‘The Strangers: Chapter 1’ Review: Horror Tropes Gone Wrong In Renny Harlin’s Latest
The landscape of horror cinema is strewn with sequels, prequels, reboots, and remakes—many of which fail to capture the essence of their predecessors. My philosophy is, If a film is to be rebooted, remade, or re-purposed, it must find a way to distinguish itself and justify its existence. Lionsgate‘s The Strangers: Chapter 1, directed by Renny Harlin and written by Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland, does neither. This latest installment is a lackluster attempt to revive a franchise that should have remained in its original, standalone glory. With wooden performances from Madelaine Petsch and Ryan Bown, this film only serves to remind us of what was once innovative in The Strangers (2008), is now rendered commercial, and lifeless.