.