The terror of redundant and dreary horror films
Horror movies are not renowned for their originality. Most of them, in fact, are known for the bad guy involved: We’ve got dozens of different movies involving monsters, ghosts, possessed children, serial killers and zombies.
This is because the point of a horror movie isn’t to provide brilliant plots, thought provoking dialogue or insightful writing. The point of a horror movie is to scare the viewer, nothing more, and so horror movies usually stick to the basics. A few screams, a couple of nervous laughs, all topped off with some blood, and Bob’s your uncle.
And this is a good thing because if “The Strangers” was to be judged on its originality, it would get very low marks. In the last year, there have been two other movies that share precisely (and I do mean precisely) the same story. But each film has a slightly different approach to the material.
In all three films, a man and a woman are attempting a little getaway from the world in a remote, placid little country house. They are stalked, harassed, terrorized and assaulted by multiple villains, who seemingly have no motive for their brutal mind games.
So how does “The Strangers” stack up to “Them” and “Funny Games”? And is there any reason that this story in particular needs to be made so many times?
“The Strangers” stars Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman as a couple whose romantic getaway has turned into a break-up. While lounging around feeling morose, the couple starts to experience some spooky stuff – a strange girl comes to the door, there are noises in the back yard and their cell phones keep disappearing. Slowly, the terror escalates as three masked figures begin to close in, attacking and trying to kill them.
The question hovering over it all is “why?” And the answer to that question is one of the most chilling moments of the movie.
“The Strangers” is a very atmospheric, moody film. Director Bryan Bertino uses a slow build relying on the creepy setting and excellent music to gradually raise the tension. This leads to some great scares.
But while the build up is terrific, the payoff is a bit lackluster. Not a bad ending and it certainly has its charm, but it doesn’t live up to the smaller scares earlier in the movie. And it is a bit predictable, even if you haven’t seen the other versions.
This isn’t a modern horror classic by any means, but it is a professionally made film with a solid cast and a good look.
“Them” is a French horror movie. Believe it or not, the last few years has seen France turn into one of the best hotspots for horror movies. “High Tension,” “Frontierz” and “Inside” are all intense, blood-soaked horror gems, and “Them” is a much quieter, more suspenseful kind of horror movie.
A schoolteacher and her boyfriend leave the city for a quiet weekend in the country. In the woods around the house, faceless figures in blood hoods watch them. There are mysterious calls to the house. The power goes out as do the phones. And then the figures move in on the couple, escalating the game of cat and mouse to a lethal conclusion.
How many of these killers are there in the woods? Who are they? Why are they doing this? These questions lay unanswered as the couple tries to escape their tormentors. And then, in one of my personal favorite moments in horror history, everything is explained with one final shot just a few seconds long. It’s the kind of ending that will leave you thinking about it for days.
Like “The Strangers,” “Them” starts slowly and builds tension. But while “Strangers” runs out of gas near the end, “Them” keeps the fear building until the end credits start rolling. It is more of a thriller than a horror movie, but there are some very frightening scenes, a few good scares and an ending to die for.
“Funny Games” takes a savagely original approach to the same story. The two brutal killers are not shadowy and do not wear masks. They are freshly scrubbed young men, who seem very normal at first. However, once they get inside the cottage with Naomi Watts, Tim Roth and their son, these two gloved killers reveal themselves to be true monsters.
“Funny Games” doesn’t play this material as a thriller or a horror movie – it is too irreverent, too confrontational. This is a movie that wants to upset you, wants you to ask yourself ‘Why am I watching this?’ and seriously consider the answer. The director uses every trick in the book to make his movie unique – including the killer breaking the fourth wall and speaking directly to the audience, making them more of an accomplice in the violence.
This movie wants to make a statement and it does so dramatically. However, watching a statement is not always entertaining, and I can’t tell you that “Funny Games” is a pleasure to watch.
It isn’t just the plots that make these three movies so similar, it is the sentiment behind the films. All three movies deal with man’s inhumanity to man, and how in this modern world people will sometimes torment and kill perfect strangers for no good reason at all. It is a theme plucked from the scariest of today’s headlines, and the fact that events like these are based on reality is what really makes it scary.
So, while all three of these films are good and chilling, they have so much in common it isn’t advisable to watch all three in a row. Pick one (the cerebral one, the suspenseful one or the scary one) because the one you see first is the one you’ll like best.
I saw “Them” first, so personally it’s my favorite.
Coming Attractions: Next week the Nateflix Halloween Horror Extravaganza continues, with the movies that have scared me the most over the years. That’s right, it’s the list of the Scariest Movies Ever.
