Soundtrack Review: The Strangers

By Jeff Swindoll May 23, 2008, 12:54 GMT

The Strangers is a film about a couple (Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman) who find themselves terrorized by masked intruders in their home.  The score is provided by tomandandy, a duo alternately known as Thomas Hajdu and Andy Milburn. 

Although the film does look creepy, those masks the intruders where seem really odd and creepy, the score is one that I’d describe as a minimalist one.  The duo doesn’t really go for the “boo and bang” of your normal horror film (or would the makers of this one prefer the term thriller?) and instead goes the other way.

You might reach for your volume control since some of the sounds are so soft and light that you might think it turned down.  Whatever they do, there’s always an undercurrent of tension as the film does look like one that makes great use of the tension and horror of having your home invaded. 

Both tom and andy are not averse to having a little musical “jump scare” either (so you better make sure you didn’t turn the volume up too much). 

It’s a creepy score for what appears to be a movie that well makes you jump as well as make sure that the doors are locked at night.