Intensity: 🩸🩸🩸out of 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸
Directed by Renny Harlin
The Strangers: Chapter 1 is an extremely faithful reboot of the 2008 thriller of the same name. The film follows nearly beat for beat with the original, which may be a good thing, as the original was a crackerjack scare ride. However, if you are familiar with the first movie, much of the starch is taken out of it. The predictability of the jump scares and the actions diminishes the scariness of it all. If you are new to this story, then game on!
How soon is too soon to do a reboot? A few other films, like Wrong Turn and Cabin Fever, notably did not wait long after the originals to remake them. Wrong Turn, in particular, did a nice job of departing from the source material, making it feel fresh and interesting. Cabin Fever, was less successful in making a clear delineation between the source material. Foreign-language films, like the upcoming See No Evil, often get an English variant when the original is deemed an instant classic. I have always been an advocate for embracing international films over American versions. (The Ring, a notable exception.)
Rebooting is a calculated risk that enough time has passed that a newer, fresher version will be as appealing, if not more than the original. Most of the really successful ones, like The Thing, The Fly, The Blob, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers used classic movies from a completely different generation to try a new audience. The technology between the ’50s and the ’80s was vast, and the R-rating allowed for some gruesome fun that was not available to the original audiences. None of that seems to be in play with The Strangers: Chapter 1.
In the case of The Strangers: Chapter 1, the script hews so tightly to the original one that it feels like the same film, with better production values, minus the star power of Liv Tyler. You may have noticed a “Chapter 1” attached to this title. The final verdict of this film will be determined by how the subsequent Chapter 2 (due later this year) and Chapter 3 (next year) will play out. If we get a carbon copy of The Strangers, but with the extended story through the next two films, I think this whole effort of doing a strict reboot will work just fine. Shake up the first chapter just a little, and bring lots of new material in the second and third chapters.
The Cast of Strangers: Chapter 1
- Madelaine Petsch is Maya, a woman traveling to Portland, OR, for a job interview.
- Ryan Brown is Jeff Morel, Maya’s boyfriend. He has commitment issues and asthma.
- Matus Lajacak is Scarecrow, the brute force behind the invaders, who wears a burlap sack mask.
- Olivia Kreutzova is Dollface, one of the home invaders, who wears a baby-doll mask.
- Letizia Fabbri is Pin-Up, one of the home invaders, who wears a flapper mask.
- Ben Cartwright is Rudy, an auto mechanic who volunteers to repair Jeff’s car.
- Ema Horvath is Shelly, a plucky waitress who helps get Maya and Jeff to a rental cabin.
The Plot (minor spoilers only)
Maya and Jeff are on a cross-country road trip, on their way to Portland, where Mandy has a job interview waiting. It also happens to be their fifth anniversary… of dating. Jeff hasn’t found the moment to propose yet, and Maya hopes that if she gets the job, Jeff will move out with her, and they can make long-term plans. After a near accident, they pull off the highway into the small rural (and fictional) town of Venus, Oregon. They arrive at a roadside diner full of surly locals (Trope alert#1!). The local clientele grills the pair about their travels, creating awkward conversations.
When Jeff’s car doesn’t start (Trope alert #2! ), a grizzled mechanic startles them but offers to take their BMW in overnight for repairs. The parts are in Eugene, so repairing the car will take at least a day. The chatty waitress knows of a hunting lodge near town that can be rented for the night, while he is away, and she volunteers to drive them to the cabin. (Notably this removes their ability to drive away…)
They arrive at a surprisingly nicely appointed hunting cabin. The couple settles in for some romance when a bang at the door announces a stranger. A shadowy young woman asks at the door, “Is Tamara There?” No. She’s at the wrong place. (This is a direct replication of the original film.) Jeff then realizes breathlessly that he is missing his inhaler and has to return to town using a motorcycle they found at the house. I’m not sure about the legality of that move, but Jeff is apparently desperate.
While Jeff is away, the strange woman returns, banging on the door. Maya does not answer the door, but the same question comes. “Is Tamara there?” There also is evidence that somebody else may be in the house with Maya. Maya stumbles into a woman in a mask, forcing her to flee upstairs in panic, where she hides in a closet. Moments later, the door swings open, and… it’s Jeff. (Trope Alert #3!)
The threat, though, is real. The invaders have arrived and begin toying with the couple, in a cat-and-mouse home invasion. Scarecrow arrives, a big man wielding an axe, and the threat becomes obvious and direct. No more hiding in the shadows; these Strangers are here to dispatch the visitors. Why are they doing this?
“Because you were here.”
Creepy!
EVALUATING: The Strangers: Chapter 1
Renny Harlin, a notable action film director (Die Hard, Cliffhanger, Deep Blue Sea), has some experience shooting horror films, directing A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Child, Exorcist the Beginning, and Devil’s Pass. He is known as a skilled film technician who delivers great action set pieces, and he succeeds with that in this film. However, Harlin struggles with nuance and innovation. You can see the punches coming. Not only is the script familiar, but the tropes are from the horror movie standard cookbook.
Our leads have great chemistry together. Petsch and Brown make for a cute couple. They also make poor decisions together. Rule number one in a cabin in the woods? Lock all the doors! Just do it. If the home invaders break a window, at least you know they are in the house. For the record, this film has a great window-breaking jump scare. Rule number two? Forget the inhaler! You can get by for a day.
All this is not to say that the movie isn’t entertaining. It’s fun. You laugh at the film and squirm as the action ratchets up. There is an absolutely horrifying knife attack that is certain to end up on the Thingy Award nominations next year. An audible groan left the audience when it happened. You will know it when you see it.
Also, the Mormon boys are back. We’ll see if they play a factor in Chapters 2 and 3.
CONCLUSION: The Strangers: Chapter 1
The original The Strangers has a stellar reputation as one of the scariest movies of the past 20 years. It landed at #131 in our Top 500 horror films of all time. So, the decision to make a reboot has its risks. Again, this film must be evaluated in the context of the rest of the trilogy. It has the same great moments and scenes from the original film, with the twist that this couple seems to love each other. The source material featured a couple’s relationship that was in disrepair, which forced them to really consider their feelings for each other when staring at death in the mask. I actually like Jeff and Maya better than Kristen and James, their precedents.
Harlin shot all three of these chapters simultaneously, so we won’t have to wait long to see how the rest of this story unfolds. I am looking forward to those films more than this one because we will be treated with the extension of the story we were given here. A little revenge, perhaps? How much of the community can be trusted? Who is in on the murder cover-up? You can’t trust Oregonians! (Note that the film was shot in Slovakia, which apparently doubles quite nicely as the Pacific Northwest.)
The Strangers: Chapter 1 was produced by Lionsgate, and has been released widely throughout the USA. The film received a strong R-rating for strong violence and high intensity. There is actually not much killing in this movie, but it is not shy with the violence, for which there is PLENTY.