The Little Stranger

20th Century Fox | Release Date: August 31, 2018

6.0	USER SCORE Mixed or average reviews based on 33 Ratings

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Rebecca31Oct 8, 2018

I recently gave out about a certain horror movie that was loud, over the top and in your face it became boring so in a way I think I deserved this. The Little Stranger is extremely subtle and dull I've never had to try so hard to fight offI recently gave out about a certain horror movie that was loud, over the top and in your face it became boring so in a way I think I deserved this. The Little Stranger is extremely subtle and dull I've never had to try so hard to fight off sleep during a movie.

Doctor Faraday (Domhnall Gleeson) pays a visit to the incredibly creepy and deteriorating Ayres mansion, a house that he remembers from his childhood and soon gets to know the people still left in it. Although the rest of the community seems reluctant to have any dealings with the Ayres, Faraday is drawn to them. Yet the more time he spends there he more he starts to realise that things may not be quite what they seem. The house has become neglected, run down and the family living there appear to be haunted by something unknown. I wasn't invested in the story and I felt there was too little happening. The character development seemed forgotten and the entire time I was waiting for something to happen only to have nothing happen. It's incredibly atmospheric and builds the increasing sense of dread that other horror movies fail miserably at but with no payoff. I really felt like I wasted my time on this one. Yet I'm just one opinion, you may feel differently so The Little Stranger is recommended for the Domhnall Gleeson/Lenny Abrahamson fans. Although be sure to hurry up and catch this one because it won't be in the cinemas much longer. Two stars for Will Poulter's performance because he was the only character I was interested in and there wasn't enough of him.… Expand

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Trineo99Nov 9, 2018

One of the only things that was good about this film was the scenery. The scenery was stunning in practical all the scenes. The set desgins were also lovely. The sets looked like some out of the the 1940s. Domhnall Gleeson who plays FaradayOne of the only things that was good about this film was the scenery. The scenery was stunning in practical all the scenes. The set desgins were also lovely. The sets looked like some out of the the 1940s. Domhnall Gleeson who plays Faraday also did his best in this film. He and Ruth Wilson were the only people in this film, in my opinion that were giving it their all. They don't have much emotion to give but they did stand out jobs. Now like I said before this movie is boring. Thank God the film had something nice to look at in the background because the dialogue in this is so bland and boring. Before watching this movie I read some articles on it and apparently this film was supposed to be three and a half hours long and I could tell. There were so many awkward and terrible transtions that made no snese, like there should of been a scene there but they cut it out. I can understand cutting it down but they could of made it so it was a different time length just so we can understand the story better. Also the story was so hard to follow. It was hard to follow because they have no backstory what so ever, like I said this is based off a book. And I couldn't figure out who and or what the main villain was, and I still don't know. I don't want to go on with how bad this movie was because I could. In the end this movie is really beautifully shot and the sets look gorgeous. So if you like well shot movies and or if you read the book then I recommend you see this movie but if not avoid this movie at all costs.… Expand

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JLuis_001Apr 23, 2019

This little film is one of those spooky stories that I like a lot yet never feels quite solid to be honest.
It's gonna sound weird but even though Domhnall Gleeson gives a good performance, it was hard for me watching him in this genre. FeltThis little film is one of those spooky stories that I like a lot yet never feels quite solid to be honest.
It's gonna sound weird but even though Domhnall Gleeson gives a good performance, it was hard for me watching him in this genre. Felt like an outsider.

Nonetheless I liked it, although I wasn't blown away but I think it's a pretty good choice anytime. I'm also really interested in getting the book in which the script is based.… Expand

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Bertaut1Sep 27, 2018

An "atmospheric chamber drama" without any atmosphere, and precious little drama

The Little Stranger was a huge box office bomb ($417,000 gross in its opening weekend), and easily the weakest film in director Lenny Abrahamson's thus farAn "atmospheric chamber drama" without any atmosphere, and precious little drama

The Little Stranger was a huge box office bomb ($417,000 gross in its opening weekend), and easily the weakest film in director Lenny Abrahamson's thus far impressive oeuvre. Based on Sarah Waters's 2009 novel, the story takes in Warwickshire, 1948. Dr. Faraday (Domhnall Gleeson) is a country physician obsessed with the opulent Hundreds Hall estate where his mother worked as a maid. However, by 1948, Hundreds is in a state of disrepair, with the Ayers family who own it are in serious financial trouble; Angela (Charlotte Rampling), matriarch of the dynasty, who never recovered from the death of her eight-year-old daughter, Susan; Caroline (Ruth Wilson), her daughter; Roderick (Will Poulter), Angela's son, a badly-burned RAF pilot suffering from PTSD; and Betty (Liv Hill), the maid. When Betty takes ill, Faraday is summoned, soon ingratiating himself with the family. However, as mysterious things start to happen, Angela becomes convinced the spirit of Susan is with them. Meanwhile, Faraday and Caroline become romantically involved.

Aspiring to blend elements of "big house"-based mystery narratives such as Jane Eyre (1847), Great Expectations (1861), and Rebecca (1938), with more gothic-infused ghost stories such as "The Fall of the House of Usher" (1839), The Turn of the Screw (1898), and The Haunting of Hill House (1959), The Little Stranger is not especially interested in the supernatural aspects of the story per se. In this sense, Abrahamson and screenwriter Lucinda Coxon have, to a certain extent, created an anti-ghost story, which eschews virtually every trope of the genre.

With this in mind, the main theme of the film is Faraday's attempts to ingratiate himself with the Ayers', to transform himself into a blue blood, with his commitment to his own upward mobility far stronger than his commitment to the Hippocratic Oath. He is immediately dismissive of the possibility of any supernatural agency in the house, and, far more morally repugnant, he does everything he can to convince those who believe the house is haunted that they are losing their minds.

However, for me, virtually nothing about the film worked. Yes, it has been horribly advertised, and yes, it is more interested in playing with our notions of what a ghost story can be, subverting generic tropes. I understand what Abrahamson was trying to do. The problem is that he also shuns the standard alternative to jump scares - creeping existential dread - and as a result, it remains all very subtle, and all very, very boring.

One of the main issues is Faraday's emotional detachment. I get that he's the ostensible villain, so we're not meant to empathise with him. However, Gleeson practically sleepwalks his way through the film, getting excited or upset about (almost) nothing. I know detachment is precisely the point, but, firstly, we've seen Gleeson play this character multiple times before - all brittle, buttoned-down intellectualism - and secondly, he comes across as more robotic than detached, and after twenty minutes, I was thoroughly bored of him, and just stopped caring.

Partly because of this, and partly because of the repetitive script, the film is just insanely and unrelentingly dull. Now, I don't mind films in which nothing dramatic happens, but in The Little Stranger nothing whatsoever happens, dramatic or otherwise. The pacing is absolutely torturous.

One thing I will praise unreservedly, however, is the sound design. For example, just prior to a dog attack, the sound becomes echo-like and the picture starts to move in and out of focus, as the camera shows Faraday in a BCU, suggesting he is becoming unglued from his environment. This also happens later on with Roderick, just prior to a fire. Perhaps the most interesting scene from an aural perspective is a scene near the end of the film. As Angela examines a room, the distorted and difficult to identify sound becomes deafening. However, as the other characters run through the house towards the noise, all sound is pulled out almost entirely, with only the barest hint of footfalls detectable. This is extremely jarring and extremely effective.

However, beyond that, this just did nothing for me; I didn't care about any of the characters, the social commentary was insipid and said nothing of interest, the supernatural aspects are so underplayed as to be virtually invisible, and, most unforgivably, the film is terminally boring.… Expand

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geewahDec 21, 2020

Being a fan of the three leads (Wilson, Gleeson & Rampling), I watched this with some high hopes but came away disappointed.

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