Horror Movie Review: Intruders (2011)

You should want the title of your movie to grab people’s attention, to make them wonder just what the movie might hold in store for them. A bland, undescriptive name isn’t going to sell itself to those who judge a book by its cover. It’s got to be difficult naming a horror movie now, with so many released over such a long period of time repeats are inevitable. Put the title of this movie into Google & you’re more likely to bring up a movie released in 2015 called The Intruders or a 1962 movie called The Intruder or a 1989 movie called Intruder.

It’s a pretty dumb name especially as there is a more obvious name they should have gone with…Hollow Face.

Intruders is a movie divided into two…one part of story takes place in Spain & surrounds Luisa, a single mother struggling to deal with her son, Juan’s night terrors. The boy has nightmares of a monster known only as Hollow Face climbing into their apartment & trying to kill them. As the movie progresses this nightmares become more & more real & terrifying resulting in his mother believing he might even be possessed.

The other part deals with John Farrow (played by the constantly perplexed Clive Owen), his wife Susanna & their teenage daughter Mia who discovers a hidden box in a tree at their grandparents house with a story about Hollow Face inside. She repeats the story for a school project but is soon haunted by the mysterious figure too.

Just what is Hollow Face and what links it to both Mia & Juan?

Intruders is a movie of two halves…one part telling an interesting mystery story around the character Hollow Face with a few twists & turns that work pretty well. The other is the parental struggle & worry that comes with something unexplained happening to their children. The problem is that both don’t equate to a scary story.

Hollow Face isn’t a scary figure…its goal unclear & the manner in which it behaves confusing at times. While by the end this will make sense it leaves a few too many loose ends to be completely satisfying.

Of the two stories taking place the Spanish side is far more interesting with far better actors. Juan is just a young boy with an active imagination & it’s easy to sympathise with his mother struggling to balance single parenthood, demands of the church & her son’s nightmares. There are small clues dotted around that offer insight into just exactly what is going on & it when it all starts to come together it is a nice surprise, although the Spanish side of the story makes more sense than the other.

The biggest issues facing Intruders is the acting from the English side of the movie, Clive Owen while way better than most of his movies still spends most of his time looking perplexed & unsure of what he should be doing next. His relationship with his daughter is unconvincing & his wife plays such a minor role in the events she might as well not even be there. Although Owen’s reaction to a particular revelation made me laugh as it is such an English reaction.

The movie has been universally panned which I think is a little unfair. It’s barely a horror movie but creates enough tension & intrigue to keep you watching until the credits roll.