The Strangers: Chapter 1 is a new entry in the horror film genre. Although it does succeed in creating an eerie ambiance, the movie also has the distinction of being one of the most unoriginal films I have seen. The plot more or less consists of a number of horror film clichés strung together from beginning to end.
The film is apparently something of a remake of the 2008 film Strangers which I have not seen. The Strangers: Chapter 1 (spoiler alerts) focuses on young couple Maya and Ryan (Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez) who are driving to Portland, Oregon. They stop at a diner in a small town filled with stock predictable sinister characters. After their meal, the couple discover that their car has broken down. They are forced to rent a remote wooded house overnight while their car is fixed. While at the house they are attacked by people wearing masks. After the attacks last for a while, the movie...ends. The attackers are never revealed and any explanation for the motive of their violence could be considered brief and enigmatic.
Petsch and Gutierrez do a competent job with the material they are given, and the movie does generate a genuine sinister atmosphere. But there really isn't enough plot to justify a full length feature film. There have been any number of films with masked villains (the Halloween and Friday the 13th franchises, etc.). Those films usually have the courtesy to have a backstory explaining the violence. Alas, The Strangers: Chapter 1, does not. Based on what I have read of the original The Strangers, perhaps the current film is supposed to represent random unmotivated violence in the world.
The end of The Strangers: Chapter 1 tries to generate something of a cliffhanger. But with the film's wafer thin story, it is unlikely that many will be holding their breath for a sequel. Directed by Renny Harlin, the movie will probably appeal to those who are content to bask in a credibly eerie and tense atmosphere while one horror film cliché after another rolls past them. Anyone looking for anything resembling a meaningful plot will probably be sorely disappointed.
-Paul Hansen