Monday, November 25, 2024

The Strangers: Chapter 1

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In case you haven’t seen the intro from my entry dated 1/26/19 (it’s in my archives whenever you want to read it), I’m no longer going to review every single movie I see.  I’m going to review one, with the occasional bonus, and just give ratings for the rest from now on (unless I decide to pick it up again in the future).  You can always ask me why I gave the ratings for the films without reviews though (via comments or the e-mail addresses under the ‘About Me’ section).
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The Strangers: Chapter 1                                            EH/OK
The Strangers, from 2008, was a decent, simplistic home invasion horror flick, and its sequel wasn’t bad either (you can read my review for it in here---https://vampireclown82.blogspot.com/2018/06/mooby-reviews-61318.html).  There isn’t much in terms of plot (hence, simplistic)---a trio of masked murderers terrorize anyone they come across, primarily in one location (even if it’s a trailer park).  Did we really need another film, let alone a standalone trilogy?  This first chapter is basically a remake of the first movie.  A couple staying at a cabin in the woods (somewhere in Oregon, as it says in the beginning) end up trying to survive after a trio of masked murderers lay siege with weapons.  This time, they didn’t intend to stay at the cabin; their car conveniently needs a new part after stopping at a diner in town, said part can’t be retrieved until the next day, said cabin the only place available nearby to spend the night.  The part I hated most in the first film was when they separated after being attacked, which is one of the biggest mistakes (read: clichés) in horror movies that should never be done.  Here, they also separated at one time, the reasoning a bit more excusable, but they still separated while in the middle of nowhere.  [Also, why didn’t he call out her name once while walking up the steps after she ran into a closet after seeing one of the intruders?  I mean, I know we’re supposed to think the intruder is coming after her, but he didn’t know she was hiding from anyone yet].  Unsurprisingly, this added absolutely nothing new to the franchise.  I thought it might’ve been a bit more unique given Renny Harlin, a director whom has been around, was at the helm.  How original can anyone truly be though with this simplistic concept that was only effective once (twice, at most)?  Was it the worst movie I’ve seen?  No.  (There isn’t much to expect; the film looks good, if anything).  Was it unnecessary?  Totally.  There’s two more coming too!  (Yes, I am still going to watch them, even though I have very low expectations).  11/22/2024

Other movies I've seen and their ratings (see above):

The Exorcism (2024)  >>>EH

Play Misty for Me  >>>G

Rita (2024)  >>>OK
   (Shudder; In Spanish with subtitles)

Silence & Darkness  >>>EH/OK

---Sean O.
11/25/2024

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