If a scary story from a children’s book were made into a movie, it would closely resemble "The Strangers." Believe me: this is a good thing.
"Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" was one of the creepiest childhood books because of its minimalist style and the brief foreboding images it evoked. Where the film falters is in its attempt to take a short tale of heart-pounding violence and mayhem and stretch it into two hours of screen time.
In his directorial debut, Bryan Bertino has put together a well-paced horror film, but unfortunately it goes nowhere. Literally. The familiar elements of classic horror are well at work: darkness, solitude, loud noises, an empty barn and killers with cartoon masks – everything to creep out two young lovers at a lake house deep in the woods. But after a strong first act, the remainder of the plot is like a record that cannot stop skipping.
Kristin McKay (Liv Tyler) and James Hoyt (Scott Speedman) plan to spend the weekend at a family lake house before a romantic plan of James’ falls through. Stuck with each other, the two attempt to deal with the situation. Then in the middle of the night, with a thunderous knock, a mysterious girl shows up at the door. What unfolds in the plot is a cat-and-mouse game where nothing really happens, and the only reason this is not noticeable to the point of becoming droll is because the audience is so concerned with the preface that this tale is "based on a true story," a cop out of epic proportions.
Bertino does show flashes of a bright future in directing. Without relying on the trendy gore, guts and blood of current horror flicks, he emphasizes well-timed audio with counterpoint music (country song meets horror) and lets his scenes unfold slowly as the characters come to deal with the realization that they are trapped with three cold blooded killers. But with almost no dialogue after the first act, it is difficult to get wrapped up in the lives of the characters.
On Feb. 11, 2005, two people were brutally murdered. While the details in the film may be unfounded, "knock knock" has never been so creepy.
