The Strangers: Chapter 1

ngl there were so many chances for them to live
like ryan could’ve actually driven off
maya couldve called the police when she first saw the mask
ryan could’ve shot the girl instead of trying to reason with her

but the hospital scene… can’t wait for the next one 😭

felt slow and ryan was lowkey a lil bitch. haven’t seen the original but don’t think i would after this. predictable at times but not a dislike bc it still creeped me out, as a horror movie should; the masks 🥴

They marketed this as a prequel but you can’t convince me this isn’t a remake. All plot points from the original were recycled. Their skills somehow were even more honed despite this being how “they became the strangers”. Did jolt me a couple times but they’re still chasing 2008.

I knew this was going to be bad when the couple drove miles into the forest off the freeway to find food. And it just got dumber and dumber as it went on. It’s literally like the “writers” said “let’s think of the dumbest things people could do”. Awful acting and camera work too.

Rating: 4.9/10 ⭐️

I queued this up hoping for a fresh take, but it honestly felt like a total rehash.

What Worked:
I really respect how Harlin maintained a consistent, eerie atmosphere despite shooting three movies back-to-back. Petsch brings a super grounded intensity to her survival scenes. Through my Methodist faith lens, seeing Maya and Ryan offer each other love in their final moments beautifully reminded me how grace and connection can anchor us in our absolute darkest times.

The Cuts:
The middle part really dragged for me since it felt almost exactly like a shot-for-shot remake of the 2008 movie. The characters make baffling, cliché choices that made it super hard to root for them. Keeping it spoiler-free, the script barely gives us anything new, mostly just spinning its wheels to set up sequels without a satisfying payoff.

Verdict:
A repetitive relaunch that feels like a copy-paste of the original. It’s an okay watch for mindless thrills, but definitely skip it if you wanted a fresh story.

Favorite Line: “Because you’re here.”

felt like a remake of the original film and i watched that AGES ago… they are so stupid they had so many chances to escape… why didn’t ryan just shoot instead of wasting time! must say some scenes did creep me out so not a dislike but cmon!!

HATE cliffhangers! but may watch 2 x