Here we are with another in the series of movies in The Strangers franchise, you would think that with a title such as The Strangers Chapter 1, this movie would be a prequel to the original 2008 movie from director/writer Bryan Bertino, but no this new movie is a soft reboot of the franchise that will, in turn, be a trilogy of its own.
After their car breaks down in an eerie small town, a young couple (Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez) are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin. Panic ensues as they are terrorized by three masked strangers who strike with no mercy and seemingly no motive in “The Strangers: Chapter 1”, the chilling first entry of this upcoming horror film series.
For those that have seen the previous movies then the premise for The Strangers Chapter 1 is nothing that will surprise you, as the movie is a soft-reboot of the franchise you know what you will be getting as the couple is terrorised by the masked family in the “cabin in the woods”.
This is a movie that is certainly more creepy than horror, I found it more thriller than something that I went into hoping for some nice scares, but what we get is a movie that makes the most of loud noises to try and scare the audience. The loud bangs on the cabin door for instance, you know they are coming but if you are jumpy then you will jump slightly, but for most of us horror fans you know it’s coming and it takes away the shock facture.
The same goes for the moments of something in the background, you know seeing the camera slightly pan to one side and back again or the way the shot is framed that someone is going to suddenly appear or disappear. But there is one moment during the movie that I liked with shots such as these, all I’m saying is take a good look during the moment when Maya (Madelaine Petsch) is playing a piano with her back to the camera.
The movie did seem a little tame compared to some other films in this genre, maybe this was down to getting a 15-rated movie to get the Gen Zs into the cinema, there are a couple of moments that the masked family are brutal but it still seemed a little watered down.
The film does look good, the cinematography stands out with some great use of lighting to give the creepiness to the feel of the film, and the sound mix also works well with some great use of all the surround sound speakers.
With this film being the first of a new trilogy it’s going to be interesting to see what route the next two movies will take, The Strangers: Chapter 2 will be heading to cinemas later this year and The Strangers: Chapter 3 will be arriving in 2025.
Does The Strangers Chapter 1 Have a Post Credits Scene?
Yes, The Strangers Chapter 1 does have a post-credit scene (well, mid-credits), so make sure you stay a minute or two to check it out.
The scene appears shortly into the credits, and there’s nothing after they finish. It’s a continuation of the ending which gives you an idea that something else is on the way.
Don't answer that cabin door!
Movie title: The Strangers: Chapter 1
Movie description: After their car breaks down in an eerie small town, a young couple (Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez) are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin.
Date published: June 5, 2024
Country: UK
Duration: 1h 31m
Director(s): Renny Harlin
Actor(s): Madelaine Petsch, Froy Gutierrez
Genre: horror
Summary
The franchise gets a soft reboot with The Strangers: Chapter 1, but did we need a reboot or a prequel that many thought this film would have been?
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
