Madelaine Petsch

Froy Gutierrez

Gabriel Basso

Ema Horvath

Ella Bruccoleri

Richard Brake

Brooke Lena Johnson

Rafaella Biscayn-Debest

Pedro Leandro

Florian Clare

Joplin Sibtain

Rachel Shenton

George Young

Janis Ahern

Ryan Brown

Ben Cartwright

Miles Yekinni

Rebecka Johnston

Czukor Balázs

Stevee Davies

India Fowler

Brian Law

Pablo Sandstorm

Sara Freedland

JR Esposito

Milo Callaghan

Andrew Boyer

Holden McNeil

Stanislav Satko

Matus Lajcak

Olivia Kreutzota

Letizia Fabbri

Simon Haupt

Renny Harlin

Gary Raskin

Christopher Milburn

Roy Lee

Mark Canton

Courtney Solomon

Charlie Dombeck

Andrei Boncea

Dorothy Canton

Bryan Bertino

Matt Curtis

Alan Freedland

Alan R. Cohen

Olivia Kreutzova

Tom Beale

Jan Melikant

Roland Heap

Murat Çelikkol

Mark Roper

Mihai Ciurescu

Sona Havranova

Matt Hovland

Simona Dinu

Robert Galfy

Ben Burrell

Matus Imrisek

Milan Hrvol

Yulia Titova

Michal Vesely

Oana Draghici

Michelle Harrison

Nina Zagozdzon

Marco Godles

Samuel Perunko

Maia von Hurter

Karolina Jedrzejczyk

Cosmin Istodor

Jose Manuel Bahamonde

Andrei Cretan

Radovan Novosad

Patrik Bora

Sherzod Juraev

Liviu Pojoni Jr.

Juraj Valocsay

Michael Ferragamo

Slavka Rackova

Tomi Stenqvist

Hugo Činčala

Lukáš Kačerjak

Teppo Salonen

Karol Kuliffay

Marco Rubiero

Mark Droter

Rasto Trizma

Rasto Kuril

Ria Pontikis

Mary Vernieu

Iulia Petrescu

Alberto Burgueño

Charlie Dombek

Juan Antonio García Peredo

Alastair Burlingham

Ionel Popa

Anna Rebrikova

Johanna Harlin

Ghinea Diana

Alex Johnson

Kia Jam

Olena Andreitseva

Sydney Shircliff

Adrian Curelea

Ovidiu Stoia

Bogdan Stanciu

Vladimir Orlov

José David Montero

Emilie Balusson

Dusan Prvy

Tom Russell

Jordan Edward Tallis

Christo Pandit

Adina Zota

Justin Burnett

Òscar Senén

Maria Djidrova

Blažej Vidlička

Rasťo Slezák

The Strangers (Remake) Collection

Horror

Thriller

The Strangers: Chapter 1

Fifth Element Productions

Sherbone Media

Lipsync Productions

Stream Media

Lionsgate

United Kingdom

United States of America

English

mask

remake

murder

slasher

home invasion

reboot

cliché

CinemaSerf

The heavy trailing of this and the fact that it's part one does little to help any sense of menace as we follow the young "Maya" (Madelaine Petsch) and boyfriend "Ryan" (Froy Gutierrez) on their road trip to Portland. She's heading to start a new job as an architect, and it looks like she might have been responsible for manscaping her boyfriend's perfect visage as this annoyingly loved up and clingy couple arrive at a remote rural diner. They're not married, which seems to rile the locals and when they go to leave, their brand new car won't start. Ha! Luckily, there's an air b'n'b nearby. A remote cabin fully equipped with all the home comforts - even some Dolly to play on vinyl. They're famished so he borrows a motor bike to go fetch some burgers, she's left behind and that's where the paranoia sets in. Is she being watched? Is she alone? Will "Ryan" get back before she has finished smoking a dodgy joint, listening to an entire LP and having a long shower? Was the burger joint in California? Anyway, it's soon clear that they are in some danger and together they must use all their skill and guile to stay alive! The scenario works a bit like "Cabin in the Woods". The moonlit forest serving as a backdrop for some ridiculous choices and some woefully bad acting/writing. It does manage to engender a slight degree of peril near the conclusion, but there's really nothing at all new here and from fairly early on it is clear just what part two will be all about. Not terrible, but really predicable and disappointingly flat.

<em>'The Strangers: Chapter 1'</em> is a let-down.

It sets the scene well with some tension and is held together by a strong score, visually in terms of cinematography and literally in the case of the masks it is fairly effective too but the film doesn't really do enough - with those aforementioned positives and just in general. It starts onscreen by describing forthcoming events as "brutal", yet by the end I don't really feel like I saw anything all that noteworthy; just your standard horror fare, at best, really.

Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez are good in the lead roles I will say, though some of their character decisions (as is typical with this genre, I guess) are frustratingly dumb; I'm looking at you in particular, Gutierrez's Ryan. Some of their dialogue isn't much better, either. All in all, I'm disappointed as this could've been real great. Instead, we're left with something that I'd personally class as poor, unfortunately.

Chapters 2 + 3 might improve things, let's hope so, but I wouldn't be surprised if this basically just gets rehashed in those next installments, let's hope not in that case. 'Twas, nevertheless, nice to see the cinema screening busier than usual for this, even if there were more dissatisfied chuckles than desired scares from those nearby.

This reimagining of the far superior original was an abysmal disappointment. While attempting to build a trilogy or franchise, it's crucial to ensure that each movie can stand on its own. Unfortunately, this film fails to achieve that, presenting a boring three-act structure where nothing significant happens.

The film's suspense is nonexistent, failing to create any sense of tension or atmosphere. A suspenseful movie should keep viewers on the edge of their seats, but this one falls flat. 

The characters are mostly unlikable, making it hard to invest in their fates. In a horror film, it's essential to have characters that the audience can either root for or fear for. Here, the protagonists' lack of depth and development leaves viewers indifferent. For example, there's a scene where the main character faces a crucial decision, but due to poor character development, the moment lacks emotional weight and impact.

I recall an experience at Universal's Halloween Horror Nights Terror Tram ride in Hollywood, where we were led through the mountains all the way to the Bates Motel. During this trek, I encountered a Haunter dressed as the 'Sackhead Man' from the original movie. This character exuded an eerie presence that was genuinely unsettling. In contrast, the 'Sackhead Man' or "Scarecrow" as credited in this film, doesn’t even make the top three performances of 'Sackhead' that I have encountered. This portrayal lacks the menace and charisma needed to make a lasting impression.

Overall, this reimagining fails to capture the essence of the original. It lacks suspense, atmosphere, and compelling characters, resulting in a tedious and forgettable experience. For a film to succeed in revitalizing a classic, it must honor the original's strengths while introducing fresh and engaging elements. Sadly, this movie does neither, leaving fans yearning for the original's superior storytelling and tension.

"The Strangers: Chapter One" is completely devoid of everything that made "The Strangers" (2008) such a compelling and menacing motion picture. The strangers of the title are immediately at a disadvantage this time around because they obviously no longer have the element of surprise on their side. We have seen it all before as they silently move through the shadows while observing their unsuspecting prey before finally attacking them without mercy or remorse. The jump scares are all tepid and ruined by well signposted and unimaginative camera angles and it is unfortunate the stabbings at the end are actually shown and no longer suggested (the human imagination is one of the most subtly powerful allies at a director's disposal during such moments). However, it is somewhat surprising this film isn't a good deal more tiresome and monotonous, but having said that it also never manages to rise above being an average and overly familiar waste of time which boasts only a few insignificent and uninspiring changes to the formula used in the first film.

Madelaine Petsch Scares Influencers for The Strangers – Chapter 1 “Scarebnb Prank”

Official Clip - ‘Nail in Hand’

Official Trailer

Official Clip - ‘Knock, Knock’

The Strangers: Chapter 1( 2024)

They don't need a reason.

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A review by CinemaSerf

Written by CinemaSerf on Thu May 23 2024

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