Summary

• The first film in The Strangers franchise remains the best due to its authentic dread and relatable characters.
• The newest entry, Chapter 1, offers some solid scares but lacks originality, feeling like a replicated story.
• The Strangers: Prey at Night falls in the middle of the franchise thanks to its campy '80s vibe.

The Strangers franchise has three movies, and one ranks higher than the rest. The four simple words, "because you were home," sparked fear into the hearts of moviegoers with the release of the first film in 2008, as three masked killers wreaked havoc on a secluded couple with seemingly no motive. The Strangers was loosely based on experiences that director Bryan Bertino had when he was young, and it shot the home invasion subgenre of horror into the spotlight. Not only is that genre still popular 16 years later, but The Strangers franchise is also still going strong.

The Strangers: Chapter 1 is the newest film in the series, releasing May 17, 2024. It isn't a continuation of the original movie or its 2018 sequel. Instead, it's the first in a new trilogy and more of a retelling of the first film, using similar themes and characters but in a way that's different enough to be unique. The newest entry into the franchise is directed by Renny Harlin (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, Cliffhanger) and stars Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez.

Harlin has also directed the other two films in the new trilogy, which were filmed at the same time as The Strangers: Chapter 1 in 2022. Harlin has said he considers all three movies to be one complete story, viewing Chapter 1 as the first act of a longer film. While it remains to be seen how the rest of the new The Strangers trilogy ends up, every released film can already be ranked.

3 The Strangers: Chapter 1 (2024)

The Strangers: Chapter 1 Has Some Solid Scares But Lacks The Dread Of The Original

The Strangers: Chapter 1 has plenty of intense and scary moments, but its biggest issue comes from its lack of originality. Because the film is more of a retelling of the 2008 original than anything else, many of the scenes feel a little too similar, and the direction of the story offers few surprises, especially to those familiar with the franchise. A few subtle differences, like the story's location setup and the couple's circumstances, offer enough differences for it to feel somewhat unique, but for the majority of the film, it feels like a replicated story.

That's the risk of essentially retelling the same narrative. In these cases, typically the "reboot" offers a few surprises and shocks or at least changes the tone of the film. The Strangers: Chapter 1 doesn't quite take this approach, and it certainly isn't gore-filled or chock-full of jump scares. Everything this film does, its predecessor did in a better and scarier way. Chapter 1 isn't a boring film, and maybe it can offer something for a younger generation of horror audiences who haven't seen the original, but, on its own, it doesn't stand very tall.

Director Renny Harlin is no stranger to the horror genre, as he directed Prison, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4, and Deep Blue Sea.

The Strangers: Chapter 1's issues are more concerning when considering that it's only the first part of an already-filmed trilogy. While it's possible the movie will be viewed in a more positive light once the entire story is told, it also could be remembered as the one that kicks off a whole series of disappointing films. However, Chapter 1 does have a couple of things working for it.

The limited strength of The Strangers: Chapter 1 comes from its technical aspects. The camera work, crafted expertly by cinematographer José David Montero (What Happened to Monday?) sets a gloomy tone throughout the film, adding a layer of dread that compliments the lurking killers' antics well. Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez's characters of Maya and Ryan aren't as likable or relatable as Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman from the first movie, but the two do a great job of being believable in a messed-up situation. Unfortunately, the entire film never really surpasses being "just fine."

The ending gives a little insight that the next two films could give more backstory to the killers, and the trilogy as a whole could make things less ambiguous than this carbon copy of the original film. However, without release dates or even hints about what they'll be about, interest could decline fast. Critically, The Strangers: Chapter 1 hasn't done well, either. The film holds just an 18% on Rotten Tomatoes, the lowest RT score of the horror franchise, and a 5.4/10 on IMDb. Brian Tallerico from RogerEbert.com gave the film just two out of four stars and said: "This one largely goes through the motions of a horror remake, often feeling like a faded copy of the first film."

2 The Strangers: Prey at Night (2018)

The Strangers: Prey at Night Is The Most Fun Film In The Franchise

Right in the middle of the rankings, The Strangers: Prey at Night offers a refreshing feel after the bleakness of the original film. Coming a decade later, the sequel feels much more like a campy '80s slasher than a horrifying home invasion movie. Director Johannes Roberts opts for a more '80s tone, too, as much of the lighting is neon-themed, and an original synth score from Adrian Johnston elevates the feel. The Prey at Night characters feel a little more like slasher fodder than both in the original and the new film, but that matches the style of the movie well.

The film introduces an entirely new cast, led by Christina Hendricks (Mad Men) and Martin Henderson (The Ring). The story is again written by Bertino but also by Ben Ketai (The Forest). Rather than having personal origins, the story is based more on the Keddie Cabin murders of 1981, where a family of four was killed with seemingly no motive. However, the setting is changed from a secluded family cabin to a rundown motel. The changed setting helps with the visuals and soundscape of the film and separates it from feeling too similar to its predecessor.

One of the bigger issues with The Strangers: Prey at Night comes from its lack of depth with both the killers and their victims. When watching a sequel, one would expect more backstory, explanation, or at least an expansion of the mystery provided by the first. This film may as well have been a completely different franchise. The only similarities it has are the killer characters, and even their personalities feel much different from what audiences see in the original film. Overall, the movie offers a fun ride, but not a great or memorable one.

The Strangers: Prey at Night is mostly seen as a middle-of-the-road quality film by most critics, though the consensus is more muddied than both the original and latest films. IGN's Witney Seibold gave the film high praise, scoring it an 8.2 out of 10 on the popular media site, one of the highest scores it received. The film did decently among casual viewers, too, as it turned its small, $5 million budget into a $31 million success at the box office.

1 The Strangers (2008)

The Strangers Is One Of The Best Home Invasion Horror Movies Of All Time