‘The Strangers: Chapter 1’- Film Review | A Garbage Rehash That’s Never Scary

Trying to revive a horror franchise is complex when done right. The most recent example is The Strangers: Chapter 1. When discussing home invasion thrillers, 2008’s The Strangers, directed by Bryan Bertino, is the most talked about. It is divisive, with either the audience liking it or hating it. Personally, I didn’t think it was a fantastic film, but I can understand the tension created by its somewhat scary plot. That said, I can see how it developed into a cult favorite within the genre. Ten years later, there was the sequel, Prey at Night, which I never bothered watching and heard was worse. So when they announced there would be not one but three movies to make into a new trilogy already filmed, it only sounded like the dumbest idea to bank on a popular film IP. Ambitious, but too risky. Let me tell you, it’s been a long time since I wanted to walk out of a horror movie, not because it was scary; it was a painful experience sitting through what can ideally be described as a garage rehash of a better film.

What’s the Story: Maya (Madelaine Petsch) and her boyfriend Ryan (Froy Gutierrez) are on a cross-country drive from New York to Oregon as they celebrate their five-year anniversary. Their quick stop to grab a bite in the small town of Venus goes sideways after their car suspiciously breaks down, and they will have to spend the night in an Airbnb. It’s all peace until someone in the shadow knocks on the door, asking if Tamara’s there, leaving and making them unsure of what just happened. While Ryan pops out to retrieve his inhaler from the car and grab some grab, Maya hears mysterious noises from inside the house. Though they seemed more relaxed as the night went on, the couple became terrified by three masked killers hunting them down for no reason.

The thought of mind going into this was that The Strangers: Chapter 1 would serve as a prequel to what we witness from the horrific events. What made these sociopaths want to ruin the lives of random strangers? Maybe that was intended, but I saw nothing more than a lazy remake desperate to get people scared. And because I watched the original three days prior, the comparisons are inevitable when you can pinpoint moments to the tee that are never effective, even with the setting in the woods. If this weren’t called The Strangers and just an original movie, it might as well be forgettable. All of the suspense that worked in the first, which had us fearing for the couple’s lives, is nowhere to be found when it decides to go for cliche jump scares and loud noises that tested my patience. The first act takes up the usual setup, which doesn’t need to introduce us to the townsfolk giving looks because Ryan hasn’t proposed to his girlfriend or Maya’s a vegetarian.

One of the only pleasant aspects is that Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez are doing their best to be a convincing pair caught in this terrifying scenario later on. In contrast to Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman’s tumultuous relationship, they appear content with each other here. Their performances were nothing to ride home about, but as the killers began stalking them, I couldn’t care less about them as protagonists since they turned into idiots. I couldn’t understand the decisions they took, such as not pulling a shotgun when the opportunity presented itself or peering out the busted door when one of them ought to have been apprehended or murdered. I wanted to scream at the screen, but I tried to act as politely as possible in the theater.

And it’s not like I expect much from director Renny Harlin. Truthfully, he has done some semi-decent movies such as Die Hard 2 and The Long Kiss Goodnight. But let’s forget he’s responsible for all-time duds like the abysmal fantasy The Legend of Hercules and one of the most infamous box office bombs, Cutthroat Island, which ruined his career. We can add this to his resume as a failed accomplishment. Adding to working off the lousy script from Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland, I never thought it tried to build the mystery around the masked killers aside from a creepy sight in the background. Still, they never came across as threatening, appearing more comical than anything else. In those 91 minutes spent trying to get invested, there’s one sequence where Maya and Ryan try to escape through a crawl space, and a nail is involved that was handled well. That was the only time the suspense worked for me. The trouble with everything else is that it’s a stale imitation of the original; again, I don’t have an attachment to it like everyone else.

As the title suggests, this is Chapter 1, with parts two and three coming out soon. Does this get me hooked to see Chapter 2? Nope, and there, luckily, I saw it for $5. Lionsgate will milk a tired franchise, much like they’ll do with the unnecessary Blair Witch sequel, nobody asked for. Why they decided to kick off a trilogy with a near-identical copy of the first pissed me off to no end. What’s there to explore with the follow-ups unless it delivers a twist on the story so unexpected?

The Strangers: Chapter 1 is a horror invasion thriller that is a worse version of the original, guaranteed to make you angry rather than afraid. With its predictable scares and seeming lack of suspense, this offers nothing remotely fresh. You get a horror remake, and knowing that the sequel won’t improve is already a given.