Horror Movie Review-The Strangers and Them

A Comparison of the Suspense Thrillers The Strangers and Them

Nov 9, 2008

Both the US release The Strangers and the French film Ils (Them) claim to be inspired by true events. But how based in truth are they?

The Strangers and the French film Them are so similar that many wonder if The Strangers is not an American remake of Them. However, the script for The Strangers, released in 2008, was actually written two years before Them was produced.

The Strangers

The film opens with the words, What you are about to see is inspired by true events. According to the F.B.I. there are an estimated 1.4 million violent crimes in America each year. On the night of February 11, 2005 Kristen McKay and James Hoyt went to a friend's wedding reception and then returned to the Hoyt family's summer home. The brutal events that took place there are still not entirely known.

The Storyline

When Kristen McKay and James Hoyt return to the Hoyt’s isolated summer home after a wedding reception, they are stalked by three strangers wearing masks. The couple are at odds with each other because Kristen refused James' ring and proposal of marriage. In the meantime, anticipating her acceptance, James has created a romantic atmosphere by setting out wine and decorating the house with rose petals.

A strange young woman appears at the door and asks if Tamara is home. When they say there is no one by that name living there, she persists in watching them from the yard. James, played by actor Scott Speedman, leaves for a short time, and when he returns he at first is reluctant to believe that in his absence Kristen (Liv Tyler) has seen strangers wearing masks, who appear to be stalking them.

The couple’s fear escalates as the cell phone is stolen and James’ car is sabotaged. The relentless strangers, one male wearing a hood and two females, one in a doll mask and the other in a pin-up girl mask, seem intent upon senseless violence and destruction. They apparently have no motive and their faces are never revealed.

Inspiration for The Strangers

There have been many speculations about where the idea for The Strangers came from. Director Bryan Bertino tells of drawing from two sources. The first was an event in his childhood when a stranger came to the door asking for someone who did not live there. Later, he found out that empty homes surrounding them had been broken into, which is a common practice among burglars. In an interesting twist, the masked intruders in his film were seeking someone who was at home who they could stalk and terrorize. The director claims he was also inspired by the 1969 novel Helter Skelter, about the Manson family murders.

Them (Ils)

The French film, Them, directed by David Moreau and Xavier Paluld, bears some striking similarities to The Strangers. It, too, claims at the onset of the film to be based on true events.

Clementine, played by Olivia Bonamy, is a teacher who has recently moved to an isolated home in the Romanian countryside with her lover Lucas, played by Michael Cohen.

The couple are awakened in the night by strange noises. Lucas goes out just in time to see their car being stolen, leaving them stranded. He is unable to contact the police. Soon, they catch a glimpse of hooded strangers, who are attempting to enter the house.

Lucas is injured when a French door is shattered and a shard of glass is stuck in his leg. He returns to the bedroom where Clementine waits, and they try to find an escape route through the attic. When this fails, the couple are finally able to make a run for the nearby woods, only to be pursued by the gang of hooded intruders. Clementine is shocked to discover that one of them is a very young boy.

Inspiration for Them

Like The Strangers, the tagline claims the story is based on true events. However, the characters in Them are fictional. It is believed the story was loosely based upon an incident where an Austrian couple was murdered by three teenagers while in staying in their vacation home in the Czech Republic. But for the most part the movie, according to the filmmakers, is purely fiction.

Both of these films, like Helter Skelter, address random acts of violence against strangers. The fact that 1.4 million violent crimes occur in America is an alarming truth.

The copyright of the article Horror Movie Review-The Strangers and Them in Horror Films is owned by Vickie Britton. Permission to republish Horror Movie Review-The Strangers and Them in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.