STRANGERS diary of the dead land of the dead

THE STRANGERS: When it comes to horror films, there are really two distinct types: the gothic creature features that ooze slime and invade from some parallel dimension or the “real world” monsters who lurk at the edges of your neighborhood. Both are fun, but the latter tends to be more disturbing. The Strangers stalks the same streets as John Carpenter’s Halloween, offering no explanation for the vicious actions of its main characters who hide behind masks and terrorize a young couple at 4am at the dark end of a dead end street. When the victims ask the inevitable question “Why are you doing this to us?” the answer is frighteningly obtuse: “Because you were home.” First time writer / director Bryan Bertino turns the screws beautifully for the first 45-minutes, creating a tragically real relationship for our doomed couple (Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman), giving the audience a stake in their survival. He then proceeds to scare the pants of you with nothing more than footsteps, squeaking doors and broken glass. There hasn’t been a film that used sound this well since Robert Wise’s The Haunting way back in ’63. Which is appropriate, since The Strangers is the best haunted house movie not featuring ghosts I’ve ever seen. As things wrap up, Bertino’s flick ditches its Carpenter vibe for a more Last House on the Left level of violence. Disappointing, but not enough to spoil all the scares that came before it. Universal’s Blu-ray features the unrated and theatrical version along with a relatively lame featurettes and collection of deleted scenes. The BD-Live functionality was no yet active at the time of review but allows for on-line interactivity between viewers. DIARY OF THE DEAD: Filmmakers walk a fine line between pleasing themselves and pleasing their fans, particularly in the horror genre, where a successful career can often feel like a life sentence. George Romero owes his livelihood to Night of the Living Dead, but always seemed to bear a grudge. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; Dawn of the Dead (1978) feels like the work of an artist who just happens to be using the conventions of horror to tell a story. But after drifting through Hollywood limbo for decades and watching the next generation overshadow his work, Romero likely realized that the only way he could continue to make films would be to reunite with the living dead. Land of the Dead finds the director still trying to buck the system from within. Not content to merely let his ghouls be ghouls, Romero imbues them with all the filth and fury of an undead revolution, raging against the machine of a society built upon capitalist (re: Republican) abuse of power. It’s well-intentioned, but very heavy-handed. Land works best when it sticks with its band of ragtag outcasts let by Simon Baker and Asia Argento who serve as the typical Romero microcosm harkening back to his indie days. But the Fangoria crowd still demands their pound of flesh, and Diary of the Dead is the first Romero film that seems to sell-out, not just in terms of commercial appeal but in his general disinterest towards the zombie mythology he himself created. Shot in the now-common Blair Witch style, a group of college film students document their cross country journey towards some sort of safe haven after most of the world’s population “wake up dead.” To be honest, I actually prefer the straight-up scares of Diary to the political posturing of Land. The zombie death sequences are particularly inspired, with some of the most creative gore since long time collaborator Tom Savini parted ways. The film still has an agenda - something about media’s role in desensitizing us to the horrors of the world - but coming out of the mouths of 20-somethings it just doesn’t carry much weight. Both Blu-ray transfers are phenomenally good. That’s something you’d expect from the studio produced Land, but Diary looks surprisingly good in hi-def with crisp, clear photography despite the film’s handheld camera conceit. And the Dimension folks outdo themselves on the Diary extras as well, including a commentary, feature-length documentary and five short zombie films chosen as the winners of a MySpace contest.