YMMV / The Strangers

• Alternate Character Interpretation:
  • Near the end of the movie, the killers stop their truck beside some boys handing out Mormon pamphlets so Dollface can ask for one, and when asked if she's a sinner she says, "Sometimes." Did she do that simply to screw with the boys, out of morbid curiosity, or because she was feeling guilty about what she'd done and looking for a way to process it? Inasmuch as the movie has a position it seems to lean more towards the latter than the other two, namely Pin-Up Girl's assurance that "It'll be easier next time." This does seem to be the case considering how apathetic Dollface acts in the sequel and the difference in her tone when confronted about her actions.
  • The killers had the suggestive appearance of a cult, and Pin-Up Girl's line indicates that the killing was Dollface's initiation. She did take the lead on the psychological part of the attack.
  • Just before their Dramatic Unmask moment and killing the couple, the Strangers wait a few seconds without doing anything while James and Kristen share a final moment together and an Anguished Declaration of Love. Did they do this to be nice and give them a few seconds to prepare for their demises, or were they just trying to drag the torment out longer?
  • Did the Jehovah's Witnesses realize that the woman they passed their pamphlet to, before they arrived at the scene of the crime, probably was one of the killers?
  • James became a Death Seeker on some level by the 3rd act. Notice how in the unmasking scene, Kristin is struggling to break free whereas he seems almost uninterested and bored by what’s going on. Kristin rejecting his marriage proposal already broke him, but him killing his best friend pushed him over the edge. Even if they do escape, which seems less and less likely, he will likely face consequences for what happened to Mike- any mutual acquaintances and friends would sever ties with him, he would be ostracized and possibly even face jail time. The knowledge of this sent him into a depression in the second half of the movie where he became more concerned with taking out as many assailants as possible before inevitably dying himself.
  • Alternatively, he became motivated by revenge. There’s literally nothing stopping them from just making a run for it- with a shotgun, they don’t even have to worry about the strangers mowing them down, with a gun they can shoot any hostile drivers. Instead, he makes the almost insane decision to go after a radio in a barn and leaves Kristin alone despite the intense danger.
  • A lot of the less-intelligent decisions the characters add up if you assume they’re drunk from the party and are operating on sleep deprivation (it is four in the morning).
  • Because he’s the only one not to speak in this film or the sequel, there are a lot of theories about Bag Head. Is he leader of the group, just brute muscle or something in-between? Is he Pin-Up’s consort/Doll-Face’s father? Is he really struggling to breath in his mask or is it just something to unnerve his victims?
• Critical Dissonance: It received mixed reviews from critics, but some people consider it to be one of the scariest movies ever made.
• Ending Fatigue: While the film very easily could've ended after the interaction between the Strangers and the young Jehovah's Witnesses, it decides to add the additional sequence of the boys stumbling across the crime scene, which shows that Kristen is still alive for one last Jump Scare.
• Fandom Rivalry: As mentioned on the trivia page, at the time of release, there was this with the Vacancy series which featured a similar premise. Fans of Vacancy preferred it’s more dialogue-heavy, action-based and forward-moving plot, while fans of The Strangers preferred its less-is-more minimalist style.
• Follow the Leader:
  • It's kind of like Them (2006) but without the final plot twist, and its taking place entirely in and around a large, remote building is akin to Vacancy.
  • The Onion's AV Club described it as "Funny Games without the scolding."
• Harsher in Hindsight: It’s weird that there are no neighbors or anything around to hear what’s going on. Yes, the house is in a remote location but the fact that it’s off a two-way street would indicate that it’s not that remote. At first this seems like a plot device; however, if their modus operandi in the sequel is any indication, the strangers may have broken in and killed all the neighbors before zeroing in on Kristin and James.
• Paranoia Fuel: The film demonstrates how easily someone can move around without making a sound and obscure themselves in shadow if they know what they're doing. If you were scared by this film, you probably wouldn't want to be in any homes far away from towns or cities for a while. This can also be a nightmare for anyone that lives alone.
• Signature Scene: The sequence with Kristin in the kitchen while the Man in the Mask ominously stands in the dark behind her, followed by him closing a door offscreen, deliberately meant to rattle her. Even critics of the movie acknowledged that it was a scene worthy of Halloween.
• So Okay, It's Average: Despite heavy criticisms for how the main characters acted and the supposed omnipotence of the killers, the film did well, due to the atmosphere of what would happen to someone if they endured a home invasion. Liv Tyler's performance was also praised.
• Spiritual Successor: Fans of the movie argue it’s the best remake to Halloween ever produced and captures the spirit of the 1978 classic (masked killer(s) stalk and terrorize young people for no discernible reason, etc.)) far better than any of its sequels.
• Unintentional Period Piece: The film was made- and presumably takes place in- the early 2000s, back when cellphones needed to be at least somewhat charged to make a call and it wasn’t terribly common for vacation homes to have cameras or home alert systems. Nowadays, Kristin could’ve made a 911 call almost immediately after plugging her phone in and it’s highly unlikely a house as big as the one they’re staying in wouldn’t have security systems. In short, this film came out at the last possible time it would’ve been at least somewhat feasible for the story to take place.

---