The Strangers is an enjoyable back to basics home invasion movie that has received a huge amount of love from horror fans online, personally I like it, I don't think its genre defining at all but it is exactly what its supposed to be, a throwback 1970's slasher.
One thing I will say that I noticed this time I watched it is that the opening is directly referencing and attempting to pay homage to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre , the whole having a deep voiced narrator warn the audience that the film they're about to see is deeply disturbing and "based on true events". Which by this point really means, we've made all this up and absolutely none of it is true, apart from the fact people get murdered in real life for no reason.
That worked for Texas Chainsaw (which actually was based on true events) but not so much here, its a homage sure but it feels more like a rip off, that out of the way, onto the film itself.
Our two leads are a couple played by Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman, when we are introduced to them Speedman's character has proposed to Liv and from what we can gather this hasn't gone all too well and honestly, throughout the rest of the film we're about to find out why, its because his character is a total idiot.
Look, if you come home and your girlfriend is clutching a bloodied knife screaming in hysterics that there are people trying to kill her, I think it's best to believe her. Speedman's character follows that tired trope of being the stupid boyfriend thinking that his partner is just overreacting. I will give the movie this that It could very well be that he was in shock but still, you react fast when something like this is happening, time is of the essence. They do give him more to do than being a complete coward at least later on.
Liv Tyler I have more sympathy for, she actually uses all the resources she can to defend herself. There's a rule I have for home invasion and slasher movies, they are all about characters earning their right to survive the movie and she did, good on you Liv Tyler.
I don't want to sound like I don't enjoy the movie I do, it's a good home invasion movie and that is my only big criticism but its not the fault of the movie, its a common trope and I will defend the movie by saying that you're supposed to feel that way and its actually quite a good idea that they showed how different people would react to an unexpected threat.
The antagonists though are what make the film worth watching
I like the fact that they're more interested in inducing fear than they are in killing, it makes for some cool sequences with them toying with the couple. You've seen it all before sure, but it's all very well done. There are no cheap jumpscares, the horror is shown to you in lingering eerie images rather than shouted at you and I appreciate that a lot.
All in all I definitely recommend this movie
if you enjoy home invasion horror.
The Strangers : Prey at Night , people seem to hate this sequel for some reason, its really not that bad, maybe its because i don't hold the first movie in a particularly high regard that i enjoyed it more than i thought i would. I would even go as far to say that there are two scenes in particular that are better than anything in the original however I'll admit as a film overall it pales in comparison.
This time around a family find themselves prey to The Strangers...at nighttime obviously. In a trailer park. The family drama is pretty weak to be honest and the characters are one dimensional but its a slasher flick, that's not a huge deal. The films biggest problem is its lack of tension, The Strangers (while having two really good scenes) aren't as threatening this time around and are too easily dispatched.
The movie also relies too heavily on its musical score and not so much on building atmosphere, something the original did very well.
One huge issue i have with it is its ending, i loved the ending up to a point but then it shamelessly rips off Sally Hardesty's escape from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and it lost me.
Overall its not as bad as people say but its definitely an inferior albeit fairly enjoyable sequel.
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