Review of The Strangers: Chapter 1 (2024) on Blu-ray

I don’t mince words about my feelings on horror movies (I don’t mince words about much at all, but this is a horror movie review, so…). One thing that really irks me is the constant trend of remaking, rebooting, and reimagining old franchises. I wish more original ideas were brought to the screen instead of rebooting films that are barely two decades old.

In this particular case, I must admit I’m not a fan of the original movie, The Strangers. In fact, I’ve never seen it. Yet, this remake feels all too familiar. It’s another story of beautiful, young, and idealistic city folks taking a road trip and ending up in a remote, backwater town with no communication or transportation. Predictably, they are stuck when their brand-new, expensive BMW breaks down, and they need to wait 24 hours for parts.

As expected, we’re introduced to the local townsfolk at a diner, which hints that our young protagonists will soon face their antagonists. Maya and Ryan are about to have a date with destiny in Venus, Oregon, a small town with a population of 468.

After their car breaks down in this eerie town, a young couple, Maya (Madelaine Petsch from Riverdale) and Ryan (Froy Gutierrez from Perfect Addition), are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin. Panic ensues as they are terrorized by three masked strangers. These strangers strike with no mercy and seemingly no motive in THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 1, the first entry of this horror feature-film series directed by Renny Harlin (Cliffhanger).

Despite the eerie setup, nothing truly scary happens for the first 40 minutes or so. Even when an individual knocks on their door looking for the wrong person, the cloaked Stranger isn’t genuinely terrifying. This Stranger goes on their merry way, or so our young couple thinks. When Ryan takes a motorcycle and heads to town to pick up his asthma inhaler, leaving Maya alone, the stalking begins.

I must say that the town and the cabin’s look and feel impressed me. Both are sufficiently remote, and the dilapidated town adds a forlorn, creepy atmosphere. The unfolding events become a game of cat and mouse. The movie depicts moments like Maya playing the piano as the camera pans out to reveal a stalker sitting in a chair behind her, visible in a mirror above the piano. Such moments have an element of horror but fall short overall.

It’s frustrating that none of the characters exhibit a sense of hearing or acute peripheral vision. When finally chased in the house, our protagonists make many illogical decisions, like hiding in rooms the killers saw them run into. Why not continue running and escape instead of sticking where the danger is?

I wanted to enjoy this movie, but the writing leaves little room for rooting for the heroes. Instead, I found myself beginning to root for the killers, which shouldn’t be the intended outcome.

Now, on to the technical details. This excellent 4K UHD offers Dolby Vision, 1080p, Dolby Atmos, and Dolby Digital Plus 5.1. Most of the movie is shot at night, either in the cabin or the surrounding forest. Despite these dark settings, the necessary details remain visible. Some favorite scenes involve Ryan and Maya being chased through the woods, maintaining the nighttime look while allowing us to see all the action. One notable scene is the camera panning up through the floorboards from where Maya and Ryan are hiding, capturing a killer listening for her prey in the living room above.

The audio is top-notch, with creepy killers singing nursery rhymes and a suitable soundtrack. The sound of the truck’s engine used to stop Maya and Ryan from escaping stood out, reflecting a serious “growl” as it smashes their escape vehicle.

There were two short “Making of” features: Reimagining a Classic – The Making of The Strangers – Ch. 1, and A Hostile Environment, the Visual Designs. Though brief, they offer insights into the director’s and actors’ thought processes involved in the project.

While I’m not completely uninterested in the sequels, as I’d like to see what happens to Maya, this initial chapter left me underwhelmed. The real strangers might be us, the viewers, feeling unwelcome at the prospect of another pointless remake.

Grade: C

Source: source names