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Released By: Shout Factory
Released On: October 6, 2015
Director: Guillermo Amoedo
Cast: Cristobal Tapia Montt, Lorenza Izzo
Year: 2014
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The Movie:
When a stranger comes to dinner, it's usually a cue to start up 90 minutes of merry mishaps and comedic awkwardness, or a raging shitshow of horror. In the case of The Stranger, the new film from Guillermo Amoedo, the arrival of a stranger in a small town leads more towards the latter, with a hint of the supernatural thrown in for good measure. When teenaged Peter opens his front door one night, he finds Martin; a confused-looking man searching for a woman named Ana. Finding that she no longer lives there, but instead resides in a local cemetery, Martin rests his weary head on a park bench to reflect on the search that has carried him through a number of years.
That rest is short-lived, however, when he's beset upon by a gang of local ruffians. Led by the sinister-looking Caleb DeLuca, the youths beat Martin to a pulp, halting momentarily when they realize that Peter, out spraypainting everything in sight is a witness to the crime; but quickly and no less maliciously resume, with Caleb driving a knife into Martin's body. Peter flees the scene, but later returns and witnesses Caleb and his police lieutenant father burying the body, until they are forced to abandon the task by an important police call. Rushing to Martin's side, he finds the bearded stranger still breathing and brings him home, where he witnesses the abnormal healing powers of Martin's blood. Unfortunately for Peter, his arsenal of spray cans left at the scene of the crime cause Caleb and his gang to come calling, threatening to burn down the house with a molotov cocktail. Martin's surprise intervention is swift, though, and Caleb is burned horribly, destined to spend the rest of his short life in a burn ward.
Understandably displeased with the situation, Caleb's cop father comes a-knockin' for retribution, torturing Peter by fire to get answers on where to find Martin. And when Peter's burns are miraculously cured by the application of Martin's blood, Lieutenant DeLuca makes it his mission to get some of that blood to save his own son. It's a bizarre confrontation of corrupt cop versus supernatural creature, but underneath is the story of how far two men will go to save their respective families.
The Stranger, a recent entry in the realm of Chilean films marketed to English-speaking audiences is a worthy addition to the horror genre. Not bound to Hollywood convention...or even indie convention, which seems too concerned with overdoing the found footage motif...it builds slowly but effectively, and offers a number of cool twists and surprises. Amoedo's mysterious but convincing characters move about in ways not commonly seen in horror, but manage to bring a quality of realism to the story without betraying the supernatural element that plays so heavily throughout. By telling Martin's story through gradual flashback, he creates tension and mystery, refusing to spell it all out in typical linear form. Despite a slightly weak ending, Amoedo does a fantastic job of showing what can be done with simple direction and storytelling when it's done effectively.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The Stranger comes to blu-ray in a 2.35:1 transfer that looks amazing, with solid blacks and a consistent detail through the multitude of night scenes. Lines are crisp, the picture is beautiful, and there are no issues to speak of that mar the quality. The Dolby True HD 5.1 audio track is equally as impressive, with liberal use of the surrounds that immerses the viewer in the film instead of tearing them out of it with overuse. Dialogue is consistently clear and well-balanced with the rest of the track, and dynamic range is good with no flaws.
A short film, The Fourth Horseman (10:45) is the first extra feature found, and consists essentially of the material that makes up Martin's flashbacks in the film, though some of the faces differ from the film version.
Welcome to Chilewood (6:24) is a brief look with Eli Roth and other players at the Chilean film effort and particularly Sobras International to produce high-quality, English-speaking films. While extremely short, it's definitely worth seeing.
A still gallery/slideshow and two trailers (US and Chile) are also included.
The Final Word:
A solid effort from a relative newcomer to writing and directing, The Stranger has a fair bit more to offer than most modern horror.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
