Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (July 21, 2024)
Back in 2008, The Strangers didn’t exactly become a box office smash. Still, with a small $8 million budget, the psychological horror film’s worldwide gross of $82 million meant it turned a nice profit.
Normally that would mean the studio would churn out a sequel in rapid order, but instead, fans had to wait 10 years before 2018’s The Strangers: Prey at Night continued the subject matter. With a global take of $31 million, it made a whole lot less than the first movie, but its $5 million budget meant it easily went into the black.
Six years later, we get another tale in the series via 2024’s The Strangers – Chapter 1. Although the title implies the film offers a prequel, instead we find more of a reboot.
Maya (Madelaine Petsch) and her boyfriend Ryan (Froy Gutierrez) drive across the USA to eventually get to Portland, Oregon. Unfortunately, their car breaks down on the way and strands them in a remote town just a few hours from their final destination.
As they wait for their vehicle to get repaired, they rent an Air Bnb for the night. Out of nowhere, three masked people show up at the residence and subject Maya and Ryan to an evening of unnerving terror.
Like I mentioned at the start, I thought the title of Chapter 1 meant we would get events that happened prior to those depicted in the 2008 movie – and I guess that might be true. Strangers, Prey At Night and Chapter 1 all exist essentially as standalone films with connected elements, so as far as I can tell, I find nothing that rules out the possibility Chapter 1’s events predate those of the other two flicks.
However, I doubt the filmmakers intend us to see Chapter 1 as an actual prequel, especially because it comes with none of that genre’s hallmarks. Because all three movies offer different protagonists, a prequel would give us some backstory/explanation of the villains.
That never happens here. The masked weirdos remain as mysterious as ever.
Intended as a “relaunch”, Chapter 1 comes across as a pretty clear remake of the 2008 movie. While it doesn’t duplicate all aspects of the first flick, it follows a similar enough path to feel like a new adaptation of the same tale.
Granted, Prey at Night didn’t reinvent any wheels either. That one broadened out a little more than Chapter 1 does, but all three feel like proverbial peas in a pod.
Unfortunately, this means Chapter 1 fares no better than the first two movies did. I thought those flicks seemed dull and without real scares, and the same seems true here.
With the 2008 flick, I could theoretically blame the inexperience of rookie director Bryan Bertino. With Prey, we got the somewhat more seasoned Johannes Roberts behind the camera, but given his record of iffy flicks like 2017’s 47 Meters Down, the feeble nature of that movie came as little surprise.
Chapter 1 finds a true veteran as director. Renny Harlin debuted nearly 40 years ago and created actual hits like 1990’s Die Hard 2: Die Harder and 1993’s Cliffhanger.
However, those came out a long time ago. The closest Harlin’s come to a success since then was with 1999’s Deep Blue Sea, and even that one barely made a profit.
25 years later, Chapter 1 finds nothing to show Harlin has what it takes to create actual popular entertainment. Its low $8.5 million budget means Chapter 1 made money via its $43 million worldwide gross, but that sum doesn’t exactly scream blockbuster.
Although Harlin was never a great director and his crowd-pleasing days seem far behind him, I still hoped his experience would ensure that Chapter 1 surpassed the monotony of the first two flicks. Unfortunately, this one feels an awful lot like its predecessors.
And not just because all three share such similar plots. Chapter 1 comes with the same flaws as well.
That means sluggish narratives along with a near complete lack of tension. While Chapter 1 begs us to find the material scary, so much of it follows a trite path that nothing engaging occurs.
Rather than find creative ways to engross the audience, Chapter 1 submerges us with plot contrivances. These mean the flick creates more eye-rolls than scares.
All that and no actual ending! Granted, since we know Chapter 1 comes as part of a trilogy, this doesn’t turn into a shock.
Still, the flick concludes without any real sense of satisfaction. A movie can exist within the three-part framework and still offer a sense of semi-completion.
Instead, Chapter 1 wraps in a manner that seems more likely to provoke groans than eager anticipation. Again, I didn’t expect a clear resolution to the story, but I thought it could tie up its segment in a way that felt satisfying.
Nope, but given that everything else about Chapter 1 fizzles, I shouldn’t feel surprised that it disappoints at the end as well. Maybe the next two sections will work better, but the first segment winds up as a dull and cliché piece of horror.
Note that a short tag scene appears midway through the end credits. It creates a minor tease for Chapter 2.