The Strangers: Chapter 1 (2024) Dir: Renny Harlin
- Ridley Coote
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
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Full disclosure, the main reason I watched this 2024 home invasion horror was because somebody I know wanted me to watch it. I had watched the previous two films, and had enjoyed neither. This one was directed by Renny Harlin, whose entire filmography is very all over the place, with 'Die Hard 2' being his most notable film. I had watched the two previous films in the franchise, and my collective opinion on them was; "meh" - not convincing, I know - but maybe the third time would be the charm, right?
Wrong. This was a slow, boring, and painfully generic horror film. There's just no way around it. It looked dull, it sounded dull, and it played like a film made to be chopped up into 'TikTok' videos. Even worse, was the frustrating nature of the story. The couple had so many chances to get away, but, for some frustrating reason, they were seemingly intent on sabotaging their own survival, time and time again.
If anyone watched this and felt like they'd seen this film before, it's because, really, you probably have. The narrative for this reboot was essentially a very generic reprint of the original cult classic, and considering how little I enjoyed that one, I'm sure readers can imagine how I felt about it this time around too. What was really so unsatisfying about this film was how little happened in it, though. Most of the narrative was just a combination of waiting, hiding, and running. It was incredibly boring.
I will give credit where it's due, Madelaine Petsch clearly put some effort into her role. Her terror, for the most part, at least, felt genuine, and she wasn't afraid to go big with her reactions, which I liked. By contrast, I found Froy Gutierrez to be quite inauthentic. It felt like I was watching an actor, and not a character. Even his crying felt artificial. The trio of Gabriel Basso, Ema Horvath, and Ella Bruccoleri, did fairly well, as the three masked killers, but it was hard to say that they did more or less than any of the other actors who have had those roles.
Overall, this was another failed attempt at making a good home invasion film. These films have all felt and looked exactly the same, and not of them have hit in the ways that were, I'm sure, intended. The only way I'll watch the next two films in this rebooted trilogy are if they appear on a streaming service that I'm already using. If not, I'm really not bothered. These films have so little of anything to get your teeth into, and I would much rather spend my time watching any number of other films.
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