Trailer park home invasion by masked strangers! Hmmm… kinda been there, done that. Wait, did you say Christina Hendricks is in it? OK, I’m in!
The 2008 film The Strangers was a modest hit and featured Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman who on a romantic getaway in a remote vacation home, and rather than having the lovely retreat, they fall under siege by three strangers in masks. The movie was well executed for what it was, with some nice jump scares, and earnest acting… but it was purely formulaic. For my money, the home invasion trope was better executed in You’re Next and High Tension.
Ten years later, we’re getting a sequel to The Strangers, and the three masked strangers are back! I wish the producers had come up with better names for the villains than “Man in the Mask”, “Pin-Up Girl”, and “Dollface”. But then again… we’ve had Pinhead and Leatherface. So, I guess going for the obvious is as tried and true a trope as ther is. It appears that this outing is very similar to the previous film, right down to the swingset. But what sets this film apart is that it has Joan Harris! Yes, Christina Hendricks is in this film, and whether this proves that the film has some cache… or whether this proves that Hendricks career is on the slide is to be seen. And, since I’m a fan, she’ll be seen by me at least.
The Strangers: Prey at Night is Rated R, and arrives in theaters on March 9,