The Strangers: Chapter 1 Review: A Deathly Hollow Carbon Copy

Bryan Bertino’s 2008 directorial debut, The Strangers, became an instant, iconic entry in horror history for its distinct brand of grounded terror and how well it sticks with viewers. Unfortunately, it’s been followed by subpar attempts to build the success of the original into a franchise. The latest endeavor to capitalize on the first film – The Strangers: Chapter 1 – drains the franchise of all its creativity and ultimately delivers a hollow carbon copy of Bertino’s vision. 

Now, Chapter 1 isn’t a simple prequel to the films that came before. Rather, it’s meant to kick off a new standalone trilogy. While adding in new timelines hasn’t exactly worked smoothly for most horror franchises, there was potential for Chapter 1 to create fresh intrigue. Throughout both the original film and its sequel The Strangers: Prey at Night, there have been many mysteries left unsolved – especially when it comes to the titular masked strangers. While the ambiguity surrounding its central killers has always been a key ingredient to the franchise’s formula, a deeper look into their backstory would be welcomed by fans and newcomers alike. 

Unfortunately, the film struggles to give anyone a reason to care about this new arc because it doesn’t lay its breadcrumbs correctly. There’s clearly an attempt to connect the Strangers to the rural Oregon town that couple Maya (Madelaine Petsch) and Ryan (Froy Gutierrez) end up in during their cross-country road trip. Some of the townsfolk immediately evoke suspicious vibes and the entire town is more of a connective part of the film than just a standard setting. However, it never commits to making those connections clear – leaving a lot of unsatisfying loose ends. The weird locals mostly come off like disappointing red herrings and even those two Mormon kids with the pamphlets from the first film return for no apparent reason. They literally show up randomly and add nothing to the plot. 

The Strangers: Chapter 1 also doesn’t add anything new to the titular strangers. Their motivations aren’t touched on in a deeper fashion. There’s no context to the ritualistic nature of their approach. We never even figure out their identities or if they’re tied to something bigger. If director Renny Harlin – who is set to helm the entire trilogy – truly attempts to leave clues for later films in Chapter 1, then they’re simply too small to see and are just dots that don’t connect. It really feels like the film wants to say or show something more with the Strangers but doesn’t take the opportunity to do so – making it a super underwhelming watch. Even worse, the bigger takeaway from Chapter 1 is that it blatantly follows the original too closely.  

It’s actually baffling as a fan to see Chapter 1 literally go beat for beat with the first film’s story – to the point where the sequence of events is literally the same at times. The way that Maya and Ryan are terrorized and stalked by the Strangers is the same. They make the same mistakes and choices that past victims have made. And they end up essentially succumbing to the same fate as previous characters. It’s so egregious with its copying that fans will literally predict things well before they happen – meaning that there’s nothing that’ll shock or surprise anyone who’s seen either of the earlier movies. On a narrative front, Chapter 1 is what happens when someone tries to copy someone else’s homework but does so poorly. It tries to do all the same twists and turns, but carries none of the meaning, impact, or finesse that Bertino showed with his debut.

Sadly, not even bringing a veteran like Harlin behind the camera adds something fresh to the experience. Overall, Harlin plays it way too safe with his scares and rarely crafts an effective jump scare or sense of suspense – which are vital to what makes The Strangers movies genuinely nerve-shredding. There are a couple shining moments when it comes to how the Strangers stalk their prey, but it’s never enough to really leave anyone on the edge of their seat. Also, it’s hard to say that Harlin really nails these characters with his direction. The Strangers, themselves, are a little too cartoony at times in their reactions and do weird things sometimes for the sake of it. There are scenes that are comically strange for no reason – like one of the strangers trying to goat Ryan into shooting them. Plus, the film creates a weird, physically-driven connection between The Man in the Mask – who’s oddly referred to as Scarecrow in the credits – and Maya that doesn’t fit this franchise or his character at all. 

Maya and Ryan aren’t depicted much better either as they’re truly stock slasher victims – making baffling choices that only put them in more peril and embodying annoying quirks that are petty representations of modern youth. They’re frustrating to watch and hard to like – which is such a shame compared to past characters in this franchise. There are attempts to give them emotional threads – like a small arc centered on their relationship woes. But it never actually amounts to anything and adds to the lack of engagement this film has. 

Just like how Don’t Breathe 2 tainted the legacy of the modern classic that came before it, The Strangers: Chapter 1 turns something as special as The Strangers into a slasher franchise with no soul. It’s literally a cheap knockoff in every way and fails to make anyone care about its bland franchise ambitions.

The Strangers: Chapter 1 is now playing in theaters nationwide.