<Tr> <Th> Box office </Th> <Td> $82.4 million </Td> </Tr> <P> The Strangers is a 2008 American horror film written and directed by Bryan Bertino and starring Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman . The film follows a young couple who are terrorized by three masked assailants over the course of an evening at a remote summer home . </P> <P> Writer - director Bertino was inspired by two real - life events: the Manson family Tate murders, a multiple homicide that occurred in California in 1969; and a series of break - ins that occurred in his own neighborhood as a child . Made on a budget of $9 million, the film was shot on location in rural South Carolina in the fall of 2006 . At the 2007 San Diego Comic Con, Bertino appeared with stars Tyler and Speedman, and premiered a teaser trailer promoting the film . </P> <P> Originally slated for a theatrical release in November 2007, its release date was postponed, and it received a wide theatrical release on May 30, 2008 . It grossed $82.4 million at the box office worldwide . Although a box office hit, it received mixed reviews from critics, with some praising its atmosphere and tension, and others criticizing its script and characters . Contemporary film scholars have interpreted the film as a criticism of the perceived safety of pastoral life, as well as an exploration of stranger - on - stranger violence . </P>

Where did the true events of the strangers happen
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