“The Strangers: Chapter 1” stars Madelaine Petsch, Froy Gutierrez, Rachel Shenton, Gabriel Basso, Ema Horvath, and Ella Bruccoleri. Released on May 17, 2024, the film has a couple confronting a trio of murderous masked people during their road trip. The film was directed by Renny Harlin, who also directed films such as “Born American”, “Die Hard 2”, “Cliffhanger”, “Deep Blue Sea”, and “Skiptrace”. It is the third film in “The Strangers” film series and the first installment of a trilogy of standalone sequels. They say that a stranger is a friend you haven’t met yet. However, in many cases, a stranger is anything but friendly. If the latter invades your tranquil environment and threatens to kill you, you might want to start looking for some new friends immediately. This year’s summer of horror continues with a reintroduction to the masked intruders that made us check our locked doors more than once. The 2008 film, inspired by writer/director Bryan Bertino’s experience with his neighborhood’s series of break-ins, has become a cult classic for its atmosphere and thrilling tension. While its 2018 sequel, “Prey at Night”, didn’t recapture lightning in a bottle, its entertainment value kept its thin and cliched plot from staining its predecessor’s legacy. Six years later, the iconic intruders are back to terrorize their victims in the first of a planned trilogy slated for later this year, following the footsteps of Kevin Costner’s upcoming two-part western saga. Does it provide a terrifying reunion for these “visitors”, or does it make us want to move to a different home? Let’s find out. The story centers on Maya (Petsch), a young woman on a road trip with her longtime boyfriend, Ryan (Gutierrez). They travel via car to the Pacific Northwest, only to wind up in Venus, Oregon, where their vehicle breaks down. They decide to spend the night in an isolated Airbnb home in the woods. Unfortunately, their tranquility quickly turns into a nightmare when they’re suddenly visited by three psychopathic masked killers hellbent on terrorizing their victims. With their lives on the line, Maya and Ryan must outsmart the unexpected “visitors” and survive their deadly wrath. “The Strangers” is one of the horror movies I don’t watch as often as others. I remembered watching parts of the 2008 film but haven’t returned to it since. The same goes for the 2018 sequel, “Prey at Night”, which I saw in theaters and reviewed on my website. That film was my first actual exposure to the concept of masked strangers invading people’s privacy. “Prey at Night” had its moments, but at the end of the day, I thought it was another run-of-the-mill slasher thriller that wasn’t worth revisiting anytime soon. However, I was willing to give the franchise another shot with a supposed reboot that promises to expand its concept through an interconnected trilogy. Of course, for this idea to have the same success as other trilogy starters like “Lord of the Rings”, its first chapter has to properly execute its narrative elements to justify its potential continuations, which are slated to come out later. Unfortunately, it instead left me wondering why it needs to take three films to tell a straightforward narrative like this. If you watched the previous installments in the “Strangers” film series, you’d know exactly what to expect from this intended relaunch. “Chapter 1” is another installment in the “Strangers” universe that follows the same trend of the main protagonists having their secluded abode invaded by masked murderers. The 2008 film has a summer home, and its sequel has a mobile home park. In the case of “Chapter 1”, it’s an Airbnb cabin in the middle of the woods. These films’ locations have something in common: their sense of isolation. Without anyone or anything around to assist the protagonists, they’re left to defend themselves from their unexpected “guests”, whose motive is to just...well, spoil everyone's day. It not only injects tension into the films’ realistic approach to their home invasion scenarios but also showcases how horror movies can be scary without the extreme gore and violence backing them up. Under the direction of Renny Harlin, “Chapter 1” attempts to reuse those elements to reintroduce the slasher franchise to its fans and newcomers but have it set in the cabin in the woods as if that hasn’t been done before. Sadly, it became a derivative and formulaically predictable relaunch that lacks the thrills and fun of its predecessors. Do you remember in most horror films, they introduced the killers by having them murder the less-interesting supporting characters before the title card’s reveal? “Chapter 1” is a 90-minute version of that trope, but not in a good way. Ranging from its genre clichés to the bland protagonists, "Chapter 1" incorporates multiple elements from previous slasher films, including its predecessors, and amalgamates them to form a lazily devised plot that feels incomplete. Understandably, this is the first part of a larger story that’s soon to come, but the problem is that there’s nothing in the film to get me excited for its next two movies, especially its cliffhanger ending. The film introduced specific elements that could’ve played a huge role in the grand scheme of things, but for it to abandon them for a straightforward and dull plot until the second chapter is just as cruel as the strangers’ murder spree. The other first-chapter films, like “Fellowship of the Ring,” gave us exciting storylines and teases that made us ecstatic about their continuations. “The Strangers: Chapter 1” just copied the trend without knowing why we loved it in the first place. When you have a first chapter that’s humdrum in its storytelling and excitement, it feels more like a beg to make its continuations happen than a worthy beginning of something greater. It also didn’t help that the protagonists, Maya and Ryan, were one-dimensional in their personalities. I understand this is the first chapter, and they have more room for their development to grow, mainly Maya, but regarding their first impressions, this wasn’t a good start for them. The main leads did the best with their roles, including Madelaine Petsch from "Riverdale," but their performances weren't enough to elevate the tension. Froy Gutierrez's portrayal of Ryan was unremarkable, contributing to the lackluster chemistry with Petsch's Maya. It wasn't terrible, but it also wasn't memorable. The masked strangers, consisting of Scarecrow, Dollface, and Pin-Up Girl, were played by different actors in “Chapter 1”, similar to “Prey at Night”. The new actors, including Matúš Lajčák (Scarecrow), Olivia Kreutzova (Dollface), and Letizia Fabbri (Pin-Up Girl), understood the assignment of the psychotic and unhinged antagonists. However, their potential was immensely affected by the cliched script and direction. Renny Harlin may have delivered some decent hits like “Die Hard 2” and “Deep Blue Sea”, but when it comes to his other projects, he’s not the right filmmaker to continue this franchise. I rewatched one of his recent movies, “The Legend of Hercules”, on Netflix a while ago, and ho boy! That did not age well. In his defense, though, Harlin recognized the significance of the isolated setting in instilling fear among the audience, considering it a pivotal aspect of the horror franchise. However, he failed to fully exploit the movie's potential by failing to deliver compelling tension and scares despite the promising atmospheric setup. The lackluster frights not only fell short in terms of realism but also elicited unintended amusement due to the characters' dumb actions. Admittedly, I laughed at a couple of scenes involving Scarecrow being a pervert, but since it’s supposed to have a grim and serious tone, the movie felt more mockingly silly than nightmarishly petrifying. It’s one of the movies that doesn’t try to be hilariously bad but wound up being one regardless. Overall, “The Strangers: Chapter 1” is a tedious and lackluster start to the titular characters’ three-film visit that lacks the fun thrills of its predecessors. Its isolated atmosphere was able to keep me company throughout this mess, similar to “Prey at Night”. However, its darkly lit presence can only take it so far when it’s immensely overshadowed by its tame execution and the characters’ stupidity. It’s another straightforward cabin-in-the-woods horror film that neither entertains nor reinvigorates the genre’s derivative trend and the franchise that invoked the phobia of uninvited guests. With its so-so cast, mediocre direction, cliched screenplay, and frights that are more silly than scary, this latest visit from “The Strangers” is just unpleasant in the worst way possible. This doesn’t give me much hope for the franchise’s future, mainly its trilogy with Renny Harlin seemingly directing the following two chapters. However, I wouldn’t mind seeing where its upcoming second chapter goes if they decide to proceed with their plan. Who knows? Maybe “Chapter 2” might improve with the elements introduced in “Chapter 1”? If not, then I hope it’s another film I can laugh at to cure my boredom. F
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