<Tr> <Th> Budget </Th> <Td> $9 million </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Box office </Th> <Td> $82.4 million </Td> </Tr> <P> The Strangers is a 2008 American slasher film written and directed by Bryan Bertino . Kristen (Liv Tyler) and James (Scott Speedman) are expecting a relaxing weekend at a family vacation home, but their stay turns out to be anything but peaceful as three masked torturers leave Kristen and James struggling for survival . Writer - director Bertino was inspired by real - life events: the Manson family Tate murders, a multiple homicide; the Keddie Cabin Murders, that occurred in California in 1981; 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 . </P> <P> Originally slated for a theatrical release in November 2007, it was postponed before a theatrical release on May 30, 2008 . It grossed $82 million at the box office worldwide and received mixed reviews from critics, with some praising its atmosphere and tension, and others criticizing its script and characters . Contemporary film scholars have interpreted it as a criticism of the perceived safety of pastoral life, as well as an exploration of stranger - on - stranger violence . A sequel, titled The Strangers: Prey at Night, was released ten years later on March 9, 2018 . </P>

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