The Strangers gave me ideas for a thriller as it uses predictable horror in an unpredictable way. Stuff which you'd expect to happen does, but either before or after you think it will. It also uses simple things to make it scary like them moving stuff around the room but only slightly and enough for the woman. The story is predictable, but there are twists. The use of lighting and the dark is also a huge tool in making the film scary, there is a scene where the masked man is following the woman through her house without her knowing. The way this makes the audience feel is why its scary as you want her to know that he's there. Later on in the film she is trapped behind a slatted door and can see the man walking through the house looking for her and sit on the couch, although you expect him to see and catch her, there is a slight twist. Another masked woman jumps from the side and starts shaking the door and making it seem like she's trying to get to her. These sort of simple horrors are predictable, but because you expect them, but no the way they actually happen, it is quite scary. There is a really good use of music in the film as when the masked people are axing down the door, there's a fairly upbeat song which makes you feel weird as the music is making the axing look more sinister and creepy, especially since the record gets stuck on one line which makes the scene seem really surreal.
The masks also are a big part in making the film creepy because you don't know what the people look like which makes them seem unhuman and makes them seem like they have no identities, which is a good way to make an opening to a film scary, especially with the light and dark which is used in this film. This film has given me a lot of ideas on making an opening to a thriller or horror movie, using simple things like masks and darkness, the main problem is its a cliche.
Another big factor in making it scary is the idea that what your watching is based on a true story.
