The boys, Paul (Michael Pitt) and Peter (Brady Corbet) - at least that's what they call themselves most of the time - then begin a brutal game. These two are like monster preppies, with their immaculate white gloves and their emo haircuts and Lacoste tennis shirts. The ultimate game: the “guests” bet that the family will be dead within 12 hours (by 9:00 the next morning). The Farbers are betting that they will remain alive. Guess who wins.

Their motivations are unclear but they have nothing to do with robbery or material gain. Sadists at heart, they threaten the couple by stabbing, shooting or some other horrible means. Smashing George's knee with a golf club (FYI, that's not a spoiler — they're just getting started), And lucky us - we get to watch. Indeed, much of the violence - and there is much of it - takes place either off-camera or just beyond the frame. But, Haneke forces us to watch, almost in real time, the aftermath of shocking acts, something you just don't see in most horror films. While certain key events occur off-screen, the movie is full of long, uncomfortable takes. Even during some of the quieter scenes, the sense of impending doom is thick in the air.

As sadistic and nihilistic as it is, "Funny Games" is also masterfully made; Haneke plays the audience and its expectations like a master fiddler (albeit a merciless one). Tim Roth and Naomi Watts prove their skill by vivifying their characters’ limited emotional scale; Watts brings a taut intelligence to the proceedings, but her character, like Roth's, is more archetype than actual person. Meanwhile, Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet do solid jobs playing the roles assigned to them as sickening junior psychos.