Quibi’s cat-and-mouse thrillerThe Strangerdebuted back in April when the mobile streaming service first launched, but genre fans have been discovering it throughout the summer, and if you still haven’t seen it, I’m here to convince you to give it – and Quibi itself – a chance.
The Strangerhails fromVeena Sud, who created the acclaimed TV seriesThe Killing.Maika Monroe(It Follows) stars as Clare, a new-to-LA rideshare driver who picks up a dangerous passenger known simply as Carl E. (Dane DeHaan), who seems to know everything about her. Over the course of one long, deadly night, Clare must use her wits to survive and keep her assailant’s body count to a minimum.
Now, if that description didn’t quite sell you, let me try something else. Below are a list of 10 movies that have elements in common withThe Stranger, be it the same star, a similar story, or a shared visual aesthetic. There are a couple of horror movies on the list, thoughThe Strangeritself is more of a psychological thriller that preys on your fear, so don’t expect a gorefest.
The point is that if you identify as a fan of any these ten (er, 12) films, I think you’ll likeThe Strangeras well. It moves at a fast pace and its two talented stars ratchet up the fear factor, so don’t be surprised when you find yourself on the edge of your seat and unable to avoid watching the next chapter in this gripping, propulsive story.
Check out the list below, and if you think our taste aligns then be sure and watchThe Stranger, whichis now available to stream on Quibi.
Collateral
Collateralmay be the most obvious influence onThe Stranger, seeing as how it also follows a psycho who hops into the backseat of a cab. Now,Tom Cruise’s silver-haired assassin Vincent isn’t playing a cat-and-mouse game withJamie Foxx’s ambitious cab driver Max, as he’s out to kill a very specific group of people, but Max is still very much in grave danger. Just as Carl E. has positioned himself to stay one step ahead of his prey, Vincent makes sure he always has the drop on his targets. like Carl E., Vincent is cunning, calculating and very, very deadly.The Strangermay not be a modern classic likeCollateral, but if you dig thisMichael Mannmovie, chances are you’ll enjoy the Quibi series as well.
The Hitcher
LikeCollateral, this is the movie that seems to share the most cultural DNA withThe Stranger, as it also falls under the “passenger-from-hell” genre. In this case,C. Thomas Howell’s nice guy Jim picks up a hitchhiker played byRutger Hauer, who happens to be a homicidal maniac. The man, aptly named John Ryder, tells him he murdered another driver and plans to murder Jim, but what he wants is for Jim to stop him. Thus begins a cat-and-mouse game that has deadly consequences – you know, just like inThe Stranger, whereDane DeHaan’s Carl E. huntsMaika Monroe’s Clare, though many other people end up paying the price when they get in the way. InThe Stranger, the villain’s pursuit is personal, whereasThe Hitcheris more random, though to be honest, I’m not sure which scenario is scarier.
Nick of Time
The Strangeris a real-time thriller set in Los Angeles, and so is this little-seen 1995 gem, which has been a guilty pleasure of mine since I was a teenager.Johnny Deppplays a father whose kidnapped daughter will only be returned if he assassinates a politician, played byMarsha Mason. Much likeThe Stranger, this film takes place in a world where someone is always watching, so whether you’re paranoid or vigilant, you have to keep your guard up at all times.Christopher Walkenco-stars as the bad man forcing Depp’s hand, whileCharles S. Duttonplays the only man Depp can trust. Every movie and TV show needs a character like that, and Dutton is toNick of TimewhatAvan Jogia’s gas station attendant is toThe Stranger.
Well, this is an easy connection to make. if you likeChronicle, you’re probably a fan of Dane DeHaan’s creepy performance as Andrew Detmer, a boy who is frequently abused by his father as his mother dies of cancer in the next room, so when he acquires superpowers along with his two friends, it’s little surprise when he turns to the dark side and uses his newfound talents for nefarious purposes. DeHaan has long excelled at playing these kinds of violent, moody teens – thinkThe Place Beyond the Pinesand his turn as Harry Osborn inThe Amazing Spider-Man 2– but this was the first film where he really showed what he could do, and that dark side serves him well as the sadistic sociopath at the center ofThe Stranger.
It Follows/The Guest
Like myDane DeHaan-Chroniclerecommendation, this one (er, two) is also rather obvious, as Monroe shot to stardom in these two films, both of which have elements in common withThe Stranger. InIt Follows, Monroe plays a young woman who begins being stalked by a demonic force after sleeping with a young man who passes her the curse like an STD of sorts. Unlike Carl E. inThe Stranger, this presence can take many forms, but like Carl E., it is relentless. You can slow it down, but you can’t stop it, not unless you pass it on as inIt Follows, or fight back against it, as inThe Stranger.
As forThe Guest, Monroe plays a waitress whose family opens their home to a friend of her late brother in an attempt to honor his final wish, though their handsome new houseguest (Dan Stevens) isn’t quite who he says he is, and he’s willing to do anything to protect his deadly secret. Monroe is even better inThe GuestthanIt Follows, and you can see why the producers ofThe Strangerthought of her when it came time to cast their feisty protagonist. she’s a fighter who never gives up and she has won over countless genre fans with her work in these two films. Monroe is no stranger to genre fans, so if you like either of these films, you should definitely giveThe Strangera chance,
Run Lola Run
A female-led thriller featuring breakneck pacing and a cool soundtrack? Am I talking aboutThe StrangerorRun Lola Run,Tom Tykwer’s 1998 sensation that made a star out ofFranka Potente, who would soon go on to star oppositeJohnny DeppandMatt DamoninBlowandThe Bourne Identity, respectively. But the real reason I includedRun Lola Runon this list is because of the way it’s structured like a video game – much like theTom CruisemovieEdge of Tomorrow. The events of Lola’s day keep repeating themselves, and through that repetition she learns how to avoid various obstacles.The Strangeris basically a series of confrontations – Carl E. relentlessly pursues Clare as she runs and hides – until Clare learns enough about Carl E.’s weaknesses to turn the tables on him and use the episodic repetition to achieve victory, so to speak – which in Lola’s case is getting her boyfriend a bag of money.
This choice is like the opposite ofThe Stranger, in that this time, the psycho isn’t the passenger, but the driver.Spreecomes out today, so I won’t blame you if you haven’t seen it yet, but if you have seen it and you liked it, I think you’d digThe Stranger, too. This indie movie starsJoe KeeryofStranger Thingsplaying a rideshare driver who outfits his cars with cameras and begins killing his passengers in a desperate, misguided attempt to gain followers. It points out the performative aspect of social media, which also factors intoThe Strangerto some extent. Visually,SpreeandThe Strangerlook similar, in that there’s a lot of filters and neon lighting. LikeThe Stranger, it’s aimed at young people who don’t mind violent content and wordy psychos.
Ingrid Goes West
Some may think ofIngrid Goes Westas a comedy, while others may categorize it as a thriller, but either way, it’s a dark look at social media and the entitlement that comes with it. That sense of entitlement can feed our worst impulses, which is what happens whenAubrey Plaza’s title character befriends a free-spirited influencer, played byElizabeth Olsen. Things get scary quickly and their relationship takes an abrupt turn, just like how Carl E. slowly reveals his true self to Clare. He doesn’t jump in her car and hold a knife to her throat. He gets close to her, gets to know her a bit, and slowly lowers the mask of sanity hiding his dark disposition. Social media can tempt us to break boundaries in real life, and clearly Carl E. goes to great lengths to extract the pound of flesh he feels he is owed.
The deranged killer inThe Strangersuffers from a toxic God complex, much like John Doe fromDavid Fincher’sSeven. This classic serial killer thriller findsKevin Spacey’s righteous psycho punishing sinners and preaching through his sadistic crimes. Carl E. is also out to “punish” Clare and teach her a lesson, even if it kills her. He thinks of himself as judge, jury and executioner, just like John Doe, who tells detectives Mills (Brad Pitt) and Somersert (Morgan Freeman) that ‘the lord works in mysterious ways," and laughs when they suggest that he killed “innocent” people. Is Clare innocent of what Carl E. accuses her of? You’ll have to watch the show on Quibi to find out.
Judgment Night/Run All Night
The Strangertakes place in a single night, and I love movies that follow a similar template. Two that come to mind are the underrated 1993 thrillerJudgment Night, starringEmilio Estevez,Stephen Dorff,Cuba Gooding Jr.andJeremy Pivenas a group of friends who must fight for their lives after witnessing a murder committed by a gang led byDenis Leary, whose men proceed to stalk them throughout the city.
Meanwhile, the 2017 action thrillerRun All Nightstars Liam NeesonandJoel Kinnamanas a father and son who must survive the night together when a crime boss (Ed Harris) puts out a contract on their lives. Again, if I could include TV shows on this list, then this slot would’ve gone to 24, but these two films feature the same winning combination of grittiness and slickness thatThe Strangerhas in spades.
