The Strangers was released in May 2008, which means I was just 9 years old at the time. As a 3rd grader, I was obviously more concerned with trying to convince my parents to let me watch Iron Man and The Dark Knight than I was with some creepy horror movie. But for whatever inexplicable reason, the marketing (which appeared on ESPN, the one "adult" channel I watched as a kid) for The Strangers stuck in my brain for a very long time. A home invasion perpetrated by faceless murderers? That's enough to unnerve anyone, let alone an elementary school kid. As I got older and as Bryan Bertino's film went from being a disposable bargain bin horror flick to something of a cult classic, I found myself interested in checking it out. But despite all the buzz about Bergman-esque characters and existential, post-9/11 undertones, I found myself disappointed by a rote, humorless, and strangely bland chiller.
I maintained some level of excitement for the long overdue follow-up thanks to a great trailer, and it ended up being worth the wait. The Strangers: Prey at Night is one of the better surprises of the year so far, a lean, cruel, and twisted throwback slasher. The original film's supposed fatalistic tendencies are all but discarded, leaving a retro nightmare that relishes in its own neon-drenched madness. The basic setup is essentially the same, but with just a little more heart amid the gruesome murders this time around. A family in crisis heads to a house in the middle of nowhere and very bad things ensue- it's simple, but undeniably effective. Cindy (Christina Hendricks) and Mike (Martin Henderson) have decided to send their troubled daughter, Kinsey (Bailee Madison), to an elite boarding school, and they're taking one last family getaway before dropping her off. Along with Luke (Lewis Pullman), the unsuspecting suburbanites head to their uncle's sleepy abode in the hopes of some quality time together. But after discovering a dead body and receiving a few unsavory visitors, the family is left to fend for themselves against a group of vicious invaders.
Director Johannes Roberts is at the wheel for this oft-delayed outing, and he has delivered a film that is as shockingly compact as anything I've seen this year. Prey at Night is 85 minutes long, and there's not a moment wasted. In some ways, this execution strategy almost harms the film. As soon as the family arrives at the trailer park, there's a creepy knock at the door, signaling bad things to come and leaving little room for the audience to catch a breath. Roberts struggles with the expository elements of this story, especially when there's no way to squeeze any tension out of a scene. The first half hour is dreadfully dull at times, and I was certain the film would end up going down the path of its predecessor.
Instead, Prey at Night becomes something wildly different and vastly superior. After establishing a group of sad, miserable characters, Roberts and screenwriters Bertino and Ben Ketai make the inspired to decision to turn these sadsacks into empathetic, likable human beings. Prey at Night is still extraordinarily gruesome, and it has no qualms with putting its characters through the torturous ringer. But while James and Kristen were just cogs in a disturbing plot in the original film, the family here actually has some heart and soul. Part of that can be chalked up to the basic setup- it's easier to generate a real emotional connection between members of a dysfunctional family than it is with a depressed couple who just botched a marriage proposal. Despite that inherent advantage, I was surprised by how much I cared about the characters here. The cast has good chemistry, there are some effective moments of comic relief, and I found myself cheering on Kinsey and Luke as they fought back against these determined sadists.
Prey at Night has a bit more of a crowd-pleasing angle to it, and I was impressed by how good Roberts is at staging both intricate scares and efficient fight sequences. By leaning into more familiar, Halloween-esque slasher elements, this film successfully combines the fundamental idea of the Strangers franchise with a fast-tempo sensibility. There's undeniably a sense of creeping, inescapable dread that develops in the early goings, but there's never the feeling that Prey at Night is restricted to one house or one single location. Kinsey and Luke have the power to confront these monsters on their own terms, and the whole trailer park can be used to their advantage.
As a result, there's a sense of continuous escalation that is both unpredictable and totally fun in the most twisted way possible. What starts as a series of strange encounters turns into all-out bloody mayhem, perhaps best demonstrated by a fight scene between Luke and the "Man in the Mask" that is about as intensely entertaining as any duel I've scene this year. These raw, gritty sequences give Bailee Madison and Lewis Pullman plenty of chances to shine- they're the real breakout stars of this sequel. Pullman, a rising star with roles in the upcoming Lean on Pete and Bad Times at the El Royale, gives Luke a sense of easy-going kindness, which slowly crumbles as he's forced to face cold-blooded killers. It's a strong performance, matched only by Madison's mix of desperation and perseverance. They give everything they have to this film, elevating a bit of pulpy fun into something that's even more brutally effective.
Prey at Night is a ferocious horror movie, never relenting or allowing the audience take even a single breath until the final credits roll. After breaking onto the scene with the sleeper hit 47 Meters Down, Roberts continues to prove his genre chops, delivering a down-and-dirty thriller that just flat-out works. From the classic rock soundtrack that underscores the madness to the pervasive sense of imminent danger, Prey at Night is a modest, but stunningly successful follow-up to a cult classic. In a genre that often feels so flat and familiar, it's nice to see such a wildly entertaining variation on a classic formula.
THE FINAL GRADE: B+ (7.8/10)
Images courtesy of Aviron Pictures
I maintained some level of excitement for the long overdue follow-up thanks to a great trailer, and it ended up being worth the wait. The Strangers: Prey at Night is one of the better surprises of the year so far, a lean, cruel, and twisted throwback slasher. The original film's supposed fatalistic tendencies are all but discarded, leaving a retro nightmare that relishes in its own neon-drenched madness. The basic setup is essentially the same, but with just a little more heart amid the gruesome murders this time around. A family in crisis heads to a house in the middle of nowhere and very bad things ensue- it's simple, but undeniably effective. Cindy (Christina Hendricks) and Mike (Martin Henderson) have decided to send their troubled daughter, Kinsey (Bailee Madison), to an elite boarding school, and they're taking one last family getaway before dropping her off. Along with Luke (Lewis Pullman), the unsuspecting suburbanites head to their uncle's sleepy abode in the hopes of some quality time together. But after discovering a dead body and receiving a few unsavory visitors, the family is left to fend for themselves against a group of vicious invaders.
Director Johannes Roberts is at the wheel for this oft-delayed outing, and he has delivered a film that is as shockingly compact as anything I've seen this year. Prey at Night is 85 minutes long, and there's not a moment wasted. In some ways, this execution strategy almost harms the film. As soon as the family arrives at the trailer park, there's a creepy knock at the door, signaling bad things to come and leaving little room for the audience to catch a breath. Roberts struggles with the expository elements of this story, especially when there's no way to squeeze any tension out of a scene. The first half hour is dreadfully dull at times, and I was certain the film would end up going down the path of its predecessor.
Instead, Prey at Night becomes something wildly different and vastly superior. After establishing a group of sad, miserable characters, Roberts and screenwriters Bertino and Ben Ketai make the inspired to decision to turn these sadsacks into empathetic, likable human beings. Prey at Night is still extraordinarily gruesome, and it has no qualms with putting its characters through the torturous ringer. But while James and Kristen were just cogs in a disturbing plot in the original film, the family here actually has some heart and soul. Part of that can be chalked up to the basic setup- it's easier to generate a real emotional connection between members of a dysfunctional family than it is with a depressed couple who just botched a marriage proposal. Despite that inherent advantage, I was surprised by how much I cared about the characters here. The cast has good chemistry, there are some effective moments of comic relief, and I found myself cheering on Kinsey and Luke as they fought back against these determined sadists.
Prey at Night has a bit more of a crowd-pleasing angle to it, and I was impressed by how good Roberts is at staging both intricate scares and efficient fight sequences. By leaning into more familiar, Halloween-esque slasher elements, this film successfully combines the fundamental idea of the Strangers franchise with a fast-tempo sensibility. There's undeniably a sense of creeping, inescapable dread that develops in the early goings, but there's never the feeling that Prey at Night is restricted to one house or one single location. Kinsey and Luke have the power to confront these monsters on their own terms, and the whole trailer park can be used to their advantage.
As a result, there's a sense of continuous escalation that is both unpredictable and totally fun in the most twisted way possible. What starts as a series of strange encounters turns into all-out bloody mayhem, perhaps best demonstrated by a fight scene between Luke and the "Man in the Mask" that is about as intensely entertaining as any duel I've scene this year. These raw, gritty sequences give Bailee Madison and Lewis Pullman plenty of chances to shine- they're the real breakout stars of this sequel. Pullman, a rising star with roles in the upcoming Lean on Pete and Bad Times at the El Royale, gives Luke a sense of easy-going kindness, which slowly crumbles as he's forced to face cold-blooded killers. It's a strong performance, matched only by Madison's mix of desperation and perseverance. They give everything they have to this film, elevating a bit of pulpy fun into something that's even more brutally effective.
Prey at Night is a ferocious horror movie, never relenting or allowing the audience take even a single breath until the final credits roll. After breaking onto the scene with the sleeper hit 47 Meters Down, Roberts continues to prove his genre chops, delivering a down-and-dirty thriller that just flat-out works. From the classic rock soundtrack that underscores the madness to the pervasive sense of imminent danger, Prey at Night is a modest, but stunningly successful follow-up to a cult classic. In a genre that often feels so flat and familiar, it's nice to see such a wildly entertaining variation on a classic formula.
THE FINAL GRADE: B+ (7.8/10)
Images courtesy of Aviron Pictures
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