Want to hear more from the actors and creators of your favorite shows and films? Subscribe to The Cinema Spot on YouTube for all of our upcoming interviews!
Sometimes I write things, but mostly I watch movies.
When a stranger knocks on your door in the middle should you answer? If the stranger is The Strangers: Chapter 1, then maybe you should not. Directed by Renny Harlin and written by the duo of Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland, The Strangers: Chapter 1 is the latest entry in The Strangers slasher horror franchise. It serves as a “reimagining” of the original movie while also being set in the same continuity.
This movie is the start of a new trilogy intending to expand the universe. It follows a couple, Maya (Madelaine Petsch) and Ryan (Froy Gutierrez), on a trip through rural Oregon. They spend the night in an unusual small town when things take a turn for the worse once The Strangers arrive.
The Leads
The two leads of the movie are likable enough that you don’t want to see them dead. Yet, they aren’t interesting enough to really care about them. Maya and Ryan have a more or less “perfect” relationship. They have some minor fights due to Maya being more trusting than Ryan. Other than that, they live in perfect harmony… more or less. Because of that, there’s nothing to explore between them, thematically. There are not even any pressure points for the movie to exploit.
Maya does demonstrate some resourcefulness during the movie. Her architectural background allows her to find some clever escape routes and overall feel more proactive of the two. The character also works thanks to Madelaine Petsch’s solid performance. The actor does not have much to work with, although somehow, she makes the best of a mediocre script and dialogue.
On the other hand, Ryan is a nothing burger. It’s hard to get a read on his character since he’s present in the story all that much. He makes probably more reckless decisions than Maya, so he is harder to root for. He’s not that unlikable, but he is just kind of there. Froylan Gutierrez does his best, but the material he had been presented with is even weaker than Petsch’s.
The Strangers
Honestly, there’s not much to say about the titular home invaders. Their designs are suitably unsettling, and ultimately, they feel like any other slasher movie villains. Scarecrow (Matúš Lajčák)—with his bag mask and big axes—gives echoes of Jason Voorhees in Friday The 13th Part 2 but not much else. Frankly, there was no discernable difference between Dollface (Olivia Kreutzova) and Pin-Up Girl (Letizia Fabbri). Next to that, the implication that The Strangers are some of the townspeople that appear early in the movie ruins the intrigue. The idea is that The Strangers could be anywhere, anytime. However, the movie wants them to be from this one small town in Oregon. The more you show the shark, the less scary the shark is so to speak.
Tensionless
The biggest issue with this movie is the absence of tension. That largely stems from the fact that there are already two sequels ready and waiting. Combined with the fact that the characters are empty vessels in search of personalities, it is difficult to create any sort of meaningful tension. The movie is full of cliche slasher and home invasion movie moments. There is no creativity on display, neither a moment that subverts a trope, nor a moment that does a trope in a new and inventive way. It’s just running through a checklist and cruising on a brand name.
There is one scene shortly after The Strangers first make their presence known. This involves Maya and Ryan trying to escape the house that was somewhat tense. Without spoiling the scene here, it involves a basement and a nail—the only time when you are really on the edge of your seat. Unfortunately, by the end of the movie, during what should be an intense climax, it is just hard to care. The characters will return on screen in a few months so there is no real impact. Even if the sequels were kept under wraps, it still would not make an impact because the characters are just not worth caring about it.
In the end, The Strangers: Chapter 1 is nothing but a generic slasher home invasion horror flick that you have seen countless times before. There is no reason to care about this movie, and it gives no reason to care about its two forthcoming sequels.
Score: 1/5 stars
Sometimes I write things, but mostly I watch movies.
