What’s It About
After their car breaks down in an eerie small town, a young couple is forced to spend the night in a remote cabin. Panic ensues as they are terrorized by three masked strangers who strike with no mercy and seemingly no motive.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
“The Strangers: Chapter 1” is the first movie in a trilogy set directly after the events of 2008’s “The Strangers.” The original, starring Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman, was influential in its creepiness despite its unoriginal premise of killers targeting victims in an isolated woodland. “The Strangers: Chapter 1” fails to reveal more about the mysterious masked murderers. The new film set the day after the original, offers no new insights into the killers, who are identified in the end credits by their masks: Scarecrow, Dollface, and Pin-Up. The plot rehashes the same concept as its predecessor, with a young couple, Ryan and Maya, being terrorized in an isolated house. The couple’s relationship issues are also recycled, with Maya desiring more commitment than Ryan. The movie opens with a man being beheaded by Scarecrow and Pin-Up. Ryan and Maya, on a road trip to Portland, Oregon, stop at a diner in rural Venus, Oregon, where they encounter hostility from locals. Their car mysteriously breaks down, leading them to an Airbnb cabin in the woods. Predictably, the killers target them there. The film lacks originality and depth, reducing the killers to caricatures without meaningful backstories. The characters make nonsensical decisions, diminishing any potential suspense. The performances are unremarkable, and the screenplay is lazy and formulaic, as this film follows nearly every horror trope minus a flashlight going out or the obligatory first person to die is the Black character, mainly because there weren’t any Black characters. The ending, intended to set up the next installment, is anticlimactic and fails to generate excitement. In summary, “The Strangers: Chapter 1” is a disappointing rehash of the original, with little to offer regarding new content or genuine suspense. It’s a hollow and soulless addition to the series, failing to justify its existence.
OUR RATING – A TIME CONSUMING 1
MEDIA
- Genre – Horror
- Street date
- Digital – June 7, 2024
- DVD/Blu-Ray/4K – July 23, 2024
- Video – 1080p
- Screen size – 2.39:1
- Sound – Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital 5.1, English Descriptive Audio
- Subtitles – English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras
- Audio Commentary with Producer Courtney Solomon and Actress Madelaine Petsch
- Reimagining a Classic: Making THE STRANGERS — CHAPTER 1
- A Hostile Environment: The Visual Design of THE STRANGERS — CHAPTER 1
- Theatrical Trailer