The Strangers: Chapter 1 (Mini-Review)

The Strangers: Chapter 1 is a relaunch of the series. Maya and Ryan get lost on their road trip and stop in a small town. After their car breaks down, they spend the night at a small cabin. The peaceful atmosphere quickly crumbles as three strangers stalk the couple. The Strangers: Chapter 1 was released in 2024. It was directed by Renny Harlin. It stars Madelaine Petsch, Froy Gutierrez, Gabriel Basso, and Ema Horvath.

There is a mid-credits scene. While it doesn't add much, I found it helped me endure the wait for the sequel. There are also pictures during the credits.

I didn't go into this movie thinking it would be as good or better than the original. Instead, my only wish was that it was better than The Strangers: Prey at Night (2018). Unlike the original, that sequel was much too fast paced for a movie known for its tense pacing. Luckily this latest addition to the series is much better than Prey at Night and gives me hope for the sequel.

The original movie pretended to be based on real events. In reality, the 'real events' was when the director was younger and someone asked for someone that didn't live in the house. This movie starts with that same lie about the events in the movie being something that actually happened. It even goes so far as to point out how many people statistically died from violent crimes by the time you read the statistics. While the movie is obviously a work of fiction, that statistic really helped bring a chill down my spine.

There is a lot of confusion about when this movie takes place on The Strangers' timeline. Is it a prequel? Remake? Sequel? The makers of this movie refer to it as a relaunch which, to me, seems like a very odd term. The best way I can translate 'relaunch' is reboot. The original movie is used as inspiration but this movie isn't connected to any others in the series.

Two sequels are supposed to follow this movie and all three were filmed at the same time. So questions asked in this one will hopefully be answered by the end of the trilogy. Such as those spooky Mormon kids. They handed Maya and Ryan a pamphlet. I assume this pamphlet is important as another character tries to hand Ryan a pamphlet later in the movie.

There's also the fact that the cabin Maya and Ryan are staying in is vacant because the owner 'has gone out hunting'. What if the owner is hunting anyone who stays in the cabin? This would both explain how the strangers knew the area so well and make it so they aren't targeting anyone specifically. It could also explain why the diner people wanted to hang out with Ryan as they know the fate of anyone who stays in the cabin. In the opening kill of the movie, the guy is running through the same woods as the couple. So it really seems like the cabin is the prime hunting ground for the strangers. Even though this movie is a reboot, the strangers could be honing their skills at the cabin and later move to different areas.

I would recommend The Strangers: Chapter 1 to fans of the series. I would also recommend The Strangers: Chapter 1 to those wanting a tense horror movie.