Strangers, The: Collector's Edition (4K UHD Review)

Reviewed by: Tim Salmons
Review Date: Oct 09, 2024
Format: 4K Ultra HD

Director

Bryan Bertino

Release Date(s)

2008 (September 10, 2024)

Studio(s)

Universal Pictures (Shout! Studios/Scream Factory)

Film/Program Grade: C+
Video Grade: A
Audio Grade: A
Extras Grade: B-

Review

Not exactly your typical slasher film, The Strangers was released in the early summer of 2008 to mixed critical reviews but a successful box office take. The product of first time director Bryan Bertino (2016’s The Monster) and starring Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman, the minimalist horror movie that could managed to make a splash with genre fans right out of the gate and has continued to age well with audiences since its theatrical debut, spawning successive sequels.

Kristen and James (Tyler and Speedman) are a young couple with a rocky relationship who are returning to James’ secluded childhood summer home in the country, only to be relentlessly terrorized by three mysterious figures in masks (Gemma Ward, Kip Weeks, and Laura Margolis).

The Strangers is a fairly straightforward suspense thriller with antagonists who you don’t get much information about and appear to lack overt motivation, other than their intended victims were “home.” The majority of the film takes place in one location and is fairly low key for most of the running time, relying less on jump scares and more on atmosphere. It’s less about what’s in the shadows than it is what could potentially be in the shadows. It has all of the ingredients for something terrifying. Anybody who has visited or lives in a location in the middle of nowhere with darkness surrounding them on all sides can attest to how frightening the possibilities can be.

That all said, there are several things about The Strangers that don’t work for me. The performances from Tyler and Speedman are subpar for the most part. In a story about a broken relationship that has to survive a night of unwarranted violence, we should probably care more about these characters than we actually do. Both actors are game, but they’re lacking outside of being terrified. The cinematography is also a major hang-up, with the camera constantly shaking, even when it doesn’t need to. This is a style that permeated much of film and television in and around this era, and it doesn’t suit the film at all. It’s difficult to focus on a scene of two people standing in a doorway when the camera won’t stay still. It would also have been preferable that all of the film’s events take place entirely in the main location without resorting to flashbacks or other outside interferences, which could have given the film a stronger sense of claustrophobia.

However, the biggest problem with The Strangers is its ending. (Spoilers here therein.) After Kristen and James are brutally murdered, we then see the three strangers leave in a truck the next day, only to come across a pair of young boys on bicycles. They subsequently enter the house and when they find the bodies, Kristen suddenly wakes up, grabs one of them by the arm, screams, and we cut to black. It’s an extremely cheap jump scare ending, which not only feels tacked on, but completely negates the notion that we just witnessed a couple of people get ruthlessly slaughtered for no apparent reason. It leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

For others, The Strangers might be effective. We’ve seen home invasion horror movies before and since that operate better than this does, and though the film has some merit, it certainly didn’t warrant the reactions it received, nor deserved the franchise it has become. But then again, I think I’m in the minority on this one.

The Strangers was shot by cinematographer Peter Sova on Super 35mm film (Fuji Eterna 250D 8563, Eterna 500T 8573) using Panavision cameras and lenses, finished as a 2K Digital Intermediate, and presented in the aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Scream Factory revisits the unrated version of the film on Ultra HD with a new “4K presentation from the original Digital Intermediate,” graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and presented on a triple-layered BD-100 disc. According to IMDB, a new 4K Digital Intermediate remaster was created sometime this year, but it’s not clear whether that remaster was taken from the original camera negative or the 2K DI. In truth, it’s likely the latter. Nevertheless, this is a massive upgrade over the previous Blu-ray release, which itself was a fine upgrade in its own right at the time. This is an extremely dark film as it takes place almost entirely at night with low light levels. The bitrate for this release sits between 70 and 100Mbps. The HDR grades offer improved contrast with deep, deep blacks that soak up as much detail without actually going back into the OCN. The color palette is very warm with lots of browns, tans, and reds, which the wider gamut boosts well. The frame is stable (even if the images aren’t), and everything appears clean without any enhancements.

Audio is included for both versions in English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master audio, with optional subtitles in English SDH. The quality is much of the same, which is high. This is a texture-based driven soundtrack that relies on silence, and these tracks take advantage of that. There’s plenty of surround activity, including ambient and speaker to speaker moments. Dialogue exchanges are clear, if often understated, while score and sound effects are given some low frequency boost.

The Strangers on 4K Ultra HD sits in a black Amaray case alongside two 1080p Blu-rays, one containing the unrated version, and the other containing the theatrical version. The insert and slipcover feature the original theatrical artwork. The following extras are included on each disc:

DISC ONE: UNRATED VERSION (UHD)

None.

DISC TWO: THEATRICAL VERSION (BD)

The Element of Terror (HD – 9:12)
Strangers at the Door (HD – 9:37)
Deleted Scenes (Upscaled SD – 2 in all – 4:56)
Teaser Trailer & TV Spots (HD and Upscaled SD – 4 in all – 2:45)

DISC THREE: UNRATED VERSION (BD)

Defining Moments: Writing and Directing The Strangers (HD – 29:37)
All the Right Moves: Kip Weeks on Playing the Man in the Mask (HD – 11:34)
Brains and Brawn: Laura Margolis on Playing Pin-Up Girl (HD – 13:44)
Deep Cuts: Kevin Greutert on Editing The Strangers (HD – 20:29)
Still Gallery (HD – 46 in all – 4:02)

All of the extras from the previous DVD and Blu-ray releases are included, with nothing new added. The Element of Terror is presented in five chapters: Where Terror Lives, The Sound of Terror, The Feel of Terror, The Look of Terror, and The Impact of Terror, containing interviews with production designer John Kretschmer, writer/director Bryan Bertino, executive producer Sonny Mallhi, production sound mixer Jeffree Bloomer, actors Liv Tyler and Glenn Howerton, make-up effects artist Vincent Schicchi, and stunt coordinator Cal Johnson. Strangers at the Door features interviews with Bertino, actors Tyler, Howerton, Laura Margolis, Kip Weeks, Scott Speedman, and Gemma Ward. Defining Moments interviews Bryan Bertino, All the Right Moves interviews Kip Weeks, Brains and Brawn interviews Laura Margolis, and Deep Cuts interviews editor Kevin Greutert. Last are 2 brief Deleted Scenes; the film’s Teaser Trailer; 3 TV Spots; and a Still Gallery containing 49 images of on-set photos, behind-the-scenes photos, and posters. Still missing in action is the film’s final Theatrical Trailer.

For some, The Strangers hits too close to home and feels a bit mean-spirited, which is by design. It’s definitely not perfect, but it’s slow burn with decent enough atmosphere to at least be interesting. Scream Factory’s 4K Ultra HD presentation does the film plenty of justice, carrying over all of the previous extras, as well. Fans of the film should be more than pleased.

- Tim Salmons

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