Intruders (2012)

33% of critics liked it
(61 reviews)
20% of users liked it
(2,656 ratings)

Intruders tells parallel stories of two families whose lives are disrupted by menacing apparitions: in Spain, a mother tries to protect her son from a faceless stranger, while in Britain, a young girl has terrifying dreams of a demon who becomes a real danger to her and her family. -- (C) Universal

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 40 min.
Directed By: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Horror

In Theaters: Mar 30, 2012 Limited
On DVD: Jul 17, 2012
Studio: Millennium Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Eric D. Snider, Film.com
Gets disappointingly literal with what proves to be a goofy psychological story.
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger
This is ... an intelligent, scary little movie. Because it's smart enough to know what's really scary is what's inside us.
Lou Lumenick, New York Post
"Intruders'' looks great and has a promising opening, but this atmospheric Spanish psychological thriller is otherwise pretty underwhelming.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
Why do so many horror movies that begin with promise fall apart in the final act?
Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle
If you don't guess the big twist in the first 30 minutes, "Intruders" is half of a good movie. If you do, it's about a third of a good movie.
Manohla Dargis, New York Times
It's a pleasure to find that Mr. Fresnadillo has assumed the mantle of horror classicist to make "Intruders," using shadows and directorial sleights of hand to coax forth its slow-building scares rather than just pouring on the usual guts and gore.
Andy Klein, Christian Science Monitor
Owen is always at least good, and here he's perfectly cast.
Matt Singer, ScreenCrush
Intruders was either the victim of reshoots and postproduction meddling or it desperately needed some.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media
Spanish director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo has created a fascinating hybrid -- and a moody, spooky movie besides.
Frank Swietek, One Guy's Opinion
Treats a molehill of an idea as though it were a mountain of fright.
Dan Kaufman, Paste Magazine
With Intruders , Fresnadillo has made a small but quality film that will make you furrow your brow as much as bite your nails.
Andrea Chase, Killer Movie Reviews
Defying science and religion both and striking at the darkest places in the psyche, it exposes the fragility of both life and of sanity.
Kelly Vance, East Bay Express
Proves conclusively that not all Spaniards make good horror movies.
David Noh, Film Journal International
One more bummer supernatural thriller, all too easy to figure out and with an arty overlay that mitigates pulpy enjoyment.
Brian Tallerico, HollywoodChicago.com
Joins the crowded subgenre of childhood boogeyman scare-fests that fail to find the spine-tingling power of what we think may be under the bed.
Todd Jorgenson, Cinemalogue.com
The mildly incoherent script simply doesn't generate enough suspense or provide enough scares to allow viewers to invest in its outcome.
Brian Orndorf, BrianOrndorf.com
More adventurous viewers will discover a challenging picture that bends reality in a subtle matter, taking an alternative path to sniff out some scares.
Marshall Fine, Hollywood & Fine
Never compels the viewer to buy into any of this or to invest emotionally. And the scary stuff is only frighteningly bland.
Dave White, Movies.com
The net effect is like what happens on Halloween when a teenager who's too old and much too tall to be out trick-or-treating knocks on your door wearing a painstakingly constructed but zero-scare-factor hobo costume.
Robert Levin, amNewYork
It's impossibly labored and dull, a case study in the wrong way to make a horror movie.

Read all 21 critic reviews

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Eric H

Back in the VHS boom of the eighties I spent way too much time watching horror movies. You see, back then horror was the genre of choice for straight to video productions and my local rental stores would get about five new genre titles a week. The most anticipated tapes were those… More
Back in the VHS boom of the eighties I spent way too much time watching horror movies. You see, back then horror was the genre of choice for straight to video productions and my local rental stores would get about five new genre titles a week. The most anticipated tapes were those featuring a recurring villain, Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, Chucky, The Critters etc. The current cycle of horror has been lacking a franchise with such a character but "Intruders" may just have given us one. His name is Hollowface and his schtick is lurking in kid's closets, awaiting the chance to steal their faces. He's a pretty good addition to the horror villain roster, almost a cross between Candyman and Freddy Krueger, but sadly doesn't get the movie he deserves here. Fresnadilla previously helmed "28 Weeks Later" and didn't do a very good job but at least here he eschews the rapid editing that butchered that movie. He instead goes for brooding atmosphere but lacks the skill to create any real tension. For a genre film this has a lot of quality acting talent but it's Purnell as Owen's victimised daughter who really shines here. Last year she showed Kiera Knightley to be average at best by playing her younger self in "Never Let Me Go" and the Waffler predicts a big future for her. The main problem with this movie is that the film-makers take it too seriously and just don't have the skill to aim so high. If they focus more on their villain this could potentially become a fun little straight to DVD franchise.