After a wedding reception, Kristen (Liv Tyler) and James (Scott Speedman) go to his parents’ semi-rural house. He proposes. She’s not ready. It’s 4am. Next question: “Is Tamara here?” asks a young stranger after knocking loudly. She’s hard to see. Someone unscrewed the light bulb by the front door. Along with two other strangers with faces hidden under a sack and behind masks, she will scare the couple then stab them. Generic, unoriginal jolts are enhanced by the creepy soundscape by ambient auteurs tomandandy (“The Mothman Prophecies” and “The Hills Have Eyes.”) Despite questions about his inspirations and influences, first time writer-director Bryan Bertino made no mention of “Them” in a 3,300-word interview at Movies Online. That French-Romanian horror-thriller by David Moreau and Xavier Palud also opens with a specious “true events” title and a date. Instead of October 7, 2002, “The Strangers” (shot in South Carolina) occurs on February 11, 2005. The kids who made “Them” monstrous are dropped here, as two Mormon boys play a minor framing role. With Glenn Howerton, Gemma Ward, Kip Weeks and Laura Margolis. 90m. (Bill Stamets)
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