With this new age and perspective on the horror genre that comes across as more independent and artistic, thanks to the likes of filmmakers such as Ari Aster, Robert Eggers and Jordan Peele, it can become easy for lovers of the quickly-evolving genre to forget what made them fans in the first place - that being a good old slasher movie.
In a world that seems to becoming taken over by the likes of your 'Hereditary's, your 'The Lighthouse's and your 'Get Out's, some movie lovers who refuse to have to earn the right and work their way to a good story may prefer to come to cinema to see one of three things: blood, an enticing cliffhanger, and a classic home invasion.
'The Strangers: Chapter One' has all three of those things.
Based on Bryan Bertino's horror/mystery 'The Strangers', Finnish fim director, Renny Harlin, brings us a new look at the cult classic from 2008. Although inspiration and plot traits are very evident throughout the two movies, Harlin's edition has more than enough storyline events that refuses to be deemed as a 'remake'.
Before the films cinematic release, it was announced that it will play it's hand as the first of three movies to fully re-tell the 'Strangers' story. And although it remains unaware when the next two additions to the trilogy will be released to audiences, it is expected that Chapter 2 will be available later in 2024.
The first instalment in the trilogy introduces the two characters of Maya and Ryan (played by Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez), who are both halves of a lovely young couple who are forced to spend the night in a deserted cabin out in the woods after their car is deemed unroadworthy.
Of course, as the night goes on, more and more uncomfortable and suspicious events begin to unfold and before you know it, the couple find themselves defending their livelihood against three masked murderers who have somehow entered their temporary home and are in possession of a motive that remains a mystery.
Regardless of all of the symbolism and exposition that comes with modern-day artistic versions of horror films, 100% of the time there is one thing that movie-lovers request from their horror movies, that being that what they're about to embark on over the course of the next two hours is scary.
And although 'The Strangers: Chapter One' does have it's problems, in this regard, it does pass the test.
With this film, Harlin pulls away from the typical and over-utilised jump scares that audiences have become too familiarised with in the past. Instead, the filmmaker uses the power to build tension a large handful of times throughout. The lack of jump scares witnessed actually adds to the intensity of the dramatic sequences scattered amongst this movie.
And although this film deserves applaud for the number of times I found myself wanting to look away from the camera, much like any cheap horror production, we do witness our protagonists make stupid decision after stupid decision that leaves us as audience members almost shouting at the big screen in anger.
The primary redeeming factor for this movie is in fact that idea of splitting the entire storyline across a trilogy. Five minutes before the film's runtime came to an end, I found myself uninterested as to how it was going to end and reluctant to watching what chapter two has to offer.
But the lack of information revealed in the first movie, if anything, makes us want to watch the second instalment even more. Just so we feel as though we have any chance of getting those 90 minutes back through some kind of explanation as to what we have just seen.
Overall Rating: 5.5/10
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