"The Strangers" is about a night that begins badly and then grows horribly worse. A young couple, James Hoyt (Scott Speedman) and Kristen McCay (Liv Tyler) have left a wedding reception to drive through the night to the summer home of James' parents. The couple has been arguing. It's very late, nearly four in the morning. Upon arrival, they sit in stony silence, angry at one another, when there's a sudden loud knock at the door. A creepy young woman is there, and later, three very dangerous masked strangers, with ill will on their minds.

This is the stuff of many horror films, but in "The Strangers," first-time director Bryan Bertino knows his stuff, and he takes a perverse pleasure in toying with us unbearably. "The Strangers" has a deceptively lean plot, few actors, hardly any dialogue, and virtually no blood or gore. The body count is low. And yet, unlike all the CGI-laden blockbusters or outrageous comedies we've been bombarded with lately, "The Strangers" actually delivers the most effective thrills of the summer.

James and Kristen are in trouble emotionally, their night ruined by Kristen's rejection of his marriage proposal. The tension mounts right away, as we wonder what is going on with them -- the argument is never really explained. When the masked trio begins taunting these two, first with loud knocks and then smashed windows and bloody graffiti, we're not entirely certain this unstable couple will succeed in escaping.

Details overwhelm us during every minute of this film. Knives left in the open, dark curtains, wind chimes and even a skipping record of Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried" set us on edge.

It's to the film's considerable credit that we can predict much of the outcome and still be riveted. In reflection, you'll be surprised at how little violence goes a long way, and none of the usual promises of safety are in the least comforting. Never has a coming sunrise appeared less promising.

Don't expect a shocking climax, a la "Scream," or the unstoppable killers that peopled the "Friday the 13th" and "Elm Street" franchises. Our killers are unmasked but their faces are never shown, and in the end they reveal themselves to be nothing more than mere people. "The Strangers,"then, could be any one of us, perhaps the most frightening thought of all.