This weekend, The Strangers: Chapter 2 hits screens and will continue the head-scratching decision to move full steam ahead with this franchise as a new trilogy of films. The Strangers: Chapter 1 was a haphazard remake of sorts of the superior 2008 film, directed by Bryan Bertino, which debuted as the first installment of a relaunched standalone trilogy.
Although it followed some of the same story beats (complete with similar scenes) as the original movie, it was not a direct sequel, which still confuses many today. Despite dismal reviews, the movie still grossed $48.2 million globally on a $8.5 million budget, which allowed the new trilogy to continue. With The Strangers: Chapter 2 receiving even more dire critical notices (17 percent on Rotten Tomatoes versus 21 percent), perhaps it’s best to rediscover 2018’s The Strangers: Prey at Night.
Despite not initially being as well-received as its predecessor, The Strangers: Prey at Night has gained traction with horror movie fans as a film that embraces its slasher film sensibilities. While it may lack some of the first film’s genuine suspense, it’s still an underrated effort that deserves more attention.
Directed by Johanne Roberts from a screenplay by Bryan Bertino and Ben Ketai, The Strangers: Prey at Night evolves from the home invasion nature of the first film by focusing on a family vacationing at a mobile home park who become the target of three masked strangers intent on killing them for no discernible reason. The movie stars Christina Hendricks, Martin Henderson, Bailee Madison, and Lewis Pullman.
The Strangers: Prey at Night shines because it’s not just a simple retread of the first film. It would’ve been silly to try to replicate what made The Strangers work because, despite mixed reviews from critics upon release, it’s a stunning example of escalating visceral tension and suspense. Bertino was setting out to make a movie that would’ve made John Carpenter’s Halloween proud, and for the most part, he succeeded.
For the sequel, despite not being behind the director’s chair, Bertino and his co-writer Ben Ketai decided to embrace the slasher subgenre of horror to craft a different tale of terror. In many ways, Prey at Night feels like an homage to the slasher films that dominated the ’80s, going for something more entertaining and fun rather than downright bone-chilling. In place of heightened tension, the movie opts for more grisly kills and gore, which is a signature of the subgenre.
Making things different from the start is that the sequel opens up a bit more in terms of its atmospheric scope. The movie is still a home invasion thriller of sorts, but the family that has been targeted by Dollface (Emma Bellomy), Man in the Mask (Damian Maffei), and Pin-Up Girl (Lea Enslin) isn’t confined to the space of a house. When they make a stop on their road trip to visit their elderly aunt and uncle, they find their trailer park deserted. Unbeknownst to them, Aunt Sheryl (Mary Louise Casanta) and Uncle Marv (Ken Strunk) have already been murdered at the top of the film, and they’ve wandered into a cat-and-mouse scenario that sees them stalked and terrorized by the masked strangers.
By opening up the space, The Strangers: Prey at Night utilizes some impressive set designs, starting with the abandoned trailer park that doesn’t offer much hope for escape. Surrounded by fog and a nearby forest, the setting for the sequel benefits in ways that its predecessor couldn’t. Most of that film was confined to the home with the occasional escape right outside its walls, but the sequel gets a bit more space to run around in, which makes some of its chase sequences highly effective. This is a big way that the sequel fully owns its slasher film intentions. There are more chase and stalk scenes in Prey at Night, none of which is more impressive than a pool scene involving Luke (Pullman) and the Man in the Mask.
As Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” eerily plays in the background, the Man in the Mask relentlessly goes after Luke with full axe swings that turn the moment into the film’s highlight of edge-of-your-seat entertainment. From a visual standpoint, Roberts, along with his Cinematographer Ryan Samul, gives the scene a striking aesthetic with the use of neon palm trees, the blue of the pool, and other lights to make the vibrancy of the scenery eerily contrast with the intensity of the chase Luke has found himself in with the Man in the Mask.
The choreography of the scene is also top-notch because it’s free of quick cuts and doesn’t move away from the action. It’s mostly all wide shots, and its biggest achievement is that it makes you constantly question whether Luke will make it out alive. It’s arguably one of the best horror movie chase sequences put to film. Modern day or otherwise.
The Strangers: Prey at Night also takes considerable risks and doesn’t play it safe. The audience knows that members of this family of four will have to die, but the movie doesn’t make it entirely obvious who will make it to the end credits. While it won’t be revealed here who bites the dust, just in case you haven’t seen it, when individuals begin to be dispatched, it’s obvious that no one is safe, and that only serves to drive the tension further. Everyone brings their A-game, so any of them could be the final girl or boy.
Speaking of the cast, the performers shine and portray characters that don’t fully engage in stupid behavior, although it wouldn’t be a proper horror film without some questionable decisions being made. Hendricks and Henderson provide the right amount of paternal tenacity as Cindy and Mike while Pullman, long before his Thunderbolts* days, displays all the attributes that indicated he was on his way to bigger things. The true standout is Madison, as the younger member of the family, Kinsey. Her character arc proves to be the best of the film as she goes from somewhat meek and shy to someone who takes action in a bid to survive at all costs.
When The Strangers: Prey at Night was released, critics weren’t as impressed with the sequel, giving it a 40 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. Many of them felt it was a step back from its predecessor because it sacrificed suspense for horror cliches, which they believed made it an inferior film. The movie also wasn’t as financially successful as the first film, going on to gross $32.1 million worldwide on a $5 million budget versus the $82 million global take brought in by The Strangers.
But time has been kinder to The Strangers: Prey at Night. It’s more straightforward thrills shouldn’t be viewed as a step back, but more as an alternative for those seeking a different kind of horror. The sequel proudly wears its slasher movie love on its sleeve, and that’s something that has garnered it a growing cult following in the years since its initial release. As this new trilogy attempts to limp to the finish line, perhaps the best thing about it is that more people will discover The Strangers: Prey at Night and realize a new relaunch with three new films was entirely unnecessary.
The Strangers: Chapter 2 hits screens on Friday while The Strangers: Prey at Night can be streamed for free on Tubi.
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