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The Strangers

The Strangers

Date: Jul 02 2008

Themes: Pop Culture

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

Can a scary movie be too scary? That’s the point, right? But what if it’s so scary you can barely watch it. Wouldn’t that be like food so spicy you can’t eat it?

The concept behind The Strangers is familiar. Everyone has been in a house in the middle of nowhere and thought, “If something happened out here, no one would hear me scream.”

Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman are a couple spending the night at a house in the woods. They’re stalked by three masked killers who hide in the background of many of the shots unbeknownst to the characters.

Now, Beren loves scary movies. But The Strangers was almost too much. Listen to her talk to Marni about it.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Beren

Beren

Marni

Marni

Beren:  I just went and saw this movie, a scary movie, called The Strangers.

Marni:  You love scary movies. I do too and I’ve been wondering. So how was it? Scary?

Beren:  Oh my God! OK, so I kinda got roped into going, like I didn’t really want to go. I was like, “Oh, that looks stupid and I already went and saw The Ruins,” which was awesome too. Anyway, I was like, “I don’t really want to go.” And I’d read reviews and I remember being on the Internet that day and just glancing over CNN or something like there was a critic weighing in, “Is it maybe too scary? Is that why it’s getting ripped to shreds?”

Marni:  Oh, interesting!

Beren:  So that piqued my curiosity.

Marni:  Too scary? What is that? What constitutes “too scary”?

Beren:  So I went to the theater and I was with two friends. The movie starts and I’d say within 15, 20 minutes, I wanted to run to the front of the screen, in front of all those people and just scream and shake my head and run out of the theater. I seriously was so scared…

Marni:  You couldn’t handle it?

Beren:  I couldn’t handle it. I can handle really scary movies, but I was hiding. I was just like, “Oh my God.”

Marni:  Because it’s based on true events, right?

Beren:  Mm-hmm. Like a couple goes out into the country…out in the middle of nowhere. It was brutal from beginning to end. You’re just like, “I cannot believe this.” And I think that’s what makes it so scary it’s…there’s no humor, really. It’s unrelenting.

 

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Discussion

Beren’s friends took her to see The Strangers even though she didn’t really want to see it. A few minutes in, she thought about leaving, but not because the movie was bad…because it was just so scary!

The story was inspired by true events, and like a real-life murder there is little humor. It’s terrifying from beginning to end. So if that sounds like fun to you, check it out.

Have you ever been afraid while you were in the woods? What’s sort of setting is the scariest to you?

 

Comments

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Duran-198523

China

some scary movie scare people by bloody scene,which cause physical human fear  directly!others make use of mental things affecting mind! i'm afraid of first one more!

08:46 PM Jul 02 2008 |

Sawdestination

Mexico

I have not seen "The Strangers" because it won´t screen at the movie theaters until the last days of July or  beginning August. But since the beginning the tag "Based in true events" it´s kind of tricky in this movie, because in fact it´s not based in a real case but in many parts of many events!! But even if I knew about this, I´d like to see it, because I´m a fan of horror movies!!

The best horror movies I´ve ever seen are Audition (the last 20 minutes are too shocking!!), The ring (Samara going out of the TV), Saw (the beginnings of Saw 3 and 4!!), Final destination 2 (gory accidents), "A tale of two sisters" (everything has an explanation!!), "High tension" and "The hills have eyes" of Alexandre Axá (so violent!!!). And for the classics "The exorcist"!!!!

03:49 PM Jul 02 2008 |

Dafi

Dafi

Malaysia

i have been watching a bunch of scary movies but Long Khong (art of the devil) movie from Thailand totally creep me out because its totally Scary,the movie is about Black magic and revenge…the scenes that made me freaky is when she burned her victim legs by a blow torch and so on..so you have to check it out…

03:22 PM Jul 02 2008 |

Dafi

Dafi

Malaysia

great lesson ;p

03:06 PM Jul 02 2008 |

figi

figi

Turkey

i didnt watch "the strangers"..but i like watching scary movies…it excites me:Pmy heartbeats are really fast when i watch them(i mean real scary)but sometimes they can be really funny:P

the movies which excited me:

28 days later,28 weeks later,saw,final destination 1,*chucky(when i was a kid:)i remember these right now..i saw too much but i dont remember:P

the scary movies which smiled me:

scream,the haunting,aliens vs. predator,the eye(japon version),and all turkish scary movies…

02:40 PM Jul 02 2008 |

JasmineLuong

Viet Nam

I , in fact, don't like scary movie. I would be haunted th whole week following. So i don't often watch scary movie. But it will be less scary to watch horror film with one or two people.

02:19 PM Jul 02 2008 |

gerry_love_you

Macao

I love scary movie,this story so funny ,I love it,I hope next movie funny more than today’s.

01:59 PM Jul 02 2008 |

chilneal

Liberia

SCARY MOVIES  IS MY BEST, I LOVE WATCHING SCARY MOVIES, NOT THE FOOLISH ONE, AND AFTER WATCHING IT I GO SOUND TO BED. SO I LOVE IT

01:07 PM Jul 02 2008 |

maggiewangdandan

China

    The age of thrills.

    thrills ,indeed,are merely an amusement,the reason is that people become addicted to the scary things,just like the scary movies.scary movies can make you give vent to the real world and and enjoy the amusement ,and forget the unhappy etc.when you are watching that ,your tight nervous will  make you feel relaxed,dilute the boring.

   after my working,i suddently like to watch the scary movies,and enjoy the sight effect.i can immerse in it forget everything,happy or unhappy.

   my boyfriend says it is abnormal for a woman to watch that disgusting things, i have no words to retort,but i like it.

01:02 PM Jul 02 2008 |

nt.shirley

nt.shirley

China

The scary movies I have ever seen before are not so terrible, the most scariest thing in movies is the background misic, especially a sudden scream.

And now I like to read scary stories, and at most of time, I will imange how it would be like if it were a film. Then the result will be I don't dare to sleep alone at night.

Not only in wood, scary things can happen everywhere, including by the sea and your apartment in the city.

Just be a kind person, the ghost will be far away from you.

08:40 AM Jul 02 2008 |

Jack0398

Jack0398

China

I have seen some scary movies, like ghost movies, but they're not so scary to frighten me. And I haven't seen the movie of The Stranger. If it's based on the true event it'll be more scary. I listened scary stories. It  was really scary then because of its being based on the real reality. I don't know whether the scary movie is a good thing or not. But if it reveals something valuable,such as being honest, true love, it's worth watching. If it only intends to horrify people, just throw it into the rubbish bin.

08:12 AM Jul 02 2008 |

mim_dica

mim_dica

India

Coolwell i have seen many scary movies .and i love to see more but not stupid films .

its such a kind of experience that its difficult to say.but its really intresting.

 

07:53 AM Jul 02 2008 |

Dekler

Dekler

Kazakhstan

I like scary movie, especially with well content in,
but stupid movies like ruins and etc…it's not a variant to wate time for them…

to my luck I've never stayed so far from the city in the any woods)

06:15 AM Jul 02 2008 |

Dekler

Dekler

Kazakhstan

I like scary movie, especially with well content in,
but stupid movies like ruins and etc…it's not a variant to wate time for them…

to my luck I've never stayed so far from the city in the any woods)

06:15 AM Jul 02 2008 |

Snailflying

China

I had never seen a moive so scary~

06:14 AM Jul 02 2008 |

iris20512

iris20512

Taiwan

an interesting point of view~ i can’t agree more!

04:03 AM Jul 02 2008 |

iris20512

iris20512

Taiwan

I think that's why I don't like to watch scary movies or any kinda related programs ~ i don't wanna experience any unpleasant feelings which make me feel creepy!Cry

04:02 AM Jul 02 2008 |

rameez

rameez

Pakistan

Well, I have no intrest in the scary movies. So, its my Good luck not being scary by any one:)

03:24 AM Jul 02 2008 |

Lucy_chen

Lucy_chen

China

yeah,so i never do that.See the scary movie

02:49 AM Jul 02 2008 |

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