419: The Strangers: Chapter 1

[00:00:00] 126. Let's get to the last Strangers movie to date, which is the new one and It's the Strangers Chapter 1 and they will be doing I think Chapter 2 later this year early next year and then I think 3 probably mid of next year

[00:00:15] but this one is directed by Rennie Harlan who also directed Die Hard 2 and it stars Madeline Petsch, Ryan Vaughn not really many others and The synopsis is after their car breaks down in an eerie small town a young couple is forced to spend the night in a remote

[00:00:36] cabin panic ensues as they are terrorized by three masked strangers who strike with no mercy and seemingly no motive So up until a few months ago, I didn't even know this was coming out

[00:00:47] I didn't know this was gonna be a trilogy where it's all sort of cohesive and together. It's not just three separate movies It's following the same characters more or less. I was like, oh cool. They're making a new Stranger series. Awesome and

[00:01:00] I was very much looking forward to it. I had heard pretty bad things about at least mixed things going into it but I was still very hopeful. I'm like usually I can defend these movies. I can see the the silver lining of them and

[00:01:15] You know, maybe this will grow me over time. I don't know but I thought this movie was Terrible it was so bad and there are certain moments that I liked and I'll still give it the

[00:01:28] Benefit of the doubt in terms of maybe a star rating because of I just like the strangers films I like the concept I like the characters, etc but I think from the get-go this movie had all the worst production teams and

[00:01:42] Ideas behind it possible like Rennie Harlan pretty much I mean he did one of the Nightmare on Elm Street sequels, but that's about it for whore He hasn't done anything really of worth since die hard to respectfully. Sorry, but he's mostly just been doing very

[00:01:58] lowbrow action movies that are Average at best if not downright terrible. Sorry to be so mean but it's true And so I really think his last decent movie was die hard 2 and so I don't know what on Earth caused them to think of him this sort of

[00:02:14] aging director who is not really a horror director either to direct all three of these movies and then Not only that the screenwriters basically their only Movie script to date is due date with Robert Downey jr. And Zach Galifianak's no horror experience that I could find

[00:02:33] They've done a lot of TV like animated sitcom TV Whose idea was it to hire these people to helm all three of these films I do not get that that is baffling to me and like that shows you how

[00:02:46] ill advised the studio system can be sometimes with the wrong hands at the helm because These three movies. I like the idea of doing three chapters where it's all together. They're released all fairly close together and That is something I haven't really seen much at all before

[00:03:03] more or less and So I think that that idea is interesting but the production is so Seems idiotic to me of why they brought these people together. So that from the get-go

[00:03:18] Was the wrong choice on all fronts but talking about the movie itself and I'm not gonna try and trash it too much But it is really bad and there were just so many things

[00:03:27] That stuck out to me about this that really aggravated me and maybe if you're not a fan of the strangers in general You don't really care much but having just watched the first two and being a big fan of the first especially a lot of things really

[00:03:41] aggravated me so firstly one thing that both of the first films had that I believed was I Believed that the couple in the first was a real couple. I could believe them even though they're attractive Hollywood people I could believe that they're an actual couple in this situation

[00:03:58] And then I believed in pray at night that they are an actual family. I believe those dynamics I believe the look of the actors and in this from like the moment it started I did not believe that these people were actual people. They look like Hollywood

[00:04:12] Instagram influencers, they're too groomed. They don't have much chemistry. They feel like they were chosen because well you're attractive Let's put you in this movie You'll keep people interested and I think that both actors were not very good and again no chemistry between them

[00:04:28] So I didn't believe that relationship the way that maybe it's makeup. Maybe it's costume design. I don't know hair I just did not believe them to be people in this movie in like in a real context

[00:04:40] and so that immediately made me feel distant from the whole thing like from the first scene in the car and One of the biggest logic issues is like with the first two all you know

[00:04:52] Is that it's three masked people. You don't know who they are. You don't know why they're doing it they have no connections to anything you don't know their history and they're terrorizing a random group of people and That works. Okay, cool

[00:05:07] there's the less you explain the better and in this the stupidest thing that really made me angry was It basically tries to make you believe The entire town that they stop and where they're like car breaks down the entire town is in on it

[00:05:23] every single person that you meet is Suspicious acting they act like Grumpy country people who don't want to see outsiders They're all giving this couple the evil eye every single person the mechanics the customers in the stores the cashiers

[00:05:39] Whoever else they're like all staring at them like oh my god Who are you like how could you be here and making it seem like the entire town has something in on it? Oh, let's get this person to this Airbnb

[00:05:51] Which is where they stay and then we can take him down and If you want to do that fine I don't like that originally in terms of the first concept, but that has absolutely no weight or Tie-in to the end of the movie. Maybe that comes in later

[00:06:07] I don't know but that is a complete failure where you could have cut that part out of the movie and There would be nothing lost and that is the worst thing you could possibly do in a movie that already has so little going on

[00:06:20] And so little to say that all right. Well, here's you know interjected two three four five minute scenes of the town where like the boyfriend goes in or whoever and There are these Conflicts that have no resolution at all. You don't find out later

[00:06:39] Oh the town wasn't on it like they were all in cahoots. Nope. Nothing it ends with the killers Doing what they do in the first two and that being the end of the movie so I think that

[00:06:51] Regardless if it comes in again, as I said later in the other two movies you need to have that Established in the first because what if they cancel the other two movies or whatever or I only saw this one

[00:07:03] You know, you need to have some sort of tie into that and there's none of that. So I really really hated that and And So that shows you the logic issues of the screenwriters and even the directors like oh, well that doesn't matter

[00:07:15] Let's we don't have enough story here for three movies. So let's just add in this thing. That doesn't really matter That'll get people so all the stuff with the townspeople was not good and

[00:07:28] While I'm curious to see what they do with the other two movies because this one it is basically just a reboot of the first One except it's at an Airbnb. That's really the only difference

[00:07:39] That by itself I don't mind, you know, you're reinventing it whatever and then moving on with the other two that's fine, but direction wise It should there's just so many things like it's just the whole movie. You just feel so off-color like off balance. It doesn't work

[00:07:55] But also actually before I keep going one thing with the first two Especially the first one that worked more than anything is the atmosphere the mood like I was engaged

[00:08:05] I was on the edge of my seat in that first movie because of how sound was used how lighting was used Etc. And this there is no atmosphere whatsoever. There is no mood. I was never Except occasionally when they're out in the woods

[00:08:20] I thought that was one of the only sequences where there was even marginal levels of atmosphere established in the house there's nothing and the lighting is Another issue

[00:08:31] I don't mind if you want to have a horror movie a home invasion movie take place where there's a lot of light to Show that all scary things can happen. Even if there's a lot of light around you, you know

[00:08:40] I can see that but the execution is not good. I thought this whole movie was so blandly lit The use of shadows was non-existent For example being inside the house You know in the first one and in the second one

[00:08:56] There's those use of shadows where you don't know where they are Could they creep up at any moment but really the only Scares that they had in the house was someone opening a door and you don't know what's behind the door when they close it

[00:09:09] That's pretty much it. But when the strangers were in the house, it looks so boring. So vanilla. I wasn't scared I was like it looks like we're at a I don't want to be too mean but like we're at a Halloween party or something

[00:09:22] It was just very very staged the logic of it was Because I mean even in the first one there are a few things that characters do that are sort of stupid but I Could believe those people doing that but in this it was just one thing after another

[00:09:36] After another that made me think alright, this is not real. There's no way and Even talking about like some of the iconic parts about the first one where there's the knock at the door and then they answer and the light is out and

[00:09:51] It's Tamara home all that in this Just bland I wasn't scared. I thought that the performances wasn't good Even just the knock the sound of the knock was not effective

[00:10:05] I wasn't scared whereas in the first one and the second one I was for whatever reason I was in this one. No, the Really one goofy sequence is because in the first one you see one of the strangers standing way out in the distance

[00:10:18] Staring at them and like what is that? And then with how that's shot and directed I thought that was effective and in this there's this moment where she shows up a second time and then the boyfriend chases after her and The way that looked was so goofy

[00:10:34] She has the goofiest run like she barely is even swinging her arms when she runs and she's just doing this prancing Just goofy sort of runaway and it they're just many many moments like that that were very poorly put together and

[00:10:51] Even the look of the strangers was not great I thought that look of the the smaller girl in the orange dresser I think she's originally in the orange dress where she's wearing the beanie and this one I didn't like that

[00:11:02] I thought the look of the mask wasn't very good So really like all design elements, you know, just not great. The score was okay I thought the score was alright at points but some other things Logically that I don't have an issue

[00:11:17] Normally with logic, but when you make it so obvious I have to point it out. So One thing towards the end the boyfriend. This is after spoilers here, sorry the this is when the girl friend has

[00:11:33] Been taken or like been whatever. She's gone for the time being and the boyfriend doesn't know where she is he comes up on the doll face Stranger with the shotgun behind her pointed at her head in a realistic situation

[00:11:50] You would blow that person away. You wouldn't say hey you turn around put your hands up Whatever you would blow that person away after you just seen people being attacked. You've been almost killed. You've been injured Etc, etc

[00:12:04] You would not hesitate to kill that person and instead in this he gives this ridiculous monologue I don't find this guy intimidating. I'm not with him you're acting like a moron more than the average person would even in this sort of movie and then

[00:12:20] surprisingly enough the man stranger comes up and hits him with the butt of his gun and knocks him out done and that just came across as so stupid and Especially after all that had come before The sequence towards beginning, sorry

[00:12:37] I'm jumping around here, but the sequence towards beginning where the girlfriend first sees one of the strangers in the house She hides in this broom closet that I think is maybe on the second floor or something

[00:12:49] I can't remember exactly where it is in the house, but somehow the boyfriend Opens that door and finds her right away when he's coming back from getting food and so even though he has absolutely no context for what's going on and

[00:13:03] There hasn't been screams there hasn't been yells he doesn't know where she is or would be considering he's never been in this house before and There's no awareness He somehow finds her right off the bat like oh my god. What are you doing in here? What happened?

[00:13:19] How would you know she was in there? There is no way like it felt this movie overall tonally Atmospherically felt it was too aware that it was a horror movie and that goes into the director

[00:13:31] All right, I've never done or I haven't done a horror movie in decades I think I need to make sure I need to try my hardest to create an atmosphere and whatever else and tried way too hard and it was very obvious like every

[00:13:46] sequence like even where she knocks at the door originally and Instead of in the first one and the second one you just see her knocking is Tamra home and she walks away completely normally Like all right, well that was weird like who is that girl? It's very inconspicuous

[00:14:03] You know, I mean, it's strange but you're not thinking. Oh my god, like who was that? It's just okay. That was kind of odd close the door and this the girl does this very slow suspicious walk looking at the family

[00:14:16] Or at the couple when she leaves and like alright, this is just too obvious We get it. We you know, it feels like art. We're in a stranger's movie. We're not in a real situation

[00:14:24] Besides that the stuff with the outside of the house where they escape and the boyfriend accidentally shoots spoiler again here where he shoots the Airbnb owner. I think that's when the only times where I'm like, alright, I could see that happening

[00:14:39] It was stupid. But again, if you're outside in the middle of nowhere, you're being chased by three killers and You hear someone trying to get into the house. You're just gonna Blow that person away more than likely maybe

[00:14:52] Most people would I think so. That's one of the only times I was like, alright, I can forgive you for that And then as I said earlier one of the only Moments that worked for me or lighting atmosphere wise that worked for me was

[00:15:04] There are a few shots here and there when they're in the woods where you see These long stretches of fog and then you see these silhouettes of the strangers coming out of the fog I thought that looked good. I think I was like, alright cool

[00:15:16] I'm now I'm sort of in but then it cut away at me And then also When the only moments I was on the edge of my seat kind of is when she's the girlfriend is hiding in the leaves

[00:15:27] In the ditch or in the little valley and the stranger girl is looking down at her It's like alright, does she see me? Does she not I thought that was pretty well done But very few and far between too little too late. Oh

[00:15:39] And also one of the biggest offenses so the very end where there's the Couple's tied up and then they're being attacked and they're saying why are you doing this in the original? It's because you were home that works in the second one. It was why not?

[00:15:56] Again, I could believe that especially in this day and age and in this one they say because you're here and That just doesn't I see what they're going for but it just doesn't work

[00:16:06] I mean, I think it's a little bit of a shame because I think it's a little bit of a shame And that just doesn't I see what they're going for but it just doesn't work All right, because you're here doesn't really make sense

[00:16:17] It was completely random because their car broke down. It doesn't have that weight of Fear to it of what if this happened to me at my house or at a vacation home or whatever? It's one of my car broke down in the middle of nowhere

[00:16:31] I got an Airbnb and then people started attacking me It's a little too far-stretched a few too many beats to be like, all right This feels like I this could happen to me, you know, and that line overall just doesn't work

[00:16:44] I know that they have to try and reinvent it but wish they had said something else because the first two Movies did that way better and you're kind of waiting for that moment. You're kind of waiting All right. Why did you do this? Like what's your reasoning?

[00:16:57] you know and that one line says it all or doesn't say at all and then There's this very unintentionally goofy zoom in on the girl when she's attacked or when her chair is kicked over and she's unconscious and

[00:17:14] Even how the camera moves. I was like, why is this so awkward? It just I don't know what they were going for I don't know what the intention was to show like we can see that she's unconscious and or possibly dead

[00:17:25] You don't need to zoom in super slow Dramatically to emphasize that and then really like the worst Ending to the movie that you could think of is or that they think is scary But it's really not and it's more

[00:17:42] Me thinking wait what? Okay, it's and I rarely have that kind of thought at the end of a slasher movie But it's when The girlfriend has been attacked She's alive and then she's in the hospital and There's this very darkly lit creepy

[00:18:03] Hospital room that she's in where she's unconscious and then it sort of zooms in on it and then it just cuts to black on this really loud sound beat and I'm thinking wait, why are you emphasizing this so much? We could probably guess that she's alive

[00:18:19] You know and it's showing that she's alive Just simply that is not really scary. It's not really suspenseful. It's not oh my god, you know, it's pretty predictable and Especially that they emphasize it so much with that piece of score and that's how the movie ends

[00:18:37] You know, it's not Oh one of the strangers is in the background there. That's what I was thinking I was like, all right. Well, where are they? You know, one of the strangers must be in there somewhere

[00:18:45] I'm I was looking all around the frame and then cut to black. Nope They're just showing that because she's alive and she's unconscious in the hospital like oh my god, you know so terrible ending terrible ending and it really

[00:18:59] Showcases all the problems in that one scene for the whole movie for the most part and so really not a fan of it You know, maybe at some point I'll go back and rewatch it and try and Maybe that'll work but by itself not a very good movie

[00:19:11] Definitely one of my least favorites of the year so far very very disappointing considering its I really do love this franchise I love the first one. So this one is a huge huge step down But even so I'm still curious to see two and three

[00:19:25] I'll still watch a bad strangers movie over nothing, but I'm hoping that two and three Improve on all the issues they had with the first one So that one is a very very light two out of five