Why The Strangers Ending Explained- Why It Still Haunts And Confounds

With the newest iteration of The Strangers: Chapter 1 arriving in theaters on May 16th, there is no better time to look back at Bryan Bertino’s original. Billed as based on true events, The Strangers was one of the scariest films of the year because of the it could happen to you concept. In a sea of monster movies, devil infestations, supernatural thrillers, and slashers, this film stood part. James(Scott Speedman) and Kristen(Liv Tyler) are a couple staying at a vacation home following a wedding when a knock at the door late one night disrupts their evening. A trio of masked people violently invade their house, and the couple is forced to do things to survive they never thought possible.

I still remember seeing this movie for the first time. I hadn’t seen it since 2008 because, frankly, it was one of those few horror movies that got under my skin. As a horror movie critic, I love to be scared, but I don’t love feeling terrified in my home. Paranormal Activity was in an entirely normal-looking home, and as much as it did scare me at the moment, the fear didn’t linger. It didn’t corrupt my dreams. Demons climbing down from my closet and making me do bad things in my sleep was not a serious concern.

I was, however, deeply concerned about sociopaths breaking into my house and killing me for no reason other than I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I became consumed with the idea that killers were everywhere, waiting to strike. Eventually, like most things, my irrational fear faded, but enough of the memory remained that I didn’t want to fuel that fire again. Sixteen years is long enough, though. I needed to remember what was so unsettling about The Strangers and see why that ending was so perfect and so flawed simultaneously.

The true stories the film is based on

The Strangers is based on several true stories. The first and most infamous was the Manson Family murders in 1969. Charles Manson convinced a group of people to break into random houses in the hopes of starting a race war that he prophesized. Sharon Tate’s murder was one of these crimes, and the killer’s use of sadistic knife play was borrowed for The Strangers.

Another story ripped from the news was the 1981 Keddie Cabin Murders. Four people were killed in a cabin in California and never caught. The motive and the killers were never determined. These murders have clear ties as the murders took place in a vacation home, and the crimes were never solved. The ending of The Strangers shows the masked trio walking away into the fog. The only motive they give is “because you were home.”

These stories still captivate us because they were grisly and confusing, and, in the case of The Keddie Cabin, Murders are unsolved. How did four people die without a trace of evidence or any suspects? That question scares us. What happened in that cabin, and could it have happened to us? Did the killer or killers continue murdering people? Did we sit next to them on a plane? The unknown has a way of turning into chaos.

The ending of The Strangers

After tormenting and terrifying James and Kristen and killing their friend, the trio kills both of them. The couple fought hard to save each other, but ultimately, they were no match for the homicidal group. The group clearly found pleasure in the pain. It was a game they enjoyed and nothing more. When asked why they did it, they answered, “Because you were home.” The intimation was that they would still be alive if they had left immediately or never gone there in the first place.

They just crossed paths with the wrong people at the wrong time. It could have been anyone, anytime, which is why the ending is so scary. The Strangers is perfectly paced and a tension-filled hour and a half that puts you in Kristen and James’ shoes. We are terrified right along with them. We were denied our resolution when we expected to get a definitive answer about why they were targeted.

Why did the ending of The Strangers feel so unfinished?

Psychologically, people want stories to have a clear conclusion. We want the story to be tied up neatly and for all questions to be answered fully. There is a reason that explained articles do so well for websites. People like answers. We like finales. It’s hardwired into our brains. The ending of The Strangers, although pretty final for James and Kristen, leaves the viewer raw and exposed. There is a need to know why they were targeted that picks at the viewer. If there is no reason, then our brains don’t know how to categorize the information. We can’t classify it and sanitize it away in a box somewhere so we can go along and feel safe knowing it won’t ever happen to us.

Why does the ending work?

The ending works for precisely the same reason so many people hated it. It is scary. It leaves you wanting more. If we don’t know why this terrible thing happened to James and Kristen, it could also happen to us. Your tolerance for the ending of The Strangers depends on your ability to move on. If you are an introvert who loves home more than anything else, then The Strangers is an absolute nightmare. If the thought of strange people possibly invading your space doesn’t freak you out, then you likely thought it was a pointless ending and nothing more. Likely, this type of well-adjusted person considers the idea of lunatics running wild couldn’t possibly be true.

This type of person doesn’t like the ending as much because it doesn’t ring true for them. For those who live in a constant state of anxiety, aren’t crazy about socializing, and would instead take a shot in the arm than go out, then The Strangers is scary no matter how much time has passed since you saw it last. I fell in this latter group, and my second watch was no less harrowing. I know I’ll be checking all my locks and glancing out of my windows more than is normal tonight. The Strangers is currently streaming on Netflix.