...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

The Strangers

213 statements
41 feature instances
22 referencing feature instances

The Strangers	type	TVTItem
The Strangers	label	The Strangers
The Strangers	page	TheStrangers
The Strangers	comment	The Strangers is a 2008 horror film written and directed by Bryan Bertino in his directorial debut and starring Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, and Glenn Howerton.Kristen McKay (Tyler) and James Hoyt (Speedman) arrive at James' family's vacation house in a secluded area away from civilization. Tension and dissatisfaction plague their relationship, as they've returned from a friend's wedding where Kristen rejected James' marriage proposal at the reception.However, that soon becomes the least of the couple's problems as just after 4 AM, they start being terrorized by three masked assailants (the titular "strangers") and enter a violent, desperate struggle to make it to the morning with their lives.The film's success launched a series. A sequel, titled The Strangers: Prey at Night, was released in 2018, and a new trilogy of standalone sequel films taking place in the same continuity as the first two filmsnote although it was originally marketed as a reboot for the franchise has been announced. The first installment, The Strangers: Chapter 1, is scheduled for release in 2024; it was directed by Renny Harlin and stars Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez.Not to be confused with the 2006 horror film Them or Funny Games, which both have similar premises, or with the 2016 Korean horror film The Wailing, which is also known as The Strangers in some countries.
The Strangers	fetched	2024-04-30T08:46:34Z
The Strangers	parsed	2024-04-30T08:46:34Z
The Strangers	isPartOf	DBTropes
The Strangers / int_11459bd4	type	OffScreenTeleportation
The Strangers / int_11459bd4	comment	Offscreen Teleportation: The Strangers are adepts at this.
The Strangers / int_11459bd4	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_11459bd4	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_11459bd4
The Strangers / int_13a499b8	type	Diabolus ex Nihilo
The Strangers / int_13a499b8	comment	Diabolus ex Nihilo: The Strangers are extremely enigmatic, with the film deliberately avoiding explaining the logic of their actions beyond its most basic interpretation.
The Strangers / int_13a499b8	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_13a499b8	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_13a499b8
The Strangers / int_19a5d773	type	They Look Just Like Everyone Else!
The Strangers / int_19a5d773	comment	They Look Just Like Everyone Else!: Although the movie avoids showing the Strangers' unmasked faces clearly, nothing about them indicates they're anything more than average, everyday people. It's meant to hammer home that people who commit random acts of violence aren't some monster or supernatural entity, but people who could pass as your neighbor or co-worker while hiding their true nature.
The Strangers / int_19a5d773	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_19a5d773	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_19a5d773
The Strangers / int_1da5941e	type	The Quiet One
The Strangers / int_1da5941e	comment	The Quiet One: All three of the Strangers. They barely talk at all, and when they do, they don't mince words and speak in a flat, calm voice. The Masked Man goes the entire movie without saying a single word.
The Strangers / int_1da5941e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_1da5941e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_1da5941e
The Strangers / int_1f6983f7	type	Ambiguous Situation
The Strangers / int_1f6983f7	comment	Ambiguous Situation: Because of the Nothing Is Scarier nature of the plot, much of the situation is unclear: Exactly why were Kristin and James targeted by the killers? At the end of the film, Doll Face indicates that it was random, but that couldâ€™ve been just to suss out a little more dread from their victims. Presumably there was some kind of parameter chosen for potential victims- someone far enough from civilization so thereâ€™s no risk of outside interference but also victims without access to/knowledge of firearms (if James actually knew how to use his dadâ€™s shotgun, it wouldâ€™ve been a much shorter movie). Some viewers claim to hear the truck faintly in the flashbacks as well as seeing a woman that fits Doll Faceâ€™s general profile at the wedding reception- were Kristin and James being stalked for some time, being verified that they would be adequate playmates for the strangers? Going off the above, would they have been left alone if they simply hadnâ€™t answered the initial knock at the door? Itâ€™s implied that this line was just to see whoâ€™s awake but thereâ€™s got to be more to it than that. If James had answered the door with a weapon, or been less transparently guileless, would that have made the killers realize heâ€™s not worth the risk and move on? Itâ€™s quite possible the entire line is â€œBecause you were homeâ€¦.and were the only one stupid enough to answer your door at four in the morning without a care in the worldâ€�, with the second half being unspoken.
The Strangers / int_1f6983f7	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_1f6983f7	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_1f6983f7
The Strangers / int_3e2d68db	type	Menacing Mask
The Strangers / int_3e2d68db	comment	Menacing Mask: Dollface and Pin Up Girl wear plastic masks depicting women's faces while Dollface's mask is less realistic and resembles something closer to an actual doll than Pin Up Girl's. The Man in the Mask does not wear a plastic or rubber mask. Instead, he has a white sack over his head.
The Strangers / int_3e2d68db	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_3e2d68db	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_3e2d68db
The Strangers / int_40d15d7a	type	Spoiler Cover
The Strangers / int_40d15d7a	comment	Spoiler Cover: One of the film's posters depicts the Strangers standing over Kristen and James, both tied to chairs, in a bright living room, giving away the fact that Kristen and James live through the night and heavily implying that they're about to be murdered.
The Strangers / int_40d15d7a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_40d15d7a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_40d15d7a
The Strangers / int_4e3d253b	type	Downer Ending
The Strangers / int_4e3d253b	comment	Downer Ending: The couple are (maybe) dead along with their friend, the Strangers get away scot-free to find and torment more victims, and a pair of boys have come upon the carnage and are very likely suffering mental scars as a result, as is Kristen, if the paramedics arrived and got her to the hospital in time.
The Strangers / int_4e3d253b	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_4e3d253b	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_4e3d253b
The Strangers / int_59275ef7	type	Chromatic Arrangement
The Strangers / int_59275ef7	comment	Chromatic Arrangement: The Strangers. They don't really have distinct personalities, and are differentiated mostly by their outfits. The Masked Man: The only man of the family, a slightly schlubby man in a dirty brown-beige suit. Wears a sack-mask on his face like a scarecrow with eye-holes and a curly smile over his mouth; it makes him seem bald, but his unmasking shows that he does have hair. Pin-Up Girl: A woman possibly in her thirties or forties, with shoulder length black hair. Dressed in a simple getup of light red top, dark red pants and a spotty black blouse underneath. Her mask includes fake hair curls and light make-up. Dollface: A very young woman, possibly a teenager, with long blonde hair. Prominently wears a dark green jacket and dark blue jeans, with a tank top underneath. Her mask covers her eyes with weird, black shapes like a deranged cartoon, and other minor details seemingly designed to draw attention to her youth.
The Strangers / int_59275ef7	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_59275ef7	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_59275ef7
The Strangers / int_5a3b8032	type	The Un-Reveal
The Strangers / int_5a3b8032	comment	The Unreveal: At the end, the Strangers take off their masks but the movie cuts away before you can see their faces, and continuously works to keep their likenesses hidden.
The Strangers / int_5a3b8032	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_5a3b8032	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_5a3b8032
The Strangers / int_6293c185	type	Sequel Hook
The Strangers / int_6293c185	comment	Sequel Hook: The Strangers driving away into the distance, with a passing comment about the next time being easier.
The Strangers / int_6293c185	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_6293c185	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_6293c185
The Strangers / int_62b72e	type	Perilous Marriage Proposal
The Strangers / int_62b72e	comment	Perilous Marriage Proposal: Kristen has just rejected James's marriage proposal at their friend's wedding when they go to his vacation home. The home is then almost immediately broken into by masked strangers, and before the night ends, Kristen is badly injured and permanently traumatized and James is dead.
The Strangers / int_62b72e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_62b72e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_62b72e
The Strangers / int_6e65655f	type	Rejected Marriage Proposal
The Strangers / int_6e65655f	comment	Rejected Marriage Proposal: Kristen has just rejected James's marriage proposal at a friend's wedding when they come to the vacation house.
The Strangers / int_6e65655f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_6e65655f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_6e65655f
The Strangers / int_7abba202	type	The Faceless
The Strangers / int_7abba202	comment	The Faceless: The Strangers. They're always masked with the exception of three scenes, and even then, we never get a good look at their faces; the mundane Reaction Shots suggest their faces are normal, but this just adds to the horror. Near the beginning, the blonde girl (Dollface) knocks on the door and asks for someone who isn't there, which turns out to be the reason they were attacked — because they were home. She isn't wearing a mask, but her face is still deliberately cast in shadow with only basic details (her eyes, eyebrows and mouth) properly visible — presumably so they couldn't identify her if they tried to call the police. Near the end, the Strangers gather before the couple, whom they have tied to a pair of chairs, and remove their masks one by one to let Kristen and James see their faces. The camera always cuts away before we actually see them, though. Finally, during the penultimate scene where the Strangers are leaving the crime scene, they stop their truck beside a pair of boys handing out Mormon pamphlets so Dollface can ask them for one; some of the shots allow a distant, vague look at Dollface and Pin-up Girl's faces that gives away no major details.
The Strangers / int_7abba202	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_7abba202	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_7abba202
The Strangers / int_7f390ebc	type	Developing Doomed Characters
The Strangers / int_7f390ebc	comment	Developing Doomed Characters: The first 20-30 minutes of the movie.
The Strangers / int_7f390ebc	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_7f390ebc	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_7f390ebc
The Strangers / int_80251be3	type	How We Got Here
The Strangers / int_80251be3	comment	How We Got Here: The movie begins at the end and then jumps back to the start.
The Strangers / int_80251be3	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_80251be3	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_80251be3
The Strangers / int_947ac4b0	type	White Mask of Doom
The Strangers / int_947ac4b0	comment	White Mask of Doom: The Strangers hide their faces using these.
The Strangers / int_947ac4b0	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_947ac4b0	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_947ac4b0
The Strangers / int_974b47a7	type	Men Are the Expendable Gender
The Strangers / int_974b47a7	comment	Men Are the Expendable Gender: James dies, while Kristen is at least shown to still be alive by the end of the movie, albeit badly injured.
The Strangers / int_974b47a7	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_974b47a7	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_974b47a7
The Strangers / int_9aeabf25	type	The Family That Slays Together
The Strangers / int_9aeabf25	comment	The Family That Slays Together: The Strangers appear to be a simple three-person family — The Masked Man and Pin-Up Girl as a married couple, and Dollface as their daughter, likely a teenager.
The Strangers / int_9aeabf25	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_9aeabf25	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_9aeabf25
The Strangers / int_9d12bbc1	type	Foreshadowing
The Strangers / int_9d12bbc1	comment	Near the beginning, the blonde girl (Dollface) knocks on the door and asks for someone who isn't there, which turns out to be the reason they were attacked — because they were home. She isn't wearing a mask, but her face is still deliberately cast in shadow with only basic details (her eyes, eyebrows and mouth) properly visible — presumably so they couldn't identify her if they tried to call the police.
The Strangers / int_9d12bbc1	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_9d12bbc1	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_9d12bbc1
The Strangers / int_a3673c4c	type	It Gets Easier
The Strangers / int_a3673c4c	comment	It Gets Easier: As the Strangers drive away, Pin-Up Girl tells her daughter, "It'll be easier next time." The implications are unpleasant.
The Strangers / int_a3673c4c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_a3673c4c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_a3673c4c
The Strangers / int_a70223	type	Karma Houdini
The Strangers / int_a70223	comment	Karma Houdini: The killers suffer no retribution for their actions...
The Strangers / int_a70223	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_a70223	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_a70223
The Strangers / int_a8c50563	type	Bathtub Scene
The Strangers / int_a8c50563	comment	Bathtub Scene: Liv Tyler takes a bath before the terror starts. We get to see her lovely sensual knee caps, possibly as a call back to Stealing Beauty.
The Strangers / int_a8c50563	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_a8c50563	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_a8c50563
The Strangers / int_abc60c5d	type	Harmful to Minors
The Strangers / int_abc60c5d	comment	Harmful to Minors: The opening includes two boys witnessing the aftermath of the carnage, overlaid by one of them trying to call 911 to report the crime despite his distraught sobbing.
The Strangers / int_abc60c5d	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_abc60c5d	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_abc60c5d
The Strangers / int_ad4c74ed	type	Final Girl
The Strangers / int_ad4c74ed	comment	Final Girl: Kristen survives long enough for the 2 boys to find her, however her fate is left ambiguous as the film ends here.
The Strangers / int_ad4c74ed	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_ad4c74ed	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_ad4c74ed
The Strangers / int_adfd3165	type	For the Evulz
The Strangers / int_adfd3165	comment	For the Evulz: The killers' motive (used as one of the movie's taglines) is nothing more than "Because you were home."
The Strangers / int_adfd3165	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_adfd3165	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_adfd3165
The Strangers / int_b58b4e3c	type	Too Dumb to Live
The Strangers / int_b58b4e3c	comment	Too Dumb to Live: All the good guys. Kristen just runs around the house terrified and manages to injure herself, James manages to tell his girlfriend to stay in the middle of danger while he goes looking for help, and their friend Mike, despite the various things suggesting foul play (including a rock thrown on his windshield) does not think for one second about calling the police or even calling for his friends which leads to Accidental Murder.
The Strangers / int_b58b4e3c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_b58b4e3c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_b58b4e3c
The Strangers / int_bb30b9e9	type	Danger Takes a Backseat
The Strangers / int_bb30b9e9	comment	Danger Takes a Backseat: The male lead makes a dash for the car to see if it's still working. He sees that all the windows of the car have been smashed in, but doesn't bother to look around his car at all before getting in. He doesn't get killed (there), but there WAS someone in the backseat.
The Strangers / int_bb30b9e9	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_bb30b9e9	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_bb30b9e9
The Strangers / int_c04b1231	type	Jump Scare
The Strangers / int_c04b1231	comment	Jump Scare: Oh so many. Most of them are expectedly courtesy of the Strangers, but the couple pitches in with some of their own, James with the impulsive gunshot that kills Mike, and Kristen with her Spring-Loaded Corpse move that ends the film.
The Strangers / int_c04b1231	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_c04b1231	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_c04b1231
The Strangers / int_c1b2c63f	type	Dull Surprise
The Strangers / int_c1b2c63f	comment	Dull Surprise: The two boys who arrive at and explore the house after the Strangers have seemingly killed Kristen and James. At least, expressions-wise; the 911 call one of them makes to emergency services in the opening is laden with distress and sadness.
The Strangers / int_c1b2c63f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_c1b2c63f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_c1b2c63f
The Strangers / int_c2d978fe	type	Car Fu
The Strangers / int_c2d978fe	comment	Car Fu: The Strangers use their car to slam into the couple's to prevent their escape.
The Strangers / int_c2d978fe	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_c2d978fe	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_c2d978fe
The Strangers / int_ca87e3ec	type	No Name Given
The Strangers / int_ca87e3ec	comment	No Name Given: The Strangers. They are credited as "Doll Face", "The Masked Man", and "Pin-Up Girl", but none of those names are heard in the film.
The Strangers / int_ca87e3ec	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_ca87e3ec	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_ca87e3ec
The Strangers / int_cde51255	type	Antagonist Title
The Strangers / int_cde51255	comment	Antagonist Title: The Strangers.
The Strangers / int_cde51255	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_cde51255	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_cde51255
The Strangers / int_cdfe12c3	type	Nothing Is Scarier
The Strangers / int_cdfe12c3	comment	Nothing Is Scarier: This is the main source of the scares in the movie.
The Strangers / int_cdfe12c3	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_cdfe12c3	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_cdfe12c3
The Strangers / int_db88b941	type	Malevolent Masked Men
The Strangers / int_db88b941	comment	Malevolent Masked Men: The Strangers.
The Strangers / int_db88b941	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_db88b941	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_db88b941
The Strangers / int_dbca2c99	type	Red Herring
The Strangers / int_dbca2c99	comment	Red Herring: The smoke detector. When Kristen takes it off of the ceiling early on and leaves it lying on the floor, it seems like a Foregone Conclusion that the strangers will later try to burn the house down. They don't.
The Strangers / int_dbca2c99	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_dbca2c99	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_dbca2c99
The Strangers / int_e085feeb	type	Broken Record
The Strangers / int_e085feeb	comment	Broken Record: The shock of seeing someone outside makes Kristen crash backwards, resulting in the song on their record player — Gillian Welch's "My First Lover" — skipping a particular lyric ("quicksilver girl") over and over until it's taken off.
The Strangers / int_e085feeb	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_e085feeb	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_e085feeb
The Strangers / int_e4b69188	type	Very Loosely Based on a True Story
The Strangers / int_e4b69188	comment	Very Loosely Based on a True Story: A couple, in fact. Director Bryan Bertino said it was inspired by the following events: When he was a kid, a stranger came to his house at night, asking for a woman that wasn't there. The next morning, it turned out that person and their partner were burglars; they had gone around to every house in his neighborhood, and the houses that didn't answer the door had been broken into. The Manson murders were a secondary source of inspiration, in the sense that he wanted to tell a horror movie purely from the point of view of the victims, who had no idea why they were being targeted. It was for this reason he kept the antagonists so enigmatic and nondescript. Bertino did not cite a 1981 homicide where a woman, two of her children, and a third child were murdered in their rural home in the Sierras. Wikipedia cites it as a case for which journalists noted similarities, as the police investigation turned up no suspects and was never solved.
The Strangers / int_e4b69188	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_e4b69188	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_e4b69188
The Strangers / int_eec07b6f	type	Sackhead Slasher
The Strangers / int_eec07b6f	comment	Sackhead Slasher: The Masked Man combines a suit and tie with a burlap sack, with a smile drawn on in marker, over his head.
The Strangers / int_eec07b6f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_eec07b6f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_eec07b6f
The Strangers / int_fcf26d33	type	Spring-Loaded Corpse
The Strangers / int_fcf26d33	comment	Spring-Loaded Corpse: How the film ends. Kristen seemingly dies after the Masked Man takes her phone, but when the boys enter the house, one of them goes to touch her body...at which point she suddenly springs back to life, grabs his hand, and screams in his face.
The Strangers / int_fcf26d33	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_fcf26d33	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_fcf26d33
The Strangers / int_name	type	ItemName
The Strangers / int_name	comment
The Strangers / int_name	featureApplicability	1.0
The Strangers / int_name	featureConfidence	1.0
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Strangers / int_name
The Strangers / int_name	itemName	The Strangers

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

TheStrangers	seeAlso	The Strangers
Ils	seeAlso	The Strangers
The Strangers	hasFeature	Based on a Great Big Lie / int_304de1c6
The Strangers	hasFeature	Cell Phones Are Useless / int_304de1c6
The Strangers	hasFeature	Danger Takes a Backseat / int_304de1c6
The Strangers	hasFeature	Definite Article Title / int_304de1c6
The Strangers	hasFeature	Dramatic Unmask / int_304de1c6
The Strangers	hasFeature	Finger-Twitching Revival / int_304de1c6
The Strangers	hasFeature	Genre Blindness / int_304de1c6
The Strangers	hasFeature	It Gets Easier / int_304de1c6
The Strangers	hasFeature	Knocking on Heathens' Door / int_304de1c6
The Strangers	hasFeature	Meaningful Background Event / int_304de1c6
The Strangers	hasFeature	Menacing Mask / int_304de1c6
100 Scariest Movie Moments	seeAlso	The Strangers
The Strangers	hasFeature	Perilous Marriage Proposal / int_304de1c6
The Strangers	hasFeature	Protect This House / int_304de1c6
The Strangers	hasFeature	Sackhead Slasher / int_304de1c6
The Strangers	hasFeature	Self-Offense / int_304de1c6
The Strangers	hasFeature	The Foreign Subtitle / int_304de1c6
The Strangers	seeAlso	The Strangers
The Strangers	hasFeature	Vacation Films / int_304de1c6
The Strangers	hasFeature	White Mask of Doom / int_304de1c6

Copyright of DBTropes.org wrapper 2009-2013 DFKI Knowledge Management. Imprint. - Thanks to Bakken&Baeck for hosting. Contact.
Copyright of data TVTropes.org contributors under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.