HOLLYWOOD—The 2008 flick “The Strangers” starring Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman was a masterclass in creating suspense. That movie was so unnerving, it truly made you think twice about a quiet night at home (especially your own property). The 2018 sequel, not that great, and now we have the start of a new trilogy, with “The Strangers: Chapter 1.” Do NOT ask me if this is a continuation of the 2008 film, a prequel or what. I don’t know, with cinema nowadays changes are aplenty unfortunately.
This flick does have some well-thought out tension, but at the same time there are some moments that are a bit boring. I have to acknowledge that because I closed my eyes for a few minutes watching the movie. Not sure if that was a testament of the narrative stalling or that I happened to be up nearly all day the day before I saw this movie in the multiplex.
The movie follows Ryan (Froy Gutierrez) and Maya (Madelaine Petsch) who are traveling to Oregon for a potential job offer for Maya. At the time of this road trip, the couple are also celebrating their five-year anniversary of dating. The first act of the movie is very slow. It takes a bit long for the narrative to get moving. We do get an ample slice of each of our main characters which is vital to helping us connect with them and their plight.
However, this introduction to the townsfolk at a local diner is a waste of time. The characters add nothing to the story, but raise the blinders to the spectator that all could be involved in this Airbnb gone wrong for the couple. It was almost like these people stepped into a ghost town and were not welcome from the moment they got out of their car. In addition, their car suddenly NOT working when they’re ready to leave town, just felt like a total gimmick.
The writing is not as sharp and clever as the first entry in the franchise. Once the film shifts to the actual Airbnb the story starts to kick into gear and the tension is well built, especially the scenes involving Maya who after some after-hours indulgence her boyfriend begins to question if what she has claimed to see is real. Yes, our villains wear some somewhat frightening masks, as Scarecrow, Dollface and Pin-Up Girl.
There are some solid jump scares that I absolutely did not expect from this movie and they work in a dark movie theater. Yes, I personally feel this is a movie that is better viewed in a theater than at home because you become absorbed in the movie without distractions. Are some of the moves that are characters make idiotic? Yes, a smarter person when their life is being threatened is not going to wait to react, which can frustrate you as a viewer.
The thing about horror that never works is when characters make stupid decisions when the obvious choice is completely ignored. If anything, the audience wants the killer or killers to be smarter than the protagonist(s) not the opposite. The ending sets the stage for what is expected, the second chapter and subsequently the big conclusion that were all shot consecutively by director Renny Harlin.
If that name doesn’t ring a bell, Harlin is the man behind the camera for the 1988 classic, “A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Warriors,” “Cliffhanger” and “Deep Blue Sea.” He knows how to craft a thriller, but he isn’t as effective here as 2008 director Bryan Bertino. The violence is there, the tension is there, the suspense, not so much. “The Strangers: Chapter 1” is a solid outing, but it doesn’t come close to unnerving you the way the original movie nearly 16 years ago.
