Directed by: Renny Harlin
Distributed by: Lionsgate
Written by Jeff Sparks
55/100
After the deaths of our three masked killers in “The Strangers: Prey at Night,” it appeared that this would be the last of these characters that we would ever see, barring a full reboot or remake. Six years later, they have returned in a prequel trilogy, beginning with “The Strangers: Chapter 1,” which stars Madelaine Petsch and Ryan Bown as Maya and Jeff. While traveling across the country for their anniversary, the two stay at a secluded Airbnb after their car unexpectedly breaks down. There, they are terrorized by the three titular masked killers throughout the night. It isn’t just the premise that mirrors the original film but the structure and pacing. “Chapter 1” makes little effort to avoid treading familiar ground for most of the runtime. The film hits many of the same beats and scenarios we’ve seen before, besides a superbly shot chase section in the forest and an expansive opening that sets up a few characters and locations from the nearby town.
The team behind this new prequel trilogy decided to shoot all three films simultaneously, meaning we’re getting more of this story whether viewers want it or not. After watching this opening chapter, it’s evident that not only are there two completed films sitting on the shelf, but that they were all shot out of order. The most notable example is when we see Richard Brake in a sheriff uniform sitting in a diner, which our two leads stop at in the first act. The veteran actor doesn’t say a word and is never seen again. Having a guy like him serve zero purpose in this film is a cold reminder that we’re only watching part one out of three. Other out-of-place elements may or may not be expanded on in later installments, such as how a handful of creepy locals are constantly pushing adverts for their church on the newcomers. Maybe that plot point will make sense two movies from now, but in “Chapter 1,” it doesn’t tie into the main plot in any way.
Unlike the isolation from the original two installments, “Chapter 1” has a good handful of side characters that make you question whether they are involved with the killers or are perhaps behind the masks themselves. Ema Horvath’s waitress, Shelly, sticks out in particular. Sure, her character is friendly and helpful, but Horvath also looks like she could play a convincing killer. As for the unidentified masked villains that we do see, they all serve their purpose of looking creepy but offer little else to the screen, even though producer Courtney Solomon described the new trilogy as a character study. The only killer with any life to them is the nonchalant performance from the actor or actors who played Pin-Up Girl. When our lead, Jeff, sticks a shotgun in her face, she taunts her would-be killer in the face of her own mortality in a scene that calls back to a moment from “Prey at Night.” Other than this, our killers do little more than menacingly stand around or the occasional singing from one of the two females.
“Chapter 1” is far too similar to the original from 2008. Besides the largely uneventful and drawn-out first half, the same silly attempts to unnerve the viewer are present here. Multiple times, we see a killer stealthily observing their victim from behind, only for them to disappear when they turn around in the next shot magically. For a series of films whose premise is designed to be realistic and grounded, this type of filmmaking is not only lazy but also undercuts the possibilities of frights that a “Strangers” film could produce that you won’t see in something supernatural or more slasher based. Besides some poor lighting and the expected horror cliches and implausible moments in terms of believability, there isn’t much blatantly wrong with “Chapter 1.” If I hadn’t seen the two “Strangers” films before this, I might think that this is really good, but it doesn’t do anything inventive outside of a few good moments here and there. It’s a fine horror film to watch while waiting on “Longlegs” and “MaXXXine” but the best thing I can say about “The Strangers: Chapter 1” is that the team behind it has two more chances to give us something special.
“The Strangers: Chapter 1” Trailer
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