The Wasteland Reviewer

The Strangers: Chapter 1 (2024) Written Review

Why is the film world so obsessed with making films from existing franchises? You can have a surprise hit like The Strangers that has aged well and its admiration has grown over the past 15 years. There have already been new entries in this growing franchise but there was a surprising decision that there would be a brand-new trilogy of films that would be some kind of connection to this film. The three masked stalkers return in this new film The Strangers: Chapter 1 but it certainly feels like a rehash (even if the filmmakers say it is not a reboot). 

Does Chapter 1 offer up a story that is engaging and worthwhile? This film is as familiar as you are going to find for a home invasion type film. You have a young city couple who find a “backwoods” small town full of stereotypically strange locals. That has been done quite a few times before. We have this couple who are not necessarily well developed outside of the fact that they are an attractive young couple who love each other. The stalking antagonists certainly look creepy in their masks, but they are non-characters. They are forces in the way Michael Myers is but lack the mythos for the audience to fear them. Then you have a drawn-out conflict between this couple and the stalkers that just feels all too familiar and offers nothing interesting. You can take a bland, by-the-numbers horror film and still find enjoyment. But how this film ends is SO anticlimactic and incredibly frustrating as the words “To Be Continued” end the film. This story is barely a story. It is barely a film of its own. 

But what makes this film even more frustrating? The complete lack of logic. The main couple in the most stereotypically idiotic ways for the film to work. On some level, you need to suspend disbelief watching a film but within the first couple of minutes inhabiting this house, this couple has already pushed you beyond that point. They make some of the most idiotic and eye-rolling decisions throughout this film. What is more frustrating is the fleeting moments when they do make good decisions are only there to conveniently set up sequences in the film that the filmmakers wanted to include. 

The hardest pill to swallow in this film is the approach of the antagonists. One half of the young couple expresses to his partner (and the audience) that these people are “just playing with us”. This expositional dialogue is clunky and another frustrating aspect of the film. But a sick sadistic antagonist who plays with their “food” could be truly unnerving. Or it can feel so lazy because the whole film becomes a practice in convenience for the sake of extending the story. Why do the antagonists stop at one moment but then not in another. There is no filmic logic which means there is no sense of stakes or tension. The Strangers feels like a wandering mess of a story because nothing makes sense. These stalkers somehow can see the future and set up the perfect trap for any possible decision this couple makes. But then they just let them go randomly. This leads all the way up to the ending which feels so lackluster and silly because what the stalkers chose to do in that moment makes no sense and does nothing to benefit the experience of watching this film. There are just so many moments of pure frustration that take you out of the film. 

Are there elements that work for this film? Somewhat. Unfortunately, any positive comes with a paired negative. The main couple is a perfect example. Madelaine Petsch gives a strong performance as Maya but Ryan Bown’s performance as Jeff feels so lifeless and unconvincing. That makes it hard to buy into this couple when only one of the performances feels like it is working. The set up for the film feels so completely uninteresting and bland that it is hard to engage with the first act of the film. Renny Harlin is a director with quite inconsistent filmography, and he has created a film that has made an impact in over 20 years. Chapter 1 feels inconsistent at best from a filmmaking perspective. There are a couple of sequences that have good tension and set-up but in general, Harlin’s directing feels a tad lifeless. There should be more tension and suspense throughout this film, but it just does not hit life as it should. The editing is glaringly clunky as there are plenty of nonsensical shots which are probably there to “build anxiety” but all they do is deliver perplexing feelings. There are moments that have the energy zapped out of them because they are so over edited. 

Is The Strangers: Chapter 1 a worthy new entry to this beloved franchise? No. This is such a perplexing exercise in beating a dead horse. This film just rehashes the set for the first film. The overall story of this film is barely a story. The ending is completely unsatisfying and will legitimately have you questioning why this film exists. But the bigger question is WHY are audiences getting two more films in this trilogy?