THE STRANGERS (15)

Aug 29 2008 By Roz Laws

KRISTEN (Liv Tyler) and James (Scott Speedman) leave a wedding reception and drive to his family’s summer home in the middle of nowhere.

The atmosphere is strained, as he’s just asked her to marry him and she has turned him down.

It’s late at night, so they’re surprised when someone knocks at the door. They can barely make out a female figure, asking “Is Tamara there?”.

She seems to go away, but later there’s a loud thud outside – and a macabre masked face appears at the window.

It’s scary stuff as their home is invaded by three strangers, who are almost playful as they toy with Kristen and James, playing tag and writing “hello” on the mirror.

Their motives are never revealed. “Why are you doing this to us?” they ask. “Because you were home,” comes the chilling reply.

A creepy air of menace is skillfully built up, almost to breaking point. There are some clichés but enough originality to keep us watching.

I liked the fact Kristen, played convincingly by a terrified Tyler, changes into her jeans rather than runs around in a flimsy dress, which is what most horror films would require of their heroine.

The violence is thankfully kept to a minimum, although in the current climate it’s hard to watch a film in which stabbing someone is seen as a game.

Mercury verdict: ***