A first-time director is a funny thing—you have to impress, show that you’re capable of leading. You have to strike a delicate balance between good storytelling and visual flourishes, leading many a filmmaker to choose style over substance. The genre is key: crime is an easy favorite, sci-fi can be impressive with the right script, while action and thrillers are nearly impossible. And then there’s horror. Exaggerated through decades of clichés, diluted through numerous sequels, it’s the perfect genre for a first-timer to fail.

“The Strangers” starts off well for its type, with a simple plot: a couple struggling through relationship problems heads up to a cabin in the woods for the night, only to be constantly disturbed by a group of masked strangers. Good classic setup, ripe with possibilities of shock and dread. But that opportunity is immediately wasted in its attempt to establish character. We begin with an extremely drawn-out opening, explaining exactly who this couple is, why they’re there and what the problem is.

It’s only once they’ve gone to sleep that the first knock on the door is heard. From then on in, its overlong 85-minute running time is spent pulling out every directorial trick in the book. From cinematography (hand-held, close-ups, POV) and sound (tense silence, loud shocks) to slow pacing and inane dialogue, its all been seen, heard and done before, with the cherry on the top being the classic blank facemask popularized by the 80s serial killer fad.

Bryan Bertino, at just 30, is a former-bit part actor and screenwriter with no experience in directing, even admitting in one interview that he quickly purchased numerous books on moviemaking after being asked to run the show. And while it’s not impossible for a first-timer to churn out a great horror flick (Zack Snyder in “Dawn of the Dead”), “The Strangers” goes to show that if someone doesn’t know how to drive, don’t hand them the keys.

2 Stars by Justice Lai.

Directed by Bryan Bertino. Starring Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman and Gemma Ward. Category TBA, 85 mins. Opened Sep 4.