The film starts with ominous music playing over opening titles. Scenes of increasingly isolated houses establish a sense of suspense and isolation for the main characters. Shots of a damaged car, bloody knife, and other clues show the aftermath of a violent incident at an isolated house. Intercut with these clues is a 911 call from one of two boys who have discovered the aftermath, setting up the main story of the film.

1. The Strangers - OpeningAnalysis
Thisfilmstartsoff witha black screen,andbassheavymusicplayingstraightoff the bat.Titlesfade
on and off screentellingthe audiencethe productioncompanyinvolvedwiththisfilm.Withthe
musicstill playinginthe background,we are able toheara narrator readingthe textthatfadeso and
off of screennext.The textgivesthe audience abrief descriptionof the eventsthattake place
before the movie begins,andalsogivesateaserasto how the filmmight finish.
There isthena soundbridge of a car startingupand driving.There isthenamontage of different
housesfadinginandout of shot.Each house thatappearsseemstobecome more andmore isolated
inrelationtolocation.Thisgivesthe audience anideaof how hiddenfromsocietythiscouplewill be.
It will alsogive the sense of noescape,andnoone to call for help.The montage andthe musicgive
off the feelingof suspense,alreadygivingthe audience ataste of what theymightfeel later oninthe
film.We thenheara soundbridge of a 911 telephone operatortalkingtosomeoneonthe otherline.
There isthena shotfromthe frontof a car, and the windshieldhasamassive hole init.There are
twoboys standingfarbehindthe trucks,and the camera pans andtracks until theycan be seen
throughthe hole inthe windshield.

2. The audience canalso see the areathat theyare in,and theyseemtobe surroundedbyforest.This
givesa true feelingof isolation.there isthenahandheldlong shot,frominside ahouse,of the two
boyswalkingthroughanopendoor.Theyare lookingaroundasif to signifythattheyhave foundthis
place openandbusted,to showthe audience thattheyare not a part of the mainstory.There is
thena close up shotof a vinyl recordspinning,butnomusiciscomingout.Thenthere isa close up
shotof a ring box on the floorsurroundedbyrose petals.Thenthere isaclose upshot of a bloody
knife lyingonthe floor.A mediumclose upshotof a wall splatteredin bloodisthenshownon
screen.
And finally,there isamediumclose upshotof a shotgunplacedon a countertop.These five shots
tell a storyinitself,of howa couple were goingtohave a romanticgetaway, andone of themwas
goingto propose,but itall got interruptedbyabrutal andviolenthappening.Whilstall these shots
are comingontoscreen,we can hearthe 911 call goingon in the background.If youlistentowhat
the personissaying,youwill thenrealisethatthe personcallingisone of the twoboysthat went
intothe house.Byshowingall these clips,ittellsthe audience thatthisisthe aftermathof what
happensinthe movie.The voice thenechoesoutandthe audience isleftwithablackscreen.The
musicthen becomesmore grungy as the title of the film, The Strangers,appearsonscreen.Thisis
whenthe movie begins.