The Strangers: Chapter One - Same One Note Premise, Too Thin Even For Renny Harlin to Stretch

By Thom Ernst

Rating: C

It's been several days since I've seen The Strangers: Chapter One. I thought it was important to sit with the film longer than usual. My concern when going into The Strangers: Chapter One is that my dislike of the original The Strangers (2008)—an anomaly among my peers—would unfairly shape my opinion of the reboot. 

I'll admit that The Strangers had me on the edge of my seat, mostly because I wasn't sure if I planned on staying. 

The Strangers: Chapter One holds fast to a formula differentiating the franchise from the standard massacre-by-number structure adhered to by psycho mavens Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, and Freddy Krueger. It also reintroduces "Dollface"—perhaps the first female killer in a horror franchise, not counting Chucky's killer-doll companion, Tiffany, from the Child's Play series. 

These distinctions account for some of the original film's popularity, but the trade-off on forgoing an excessive body count and squeamish kills is a drawn-out cat-and-mouse ordeal that is more tiresome than tense. And if the film intends to stick to the brand—and it looks like the brand is working so why wouldn't it—we know where things are heading. 

I have an outlier's take on The Strangers. Most people think The Strangers is a fine movie. Not me. Aside from the prolonged toying between victims and persecutors, I've come to resent the way the film parades a self-congratulatory commitment to spreading false hopes as though it were doling out bright, shiny plot twists. 

And there are inconsistencies in the original that I can't ignore, like the killers having otherworldly powers, but only when it is convenient to set up a jump-scare. I doubt the killers are meant to be anything but human (an infinitely more unnerving premise than if they weren't), and yet they materialize where access is unlikely, and they disappear in the millisecond it takes to glance over one's shoulder. 

But now, having seen The Strangers: Chapter One, I realize my fears that the original could taint my appreciation for the reboot were for naught. It is possible to dislike The Strangers: Chapter One on its own merits. 

My only question is, do I dislike the original as much as I dislike the reboot?

I'm leaning towards, No, I don't. 

Everything that was problematic in the original is problematic all over again in the reboot. And this time, it's not even original. 

But what of originality in a story that hinges on unmotivated torture and harassment? What more is there to say after Scott Speedmanand Liv Tyler have been tormented for a full 80 minutes by three emotionally barren, masked psychopaths who, when asked, "Why us?" deliver the film's penultimate scare by answering, "Because you were home?" 

Doesn't sound like there's been much wiggle room left for a part two. 

But there was a part two: The Strangers: Prey at Night (2018). Since I've managed to avoid seeing Prey at Night, I can't comment on whether the story is propelled forward. I suspect not, given that we're only two films deep into the franchise (do two films make a franchise?), and we're already rewinding to the beginning.

Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez replace Speedman and Tyler as the victims du-jour with Renny Harlin, former A-list action director and Hollywood's most famous Finn directing. Getting Harlin to direct is a move that's almost as bizarre as having Ben Wheatly direct MEG 2: The Trench.

But not even Harlin, who gave us Cliffhanger (1993), Deep Blue Sea (1999), Die Hard 2 (1990), and The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), can flesh a whole story out of a single-note premise. And since Chapter One is not an action film, Harlin's contribution is more technical than creative. 

Harlin adopts the same tone of cruelty and dread that permeated the first film and possibly the second. However, the failure of The Strangers: Chapter One doesn't entirely rest on Harlin or the film. I'm partly to blame. I have a predilection against home invasion movies (I have even less patience for the Purge franchise) and for stories that are stacked against a satisfying outcome.  

But, is it fair of me to harp on a film for delivering the goods? Dread and cruelty are not unfamiliar nor unwanted traits in horror films. And there have been solid films like Eden Lake (2008), The Wicker Man (1973), The Mist (2007), and Drag Me to Hell (2009) that stand out for the very reason that they refuse to play nice. 

So, what is different about The Strangers: Chapter One that has me at such odds with the franchise's popularity?

First, I'm not convinced The Strangers: Chapter One will be a popular entry into the franchise. Harlin brings nothing new to the story but more of the same: the anguish of a lovely, loving couple who don't deserve what's coming.

The crime of repetition can also be assigned to Friday the 13th, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, or any franchise that stays faithful to the formula that brought it success. However, unlike The Strangers: Chapter One, these films have the additional appeal of spectacular kills and dark humor. 

Suppose that The Strangers: Chapter One (and the chapters leading up to it) are slashers for grown-ups. Ie. They are more innovative, less exploitive films that rely on atmosphere and suspense rather than violence and gore. This is a worthy consideration, given that the film strives for more than just teenagers getting axed. But labeling Strangers as an adult slasher catapults the franchise into Psycho (1960) territory where films like The Lodge (2019) and Michael Haneke's Funny Games (1997), a film that could work as a prototype for The Strangers—co-exist in relative harmony. 

It's unlikely that The Strangers: Chapter One, having mastered none of the controlled pacing, gradual reveals, and academically constructed set pieces that define those other films from traditional genre movies, would find a comfortable home among them. 

But the saga continues with Harlin, connected to two more upcoming Strangers films: The Strangers: Chapter Two and The Strangers: Chapter Three. 

With all this talk of chapters I think I’ll go pick up a book. 

The Strangers: Chapter One. Directed by Renny Harlin. Stars Madelaine Petsch and Ryan Bown and opens in theatres on Friday, May 17.