That's just fucked up.

I've often asked, what was the most recent truly scary American horror movie. I don't know that I've ever asked here, or aloud for that matter, but I think about it a lot. Well, I found an answer...The Strangers.

Set in a rural suburban home, The Strangers is the story of a young couple terrorized by three kids in masks over the course of the night. No reason is given for their invasion aside from 'you were home'.

There is very little gore, very little plot. The movie is what it is. Two people being terrorized. As a horror movie, it taps into the unexplainable. The fear is centered around how arbitrary the events are. The couple has done nothing wrong. By all accounts they've led perfect, wholesome lives. Yet, here they are being brutaly terrorized by three people that they've never met.

And, it's scary.

Director Bryan Bertino manages to keep things pretty taut and tense throughout the movie. There are the usual jump scares, timed perfectly to the music, as well as littler things like someone just silently appearing in the background watching the woman get a glass of water. The movie clocks in a little under an hour and a half, and manages to build and maintain it's suspense throughout. There isn't much levity. There isn't much of a break once it gets going. It's a little unsettling and kinda fucked up to be honest. It is scary though, and it is good.