The Strangers: Chapter 1 is a horror and suspense movie that will serve as a reboot for the franchise that began all the way back in 2008 with the original movie of the same name The Strangers (2008), its from this movie that we got the iconic masks from the people who terrorize a young couple during the vacations, ten years latter we get a second movie The Strangers: Prey at Night (2018) that serve as a sequel keeping similar plot in a different location and new set of characters. The franchise out of the horror fans never had great online scores and the plot is bit repetitive, basically telling the same story just on different location but the key factor is how actors performance the direction is extremely important, it becomes predictable so the surprise element is key for its success.
This time around a reboot is about to happen with director Renny Harlin who has a couple of good movies under his belt like Mindhunters (2004), Cliffhanger (1993), Exorcist: The Beginning (2004), Harlin has a lot experience producing and directing since the 80s, from the trailer there are already some angles and zoom in from certain scenes that I already like. This first movie will serve as the start for a new trilogy trying to reinvent the franchise and move forward expanding the world of this three killers, the initial plot will follow the original movie with a couple on vacation terrorized by this three masked strangers. I'm not sure if this is a trend but announcing it as a trilogy from the start might be both good and bad, it may excite fans a lot but if the first one does not deliver then then two others are doom from the start, if interest on the movies go down this could lead to early cancellation of the project and to be honest even the end of the franchise itself, there are many franchise out there that are repetitive at its core but always having new elements that attract the audience.
- IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22050754/
- Platform: Theaters
- Release: May 17, 2024
Renny Harlin: The Visionary Behind the Horror
Renny Harlin has proven himself as a capable director in the realm of horror demonstrating a good understanding of how to create tension, suspense, and chilling atmospheres on screen all this key factors for The Strangers reboot, his skills in crafting immersive and terrifying experiences comes from his ability handling of pacing, visual effects, and storytelling. With a career that expands for decades, Harlin has accumulated a diverse portfolio of horror productions both as producer and director, showcasing his versatility and range within the genre, one notable example is "A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master" (1988), where he injected fresh energy into the iconic franchise with inventive dream sequences and imaginative set designs. Harlin's directorial prowess was further evident in "The Exorcist: The Beginning" (2004), a prequel to the classic horror film, where he skillfully navigated themes of faith, possession, and existential terror, in a sense looks like is a key man when it comes to give a push to reboots or continuation to this horror franchise. Another standout work is "Deep Blue Sea" (1999), a suspenseful creature feature a combination of horror with action, showcasing Harlin's ability to deliver thrilling and dopamine explosion sequences. I expect that his directional style will contribute to attention to details, awkward angle shots and some spectacle probably a bit gory, this things will make him and the movie to stand out ensuring the audience to come back for the other two, in fact its been said that all three movies would be release on 2024, bold statement.
Meet the Cast: A Mix of Familiar Faces and Emerging Stars
Madelaine Petsch (Maya) is known for her role as Cheryl Blossom in the hit TV series Riverdale, she has also appeared in films like F The Prom and Sightless, when it comes to The Strangers: Chapter 1, Petsch goes beyond of what she have work with in the past this time into the world of horror.
Froy Gutierrez (Ryan) gained recognition for his role as Nolan Holloway in the supernatural drama series Teen Wolf in addition to his TV work, Gutierrez has appeared in productions such as The Divorce Party and A Cowgirl’s Song.
Gabriel Basso (Gregory) catapult in to fame with the movie Super 8 and has had roles in movies like The Kings of Summer and The Whole Truth, as well as TV series like The Big C and Ghost Town, may be not a known actor for horro movies but certainly a good fit to act as couple with Madeline Petsch.
Rachel Shenton (Debbie) is known for her Academy Award winning short film The Silent Child, her talent and dedication have earned praise on and off the big screen as she is mostly known for he work on the TV Series and Short films when you look into her profile there are quite the amount, in addition to her award winning work, Shenton has appeared in TV series like All Creatures Great and Small, Switched at Birth, and White Gold.
Ella Bruccoleri (Jasmine) and Ema Horvath (Shelly) are emerging stars in the entertainment industry, Bruccoleri is known for her role in the TV series Call the Midwife, while Horvath has made a name for herself in the horror genre with roles in films like The Gallows Act II and Like.Share.Follow.
Richard Brake (Sheriff Rotter) is known for his performances in various horror films, including Rob Zombie’s 31 and Mandy, In addition to his horror work, Brake has appeared in box office hits like Thor: The Dark World and Batman Begins.
I'm sure not many may know about this franchise it been so small a the moment with only two movies but the mask are iconic probably people might know more about the masks than the movie itself, this franchise is originally based on a life true story potentially change to fit narrative and style of an horror film. There is anticipation for the reboot and Renny Harlin is the director chosen to give it a new direction, from the trailer I did mention that there are a few scenes that caught my attention like when the men shows to the door but only appears the silhouette same as the kid that comes in the first time asking for a women who doesn't live there and all it shows is the silhouette like there is a constant shadow? no body ask whats going on? , when they are eating an blood starts to drop from a bird that is hanging at first make it look that its ketchup been splash but its just too much, there are indeed certain aspects that I like already that will make me want to watch it, its all about the details, angles and the sequences on how things are going to happen since we already know how this movie goes.
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