Berardinelli of ReelViews gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, saying that, "This is one of those rare horror movies that concentrates on suspense and terror rather than on gore and a high body count." Scott Tobias of The A.V. Club said that "as an exercise in controlled mayhem, horror movies don't get much scarier." Additional positive feedback for the film came from Joblo.com reviewer Berge Garabedian, who praised director Bertino for "building the tension nicely, with lots of silences, creepy voices, jump scares, use of songs and a sharp eye behind the camera, as well as plenty of Steadicam give it all more of a voyeuristic feel." Empire Magazine remarked on the film's retro-style, saying, "Like much recent horror, from the homages of the Grindhouse gang through flat multiplex remakes of drive-in classics, The Strangers looks to the '70s.", and ultimately branded the film as "an effective, scary emotional work-out." Slant Magazines Nick Schager listed The Strangers as the 9th best film of 2008. In 2009, the film was ranked #13 on "Bravo's 13 Scarier Movie Moments" television piece, and in a 2018 retrospective, Clark Collis of Entertainment Weekly deemed the film a "modern-day slasher classic." The A.V. Club named it the 23rd best horror film made since 2000. Sequels In August 2008, Rogue Pictures confirmed that a sequel was in the works, with Brian Bertino co-writing the screenplay with Ben Ketai. The project was originally slated to enter principal photography in 2009, during which time it was tentatively titled The Strangers: Part II. Directors Laurent Briet and Marcel Langenegger were considered to direct, but landed eventually to Johannes Roberts. After a troubled development period, filming on the sequel began May 30, 2017. Later titled The Strangers: Prey at Night, the film was released on March 9, 2018. See also List of films featuring home invasions References Sources External links The Strangers (film series) 2008 films 2008 directorial debut films 2008 horror films 2008 independent films 2008 psychological thriller films 2000s horror thriller films 2000s psychological horror films 2000s serial killer films American horror thriller films American psychological horror films American psychological thriller films American serial killer films Films about couples Films about stalking Films produced by Roy Lee Films scored by Tomandandy Films set in 2005 Films set in country houses Films shot in South Carolina Focus Features films Home invasions in film Intrepid Pictures films Mandate