The Strangers

"The Strangers" was made in 2008, and because of what goes on throughout the plot, it is characterized as part of the horror genre. The plot can be described as simply as the story of a couple that gets terrorized by masked assailants. The entire movie takes place over the course of one night and ends in the morning when the assailants reveal themselves to only the couple, not the audience, and then take turns stabbing the couple in their stomachs. A pair of Mormon boys discover the couple's house shortly after the killers leave and enter to make what will be the last horrific scene of the movie. This scene set the mood by using silence and "slow motion." I would give more detail as to how and what I mean, but since I really liked this scene, I would not want to ruin it for others who have yet to see the movie. Throughout the rest of the film silence is constantly used to set the mood because it signals that something is about to jump out and scare "the living crap out of you."

This movie also does a good job in reflecting the concept of "token stupid" meaning the actors do a lot of stupid things which a normal human, with any bit of common sense in their mind, would instantly flag as a bad idea. For example, when the assailants are trying to break down the front door, instead of shooting the door with the shotgun that the couple has in their hands, they put it down and start dragging some sort of structure (cannot remember it clearly) to block off the door. Nevertheless, this movie will still have you jumping out of your seat until the very end, literally.