Let’s here it for the return of R-rated Horror at the multiplexes! THE STRANGERS came knocking last weekend and amidst some stiff competition (INDIANA JONES and some lame, old-chick flick), surprisingly held its own by raking in almost $21 million! It’s been quite some time since an R-rated genre flick made a killing at the box office (ROB ZOMBIE’S HALLOWEEN’s $30 million bow was nearly a year ago). I hope this helps spark a trend of releasing R-rated Horror to theaters at a more consistent rate.
To help further this trend, I’d like to point out (especially to the studios) that the last three PG-13 horror crapfests released (THE EYE, SHUTTER, and ONE MISSED CALL) ALL made Under $13 million in their opening weekend. That’s more than $7 million LESS than the R-rated STRANGERS. Are we bearing witness to the decline of tame/lame PG-13 horror? I believe so!
To further pimp THE STRANGERS, I’ve noticed that the majority of its reviews (including The Arrow’s right here) as well as the word of mouth have been pretty positive. I’m seeing it tomorrow and can’t wait! The one thing I don’t understand is why it’s distributor, Rogue Pictures, kept pushing back the release date. THE STRANGERS was supposed to open last July, but was removed. I guess they really wanted to be extra careful with where their movie was placed because they knew they had something special and wanted to wait for the perfect opportunity. Regardless, the move has clearly paid off, so nice job!
THE STRANGERS marks the directing/writing debut of Bryan Bertino and stars Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, Kip Weeks, Gemma Ward (below), and Laura Margolis.
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