The Strangers: Prey at Night
On a scale of 1-5 knife emojis this movie gets 3.5. If I’m not nitpicking then I’d give it five. Why? Well because this movie is exactly what a slasher should be. A massive plate of poor decisions, a few unrealistic moments and memorable scenes.
The basic summary of this movie is that a family of four stays in a trailer park for the night and three masked killers begin terrorizing them. Although with a sequel such as this one there are many people who don’t see potential, but I wasn’t one of those people. I’d been anticipating the film for some time because its predecessor, “The Strangers,” is a personal favorite of mine.
Leading up to its theatrical release I watched the teaser and trailers several times over. I paid attention to the differences between both films, such as how the plot wasn’t the same and there were more people to pick off, compared to the first film which focused on two people and the killers. When opening night rolled around I went all the way to my local theater. There weren’t many people going to see the movie but I didn’t give two iotas. Nothing was more exciting than to sit in a dark atmosphere, eat my snacks and watch a movie I’d been anticipating.
This movie kept me on the edge of my seat (quite literally) and didn’t really stop doing so. I could barely keep my eyes off what was happening. Nor was I able to ignore the perfect song selections for the movie. The soundtrack helped cement the 80’s slasher vibe that was intended in the first place. Without spoiling what happens, the pool scene is especially memorable because of the song choice.
Of course, the movie isn’t perfect and there were things I would change if I could. But the solid acting, especially from Bailee Madison, kept the low points from ruining the movie. All in all this film is worth watching if you’re a fan of the original. And also if you’re into suspenseful slashers.
Vanessa Maki is a queer writer, artist & other things. She’s full of black girl magic & has no apologies for that. Her work has appeared in various places like Really System & others. She is also forthcoming in a variety of places. She’s founder/EIC of rose quartz magazine & is involved in other literary spaces as well. Follow her twitter & visit her site.