A dark and mysterious force swims through this movie with an unnerving and relentless tension, we bring you The Stranger review.
A low-budget independent flick filmed before and after lockdown The Stranger ties up a horror movie with a family drama and consists of some stellar performances along the way.

A burglary turns to tragedy, when Amanda’s husband is murdered in cold blood. In an attempt to free herself from her depression and start afresh, Amanda takes her teenage daughter Karli, to the other side of the country, so they can begin a new business venture, as owners of a secluded bed and breakfast hotel. 
Before they have even had chance to officially open, Amanda and Karli find themselves having to give sanctuary to Kyle – a traveller whose car has apparently broken down. 
While trying to be decent hosts for their guest, Amanda and her daughter soon become aware of Kyle’s bizarre behaviour, until he confesses that he is actually hiding in their new home from a group of supernatural hunters who will do anything they can to find and kill him. Is Kyle telling the truth, or is it all just an elaborate con? 
What stood out for me from start to finish when watching The Stranger was the calibre of the performances on screen.
Damien Ashley absolutely commands the screen in this one from the opening sequence to its finale. An absolute powerhouse performance that transcended the film’s budget and instantly knocked it up a notch in terms of believability, delivery and overall investment for me as a viewer in what was happening on screen.
Supported by Jennifer K. Preston and Isabella Percival The Stranger is certainly an independent film with a strong cast and whilst the story they were given is a slow unnerving burn their captivating performances kept me watching from start to finish.

Whilst The Stranger is certainly a headscratcher in places the inspiration behind the movie flicks from a home invasion thriller, to a horror, to a family drama and has a little bounce between them to keep us on our toes.
The Stranger, whilst dark and unsettling, falters in the pacing department as it would be near impossible to keep up any level of tension for a full film’s duration. At times the pacing meanders in various directions before hitting numerous lulls along the way.
Sadly the intriguing premise falls victim to this pacing issue and whilst this is a spoiler-free review this reoccurring issue does spoil the film’s third act as things to come a head.
The Stranger is shot quite beautifully in places with some drool-worthy forest cinematics being showcased at the end. It certainly looks head and shoulders above what a budget-constrained movie should look like. It’s very impressive to have this kind of quality to watch coming from an independent feature but it’s not without faults.

Some grading issues pop up here and there and some scenes are a little darker than they really should be but it’s something that you easily gloss over and don’t pay a great deal of attention to when watching.
The Stranger is a movie with serious potential if budget and pacing issues were rectified but nonetheless the final product here is worth a watch and supporting a UK independent horror movie is always high on my priorities list.
Watch the trailer for The Stranger below:
 

Our Rating

Summary
A slow-burn horror that certainly hits home in the right places but sadly a film that falls victim to pacing issues distracting from the core story. The Stranger is easy on the eye and has a strong premise that sadly wasn’t executed to its full potential but the movie is led by three absolutely wonderful lead actors who keep my eyes firmly peeled on screen at all times.