Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

The Strangers 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

The Strangers is one of the best 2000’s horror experiences. The edge-of-your-seat thrill ride is a must-see for genre fans. A gripping thriller with a fantastic sense of dread, The Strangers features strong performances by Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman.

James Hoyt (Scott Speedman) and Kristen McKay (Liv Tyler) wanted a simple break to enjoy their lives together. The break was a chance to cool- down together and have a good time at a vacation home. Things on edge were meant to dissipate.

The vacation home was a chance to relax, unwind, and perhaps have some fun sexy-time. Everything is interrupted when a trio of masked vigilantes with a killing spree in mind arrive at the vacation home doorsteps: Dollface (Gemma Ward), the Man in a Mask (Kip Weeks), and the Pin-Up Girl (Laura Margolis). Will James and Kristen survive the night?

The performances by Scott Speedman and Liv Tyler are excellent. Both actors provide strong leading performances for The Strangers. Liv Tyler is especially remarkable and she proves herself as a great leading horror icon with the performance in The Strangers. The Strangers is a great showcase – highlighting the beauty, grace, and nuances of Tyler. Tyler can go from subtle dramatic cues to expressing sheer terror and horror in an instant. The performance is a must-see for horror fans.

The production of The Strangers is remarkable and the sense of scale far outperforms the production budget. The production design by John D. Kretschmer (Dawson’s Creek, One Tree Hill) is first-rate. A well-designed layout for the vacation home terrors, the designer imbued dread into ordinary spaces. The Strangers also features solid art direction by Linwood Taylor (A Walk to Remember, The Locket). A well-done effort all-around.

The costumes by Susan Kaufmann (Kissing a Fool, The Ice Harvest) add to the production, too. The well-done costumes are perfect for the two lead cast members. Liv Tyler has some especially impressive costumes and the designs fit her character style perfectly. The dread of the intruders is also well showcased by the costumes for the trio of terrorizers and the iconic face-masks seal the deal.

The score composed by tomandandy (The Mothman Prophecies, Resident Evil: Retribution) is one of the strengths of the film. The tomandandy score for The Strangers is perfect at providing some fun and a sense of dread. The score is a perfect accompaniment to the chaos of the horror filmmaking and the terrorizing psychopaths.

The cinematography by Peter Sova (Wicker Park, Lucky Number Slevin) is exceptional and the first-rate visuals add to the fun of the unnerving horror film. Sova is a gifted cinematographer with a keen style, visual sense, and craft. The cinematography aids the filmmaking aplomb with the hued style adding ample dread, suspense, and energy.

Edited by Kevin Greutert (Jessabelle, The Collection), The Strangers is a perfectly paced thrill-ride. The suspense and dread are encapsulated in such a beautiful and moving way. The unease of the film is realized with razor-sharp precision by Greutert.

Written and directed by Bryan Bertino (The Monster, The Dark and the Wicked), The Strangers is a horror classic. Bertino is a talented filmmaker and this is one of the director’s greatest works. The direction is superb – well-paced, suspenseful, and entertaining. The tempo of the filmmaking is spot-on throughout. It slowly crescendos into a frenzy of terror. It is quiet and then it slams you with terror and this is what makes The Strangers so effective.

The Strangers 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on 4K UHD by Shout Factory, The Strangers is presented in 2160p HEVC / H.265 in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 widescreen. The transfer is incredible and fans of The Strangers will not be disappointed by the robust and organic looking presentation. The transfer retains good detail and resolution throughout the presentation.

The colors are exceptional and stay true to the intended aesthetic of the terrifying horror production. The cinematography looks exceptional and fine detail throughout the presentation is present on the release. The eerie atmosphere of the film is well reproduced and looks as immersive as when I first viewed the film during its theatrical run.

The 4K presentation is remastered from the original digital intermediate. The digital intermediate has a 4K resolution remastered from the original DI. The presentation looks incredible and the encoding from Shout Factory is top-notch throughout. The enormous bit-rate helps provide a more stable and pleasing image from beginning to end. This is undoubtedly a must-own 4K upgrade.

The release features both HDR10 (standard) and Dolby Vision HDR metadata as a secondary option on the 4K UHD. The high-dynamic range adds a more robust color fidelity to the presentation – providing better black levels (pitch black) and the range between the brightest brights and these inky backs. The colors look even better as a result. The high-dynamic-range grading is sometimes subtle on this encode but the additional HDR grading is true to the original aesthetic while bringing out more depth to the 4K image.

The Strangers 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound presentation. The release has an incredible sounding and robust high- resolution lossless audio presentation. The 5.1 surround sound track is an enormously impressive and effective audio track with enormous clarity throughout the presentation.

A wonderful soundstage and the surrounds are actively utilized throughout the sound mix. The 5.1 audio mix utilizes the rear channels to enhance the entire presentation – a more enveloping surround mix is offered with great and subtle clarity and depth. The eerie soundstage (both sound effects designed to enhance the fear-inducing sequences) and the score are perfectly reproduced on the audio track.

The stereo separation on the audio mix is excellent. The audio fidelity is top-notch and fans will be enormously pleased. The 5.1 mix is the same lossless mix as on previous home media releases on the Blu-ray format. Some will bemoan the fact that Shout Factory has not produced a Dolby Atmos audio track for the release. Regardless, the original 5.1 mix still sounds incredible and the fidelity is first-rate – though an Atmos upgrade might have offered some slight revisions for Atmos-equipped systems it is far from being a necessary inclusion, and by no means is it some kind of dealbreaker to audiophiles or home theater enthusiasts. (Atmos mixes can be great sometimes but simply retaining a perfect lossless surround mix – true to the original release – is nothing to complain about.)

The Strangers 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release comes in a standard black 4K UHD case. The release is a combo pack release with a 4K UHD disc and two standard Blu-ray discs. The first print run includes a limited-edition o-card slipcover. The slipcover is made with high-quality cardstock and adds to the collectability of the release. The art is identical to the cover-art highlighted underneath the slipcover.

On disc supplements include:

Theatrical Cut:

The Element of Terror (HD, 9:12)

Strangers at the Door (HD, 9:37)

Deleted Scenes (HD, 4:56)

Theatrical Trailer & TV Spots (HD, 2:45)

Unrated Cut:

Defining Moments: Writing and Directing The Strangers (HD, 29:37)

All the Right Moves: Kip Weeks on playing the man in the mask (HD, 11:34)

Brains and Brawn: Laura Margolis on playing pin-up girl (HD, 13:44)

Deep Cuts: Kevin Greutert on editing The Strangers (HD, 20:29)

Still Gallery includes 46 click-through still photographs.

The Strangers 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Strangers is one of the best horror-thrillers from the 2000s. The suspenseful gem is a must-see for genre fans. Liv Tyler is the real standout here and she delivers a terrific performance with good range and depth. The suspenseful direction and terrifying strangers (with unforgettable masks) make the terror even more effective. The 4K UHD presentation features an incredible 2160p 4K image. The lossless audio is fantastic. The release is jam-packed with bonus features. Highly recommended.