Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman are the couple staying at a remote house who find themselves terrorised by unknown attackers. Tyler, particularly, does well with a script that, at least initially, relies heavily on the fear of the unknown and what lurks in the dark. In this case it is a trio of masked assailants – two girls and one man – who methodically lay siege to the house.

Kristen and James (Tyler and Speedman) have had a row at a friend's wedding. But whatever personal problems they face are about to increase a hundredfold as trouble arrives in the form of a young girl who knocks at their door in the early morning. They are being stalked by people who can seemingly enter the house at will. Their phones and car are wrecked. There's no way out. All they can do is fight.

Actor turned writer/director Bryan Bertino piles on the chills with a shovel. He casts Speedman as a youngish man terrified of what he may have to do. He finds a shotgun and fumbles putting it together. She wields a kitchen knife but is wary of using it. Meanwhile, something thumps at the door.

Sadly horror buffs will recognise The Strangers as the derivative copycat that it is. An attempt to combine elements of Funny Games with themes from Halloween, it struggles to overcome a low budget and tiny cast before opting for a cop-out finale straight out of Carrie.