Plot
After their car breaks down in a small town, a young couple (Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez) are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin in the middle of the forest. Panic ensues as they are terrorized by three masked strangers with no mercy and seemingly no motive.
Review
"The Strangers" Chapter 1 is a home invasion horror movie that delivers suspense and atmosphere, despite some frustrating character decisions.
Maya and Ryan, a happy couple, take a detour to a small town for lunch. Their car breaks down, and they are forced to stay at a remote Airbnb cabin in the forest. As night falls, they encounter three masked figures who begin to terrorize them without apparent motive.
The movie excels in creating a creepy, unsettling atmosphere. The remote cabin in the forest, the quiet of the forest and the darkness surrounding the cabin, combined with the use of lighting and sound, amplify the sense of isolation and vulnerability. The filmmakers use these elements to keep viewers on edge, with tense moments and jump scares. Although the movie is rated R, it relies more on suspense and psychological horror than on gore. Most of the horror of the film is built around the thought of the murderers being in the house and the couple don't know where they are.
The characters, particularly Maya and Ryan, their relationship and chemistry are believable but make a series of questionable decisions from ignoring the strange behavior of the locals to dismissing obvious signs that something is not right, their actions often seem irrational throughout the movie. This might frustrate some viewers and even lead them to root for the masked strangers at times.
The film doesn't give a clear explanation for the strangers' motives other than their chilling statement, "We are doing it because you are here". This leaves room for further exploration in the upcoming chapters. The mask figures' designs are creepy-looking.
"The Strangers" Chapter 1 is a home invasion horror genre succeeding in creating a tense, creepy atmosphere and delivering scares without relying heavily on gore. While the characters make frustrating decisions. With two more chapters on the way, there is potential for the story to dive deeper into the mystery of the masked strangers and possibly explore the origins and motives behind their terrifying actions.
My Screen Times Score - 5
Spoiler reviews
The local townspeople exhibit strange behaviors from the start. Ryan suspected this but his girlfriend told him that he was just paranoid. Later, Ryan leaves the cabin for his inhaler and when he comes back, his girlfriend tells him that there is a masked figure in the house. Ryan replied that she was just hallucinating? At some point, they even got a shotgun and an opportunity to escape the cabin but just couldn't capitalize on it.
IMDb - 4.8
Rotten Tomatoes - 22% | Audience - 44%
Genre - Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Rating - R
Distributor - Lionsgate
Runtime - 1 hour 31 Minutes
Director - Renny Harlin
Cast - Madelaine Petsch, Froy Gutierrez
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