Review of The Strangers: Prey at Night (2018) by Reviews K — 31 Mar 2018

Sell out is a pretty tough phrase to attach to any project. Unfortunately, this is a common phrase used for most horror movies released as of recent. New horror movies (Purge, Saw, Insidious, etc.) follow a formula so basic, it becomes tedious. Jump scares, Characters making horrible decisions, blood and gore, repeat. After watching the opening title screen for Strangers: Prey at night, you know your in line for the same book, different cover. The different cover being: 80's horror.

The first Strangers is far from a perfect film. Even with being far from perfect, the film still has its merits. I watched the movie twice just so my friend could point out the man standing in the background while the couple in the film were caught in the middle of a conversation near the beginning of the film. No loud cue, just the man standing there. This gave me a clear understanding that the "Strangers" aren't in the business of murdering just for the sake of it. They love the process behind it. Seeing that scene was just the cherry on top, making the whole film have a different feel after that. Strangers 2 does it's best to ruin that.

I've never been more aggravated with a film than while watching the first couple of minutes of this one. You know your in for a treat when the title screen of the film looks like a cheap knock-off of stranger things. It becomes obvious immediately that the creators of this film were jumping on the 80's horror film train. With every scene that passes, it becomes apparent that no thought was put into the script. Every character is as mundane as the rest. You have the father acting like a goofball. The mother who is at wits end with her edgy daughter. Their young daughter whose mother "just doesn't get her." Rounding it all out is the athletic son who's perfect compared to his sister. The script doesn't' help with dialogue like "I HATE YOU!!" and "Why are you doing this!!!?" At this time, I'm unsure if this film is written by actual people or computers.

Scares are second to none. You get nothing from these once terrifying entities. Following the first film, the "Strangers" seem to get kicks of the chase. The killing portion of the whole ordeal almost seems like a chore to them. This sequel muddies that ideal. The formula for the first film is pretty solid, only needing to be fine tuned to maximize the scares and grease out the script. Instead, they just water down whatever worked before, adding in the 80's whenever they think it would make the audience geek out. It doesn't blend well, and your left with weird production choices that seem out of place.

The disappointments come one after another. Currently, this is the best example of current horror movies and the cash grab tactics surrounding them. At times, you get a scene or two that almost seems like somebody with an original thought came up with. All the different elements blend together nice, and you can't help but feel like you were cheated. Cheated from an original movie that got caught up in the grinder of corporate greed. Can't wait for Strangers 7.