The Strangers: Chapter 1

The Strangers: Chapter 1' embarks on a journey to rekindle the chilling essence of its predecessor, yet it stumbles into the abyss of the overexploited home-invasion genre. Directed by Renny Harlin, the film attempts to lay the groundwork for a new prequel trilogy but does so with a palpable lack of originality and an overreliance on worn-out tropes. The narrative follows Maya and Ryan, portrayed by Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez, whose road trip takes a detour into terror. Stranded in a remote Airbnb, they become the prey of the franchise's notorious masked antagonists. While the setting is ripe for tension and fear, the execution falls short, with the film succumbing to predictable jump scares and a script that lacks the subtlety required for a truly harrowing experience. The performances, while earnest, are hindered by characters that are crafted more as archetypes than as fleshed-out individuals, leading to decisions that serve plot convenience over logical storytelling. The antagonists, once symbols of random and unfathomable violence, are now reduced to mere shadows of their former selves, lacking the enigmatic terror that once haunted viewers. In its endeavor to pay homage to the original, 'The Strangers: Chapter 1' instead echoes its scenes and dialogues without capturing the same suspenseful atmosphere. It's a cinematic paradox; a film that is both a retread and a step backward, leaving audiences with a sense of déjà vu rather than dread. In conclusion, 'The Strangers: Chapter 1 is a reminder that many efforts of success is to revive a franchise that perhaps should have been left undisturbed. It serves as a reminder that not all chapters are worth revisiting, but especially when the story has nothing new to say. Chapter 2 here it comes...

Terrible movie. I have no idea how these other reviews are giving it anything higher than a 3. It looked like that commercial where everyone is running from that masked killer and instead of getting into the running car, they go to the barn filled with killing weapons to hide. This movie stunk so bad. I will admit I didn't see the first two so maybe that's why I didn't get it and I didn't like it at all but as far as believability and storyline, plot, sensibility, it failed all the way around. Give me that hour and half of my life back. If they can make money off this crap I should make a movie as well.

This movie is basically what happens when you read the handbook of "How to remake a movie with little to no effort". It's like the writers were trying to copy someone's homework but had dyslexia and still got the answers wrong. The movie was so unbearable that my wife and I had to watch it over two days bc we needed a break in between. Every horror trope you can think of happens in it. This film is what movies like Scary Movies make fun of. The original Strangers was incredible, the second was a great follow up. This one is hot garbage. I pray the writers read this review and quit their jobs. Please hire an entirely new crew for the other two films if they even get released at this point.

I don't want to waste too much energy on this review but I was quite disappointed. I was looking forward to this one and it just ended up being a lame reboot of the original.

It started out with a silly tone, cheesy script and even some tacky product placement. We get into it with two relatively unlikeable main characters that barley have enough background/plot to keep the story rolling. There are countless direct parallels (I'm talking exactly the same) to the original movie and even some from the second one. To the point where it didn't feel like an homage and I caught myself thinking... why am I sitting here watching the same movie I did in 2008, but like, worse...?

It was marketed as though it was a prequel, but there was not even an ounce of origin story and there were things such as smart phones and push to start cars that placed it in the future from the original. So if this wasn't a prequel, what are we doing here?? There were multiple plot points that were seemingly important that went nowhere... including an inhaler, dietary restrictions, a friends vacation and some strung up poultry.

I'm just confused and disappointed as to why they simply remade this movie with even less of a storyline, not as good actors and a lame ending... all without infusing anything new, interesting or original into it. All in all it was relatively entertaining as a stand alone I suppose... If you haven't seen the original and are super into jump scares, then go for it. Otherwise just rewatch Liv Tyler lol 3.5 rounding up to a 4, probably wouldn't recommend.

This reboot had a lot going for it. I unashamedly like Renny Harlin and think he's a competent director so was excited to see the start of a new trilogy.

The acting is a tad dire, and it's frustrating to see the characters just completely oblivious to their surroundings. I'm pretty sure you'd clock someone standing next to you in the shower.

And actually, the whole movie is just a retread of the original but with no redeeming changes. The ending had zero suspense and no stakes.

Saying this, I'm open to the trilogy as I feel like it'll tread into new territory (and I have some faith in Renny Harlin).