"The Strangers" Film Trailer

"The Strangers" 2008 - Bryan Bertino

"The Strangers" is a psychological horror thriller film based on (very minimally) true events. The film depicts a couple in a typically remote country house who are stalked, tortured and killed by a set of "Strangers". The film is full of suspense and uses a vast array of stereotypically "horror genre" techniques. The trailer adequately reflects the quality and style of the film and I find it very effective.

The trailer begins with a slideshow of ideallic houses and reasons for deciding which house to buy. The pleasant images are backed by an upbeat and cheery backing track. As the slideshow continues, the quality of the houses deteriorate and the music becomes dim and sinister. The slideshow shows a final house to be surrounded by a marking/ring and it becomes clear, in accompaniment with the title, that "The Strangers" are targeting this house in particular. The effects thereon I find particularly powerful. Immediately the inside of the house is shown, it is evident that it is night time and the room is lit with various candles which creates an uneasy atmosphere. Immediately the shots are filmed with a handheld couple and depict a loving couple in the sinister lighting. The handheld camera is impactful to the audience and feels somewhat like a point of view voyeuristic shot; instantly creating an unease. Quick cuts show the loving couple declaring their love to one another, but are interrupted by a loud and harsh knock at the door. A voice then declares "You're gunna die". A long cut to black is used to create suspense which I find very useful as the trailer continues into a fast paced sequence of the events in the film. The following uses a similar slideshow production that was used in the beginning; this time the images are blurred, with rough edges and heavy vignetting. The speed is extremely fast and is backed by a loud shutter sound and a series of screams. The images shown are a series of close ups and mid shots of the characters screaming, hiding and weilding weapons. The part I find most effective is a series of cleverly manouvered shots which depict the antagonists. Often in a voyeurstic manner, the strangers appear in window reflection or through blinds. They only wear expressionless masks and are only seen standing and looking. The lack of expression and identity, I find, is very creepy and accents the atmosphere. The trailer ends with the protagonist; Liv Tyler and again in the slideshow format, crawling through the house covered in blood. I find this trailer to be very ingenious. The trailer itself has it's own narrative structure similar to that of the movie, a difference compared to some horror trailers which are non-continuous montage of the most shocking excerpts. This trailer is unique and shows only still frames from the film, although quick enough to make a moving trailer. I think this is a clever way to create suspense, pace and highlight the creepy quality of the horror thriller.