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A decade is a long time to wait. But, sometimes, it pays off. That's the case here with The Strangers: Prey at Night. The same steady pace. The same unwinding feel. And, oh, the same horror. Strangers: Prey at Night is as unsettling as the original film, making it a worthy continuation of what came a decade before. That’s right, Boils and Ghouls, Dollface, Pin Up Girl, and the Man in the Mask are back doing what they do best: KILL.
Written by Bryan Bertino, the writer and director of the first film, and co-written by Ben Ketai (30 Days of Night: Dark Days), The Strangers: Prey at Night begins in a trailer park. We are first made aware of the aim of this one by the choice of the opening tune, “Kids in America” by Kim Wilde, with its throbbing (and repeating) keyboard note; Dollface, Pin Up Girl, and the Man in the Mask are ready to get back to work.
After the opening credits scene, the real narrative begins, sending us right back to the trailer park where the opening murders took place. One family - Christina Hendricks as Cindy, Martin Henderson as her husband Mike, Bailee Madison as Kinsey, their troubled daughter who is on her way to boarding school, and Lewis Pullman as Luke, their son – head to their aunt and uncle’s trailer home before Kinsey is shipped off to the school. It is a tense ride with everyone pretty much stressed by the situation.
Once there in the trailer home, the expected knocking begins: is Tamara there? Fans of the original know what serious dread follows this heavy knock and simple question once the door is opened. And, yes, the fear is EXACTLY the same. Except for one thing: there are more people and, cleverly, the film breaks up the four characters into two sets. This leads to some surprises as the film allows suspense to be created by the knocks and then diffused by switching to another pair of characters, before ratcheting up the suspense once again and then beating us upside the head with even more horror and suspense. Gruesome surprises abound in this horror flick.
With a quick running time of just about 85-minutes, The Strangers: Prey at Night delivers an effective shocker of a sequel that doesn’t disappoint or insult fans of the original. I seriously do not understand the bad reviews the film received. This home invasion flick is the real deal and, yes, its brutal violence – especially in this Unrated version – will shake your foundations.
Directed by Johannes Roberts (47 Meters Down), this film is focused and chilling. It is another knockout for Roberts, who blew me away with his underwater shark flick. Here, he gives us masterful frights and, rather commendably, has strong characters put through the ringer on one hell of a tense night. Even if it does stand on its own, you should know that this sequel is just as oppressive as the original; although it does attempt to answer those pesky why, why, why questions.
The three masked killers – played by played by Damian Maffei, Emma Bellomy, and Lea Enslin – mean business. Thanks to this film, you will barely see them coming. And that is why this trio remains so deadly. That pool scene? Wow. This is a sequel to support, Horror Hounds.
The Strangers: Prey at Night makes one hell of a killer cut.
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[tab title="Details"]
MPAA Rating: R for horror violence and terror throughout, and for language.
Runtime: 85 mins
Director: Johannes Roberts
Writer: Ben Ketai
Cast: Christina Hendricks, Martin Henderson, Bailee Madison
Genre: Horror
Tagline: Let us Prey.
Memorable Movie Quote: "We'll pray. We'll pray. We'll pray for the last time. We'll pray."
Theatrical Distributor: Aviron Pictures
Official Site:
Release Date: March 9, 2018
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: June 12, 2018
Synopsis: A family of four staying at a secluded mobile home park for the night are stalked and then hunted by three masked psychopaths.
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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]
Blu-ray Details:
Home Video Distributor: Universal Studios
Available on Blu-ray - June 12, 2016
Screen Formats: 2.40:1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set (1 BD-50, 1 DVD); Digital copy; Movies Anywhere; DVD copy
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A, B
The AVC encoded 1080p transfer from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is presented here with an aspect ratio of 2.39:1. The film is expertly shot and the color saturation provides minute detail puncturing, replicated here in great moments of detail, textures in the environment, and atmospheres on the surface. The mood is sharpened throughout the feature by the solid black levels. Fortunately, even costume threads are visible in this fine presentation. The transfer handles all the happenings expertly. Blacks are deep and colors, as mentioned early, are varied and supple. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is rich and dynamic.
Supplements:
Commentary:
-
None
Special Features:
Fans get the Unrated Edition, which is preferred here to the Theatrical release, a music video, an alternate ending, a peak at the music, and more. This release also includes a digital copy of the movie.
- Alternate Ending
- "Prep for Night" Music Video - Director's Cut
- A Look Inside The Strangers: Prey at Night
- Family Fights Back
- The Music of The Strangers: Prey at Night
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