Launched in 2008 by Bryan Bertino, who was notably inspired by the murders committed by the Manson family and Funny Games (1997), by Michael Haneke, the not-so-old franchise The Strangers is getting a makeover under the leadership of laborer Renny Harlin (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4, Exorcist: The Beginning). Tireless, the director shot the three chapters of the new trilogy at the same time. Misfortune never comes alone, they say. Neither prequel to the 2008 film nor sequel to the 2018 film, The Strangers: Prey at Nightby Johannes Roberts, where the killers were killed, this third part entitled The Strangers: Chapter 1 starts again on new bases… by using the same elements. With less talent, less suspense, fewer surprises.
Written by TV writers Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland, The Strangers: Chapter 1 reminds us from the credits of the number of violent crimes committed every day in the United States and those committed since the moment the film began. Yes, we want to make sure to scare us by telling us that the following action could very well happen to us. Then appear Maya (Madelaine Petsch, her lips quivering, her eyes watery) and Gregory (Froy Gutierrez, whose talent here is summed up in getting stuck everywhere), who find themselves stuck in Venus, Oregon, during a trip to in the depths of the United States.
Soon, the New York couple discover to their horror that everyone looks stupid, that the WiFi works intermittently and that there is no vegan option on the menu of the snack bar where they are eating. stopped. Worse still, the car no longer starts. No worries, the sinister-looking sheriff (Richard Brake) also owns the garage. Unfortunately, the couple will have to spend the night in an isolated chalet in the forest while waiting for the car to be repaired.
At nightfall, three masked individuals prowl the area. And there you know what’s going to happen if you’ve watched the trailer or seen one of the previous films in the franchise or any other slasher. Suspicious noises, play of shadows and mirrors, killers lurking in the shadows, cries of distress, heavy breathing, chases and escapes: everything plays out in order, without ever going beyond or reinventing the original recipe. “Why are you doing this to us?” asks Maya. “Because you are here,” replies a masked assassin. That’s what it is, it won’t go any further than that.
Indoors
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horror drama
The Strangers: Chapter 1 (VF: The Unknowns: Chapter 1)
Renny Harlin
With Madelaine Petsch, Froy Gutierrez, Richard Brake
1:31 a.m.