KSL Movie Show review: “The Strangers” is basically the same as the other movies
May 17, 2024, 1:00 PM | Updated: Aug 5, 2024, 1:11 pm
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SALT LAKE CITY — There’s nothing quite so terrifying as the thought of masked strangers breaking into your house and doing unspeakable things to your family, simply because you are home. It’s every parent’s nightmare and Hollywood is well aware.
So much so, that this is the fourth effort under “The Strangers” banner and that’s if you don’t include the “Funny Games” movies that started clear back in 1997, again in 2007, plus a chilling French version simply called “Them.”
Finnish Director Renny Harlin, who had a string of hits in the 90s (Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger and the Long Kiss Goodnight) has become the latest to attempt to breathe new life into an age-old storyline, but with the gutsy addition of two new chapters.
Well, there had better be something original coming, because Chapter 1 is a not-so-subtle reshoot of ALL the previous “Strangers” movies. However, since a new generation of horror fans may not know the “deets” of those earlier films, here’s a refresher course.
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“THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 1” (C-) Rated R for horror violence, language and brief drug use. Starring Madelaine Petsch, Froy Gutierrez, Ryan Bown, Mats Lajcak and Olivia Kreutzova. Directed by Renny Harlin (“The Long Kiss Goodnight” “Die Hard 2”) – filmed in Slovakia. Running time: 91 minutes.
