We should have known better. Why couldn’t we just leave an original as is? After years of horror fans waiting for a follow-up to 2008’s The Strangers, they will be left with only disappointment.
This sequel to The Strangers (Alternate title: More Strangers with Masks) begins with a family traveling to take their angsty teen daughter to boarding school because of the angsty things she may have done in the past. But, of course, on the way they have to stop at an off-season lake where one of their relatives works, “full” of empty trailers for vacationers to rent. And, you guessed it, some “strangers” are there to murder some people.
Now to say I didn’t enjoy this movie would be completely far from the truth. I had a blast while watching it, mostly because of the quick runtime (only an hour-and-and-a-half) and the audience cheering every time the victims fought back. There are also a lot of jump scares that work. Sometimes they are “cheap”, telegraphing their end result (keeping a tally, there were six good scares and only 2 fake-outs … that’s a decent ratio, right?) But, overall, they are very fun.
But, that being said: it is dumb as rocks. The dialogue is just lazy and sometimes downright unneeded. My favorite exchange of lines were between the brother and sister…
SISTER: “You’re a dick.”
BROTHER: “You’re a queef.”
That’s some top-notch script writing! The acting is no better, with line delivery I typically expect from a straight-to-Crackle original movie (looking at you, Joe Dirt 2).
If you are even a casual fan of horror movies, you need to get ready to experience every slasher cliche … all in a row. There are a lot, the audience groaning during multiple of these stereotypical moments and loudly laughing when a character would do something dumb.
If you’re expecting the same slow-paced, dread-filled movie as the 2008 original, you are out of luck. Strip away the fun dialogue and interesting main character (from a horror classic like You’re Next) and you’re left with a MoviePass watch for only the biggest horror fans. Because, despite all of its (many) flaws, it’s a pretty fun watch, with audience interaction adding to the enjoyment of an, otherwise not-so-good, movie. Your mileage may vary.
Photo credit: Brian Douglas / Aviron Pictures
