The Strangers: A Semiotic Analysis

Rosselin (1999) explains the importance of the hallway leading to the front door. It acts as a marginal zone that links the private inside to the unknown outside. This passage through a liminal space creates a dangerous temporal ambiguity within this space. As the hallway and front door are the gateway through the threshold, they are elements that are controlled by the inhabitant. As a threshold boundary, it is the space that only some individuals can enter. However, in The Strangers it is the front door and the porch, rather than the hallway, that holds these characteristics. After James has left to get more cigarettes, there is another knock on the door, which is assumed to be the same women from earlier. Kristen uses this space to maintain