The Strangers: Opfernacht

A simple and watchable film that at the same time is pointless, and I can’t understand why it was made after all those years. Since the boom of home invasion movies is behind us, the sequel rather logically expands it scope to the larger setting of an abandoned camp, which turns out to be not entirely for the better. The original The Strangers exploited the tension of mysterious killers breaking into the privacy of the main characters, the sequel, on the other hand, is basically a run of the mill slasher flick. The setting of the camp also raises several questions which, for the sake of common sense, are better left unanswered. The overall impression is also affected by a series of incomprehensible decisions, both by the characters and the creators. Why, for example, Roberts sings an 80s song in almost every other scene, I really can’t tell. I guess he wants to create some sort of mood and he can’t come out with anything smarter. The worst is that this helps him in only about a scene and a half (by the pool and at the end, on the bridge, maybe). (24.05.2018)

The first part was a home invasion, which is always a welcome theme for me, but the second part is already a sprawling camp slasher that is easily interchangeable with dozens of others. But I'm pleased with the decent technical aspects, the fine trio of bad guys, the dying characters, both good and bad, the retro songs evoking an 80's feel, and the pretty intense final 20 minutes where there's a bit of blood, but otherwise I don't see anything special. It's okay for one viewing, but it could have been better. 60% (25.05.2018)

Ein Trio maskierter und professioneller Eindringlinge in die Privatsphäre kehrte nach zehn Jahren zurück, um mehr Opfer für die eigenen perversen Spielen einzufangen. Ob die Rückkehr jedoch gerechtfertigt ist, darauf müssen Sie selbst eine Antwort finden. Die Karten werden auf perfide Art und Weise verteilt: anfänglich erfolgt die Ausmerzung der Nebenrollen, anschließend die Bekanntschaft mit einer vierköpfigen Familie, die eigene Probleme löst, und die Versetzung an einen abgelegenen Ort, von dem aus definitiv keine Hilferufe möglich sind (in diesem Fall handelt es sich um ein Lager). Die Jagd wird ziemlich bald beginnen, aber leider beginnen die Charaktere in der genau erwarteten Reihenfolge zu sterben. Es erklingen schreckliche Sätze wie "Beide sind tot!" Wie konnte jemand so was tun? " Die Krönung erfolgt vom Polizisten, der, wie das Genre dies präzise predigt, innerhalb weniger Sekunden sterben wird. Insgesamt besteht keine Chance für lange Weile - tatsächlich kurz ausgeführt (75 Minuten netto), im Vergleich zum ersten Teil viel blutiger, und in der letzten Viertelstunde rebellieren die Opfer und sie erteilen den bösen Gestalten eine ordentliche Tracht Prügel. Dies erfolgt unter der Begleitung der toll geführten Kamera und einer Schnulze von Bonnie Tyler. Aus dem "Anführer“ musste keinen Terminator gemacht werden und ich würde deshalb auch die letzte Minute ausschneiden. (15.03.2018)

Though the result of a collaboration of directorial and screenwriting misadventures, the second The Strangers is a surprisingly entertaining party flick for more conservative fans of the slasher film in its earliest form. And I for one am surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I mean, the whole movie copies practices long forgotten, but it's all the more endearing to see them again like this after a while. And it manages to do so without constantly pointing out how well-versed the filmmakers are in the genre by rewarding dabblers in horror of years past with verbatim quotes and winks. Instead, we get things like camera zooms, double-layered overlapping shots, dramatic string music with 80s synths, and insanely illogical behavior from (especially female) characters. We learn nothing about the villains' backgrounds, they don't move other than in a slow gait with occasional car rides always resounding with 80s hits, and the bodycount in particular is rather surprisingly fast-paced and unexpected. And the total darkening of the pool by the blood of one of the protagonists is a beautiful scene. If you spend your time counting down the mistakes and nonsense in movies, then ring the bell at another gate, but don't whine that they used to make better and smarter slashers. They were basically the same. (12.06.2018)

The horror film The Strangers: Prey at Night isn't a great sequel, it doesn't really have much to offer in terms of the script, but it stays on the safe side, which is enough in this case for me. The film focuses on certainty, which is quite fine. It’s a certainty that doesn't offend and one that you're quite happy to put up with because there are scenes that are a bit chilling and can affect you in the right way. For me, it was good enough for slightly above average. (10.08.2018)

Nostalgia for the 80s can be felt in any film today, but the way The Strangers: Prey at Night approaches it is not something you see right away. After the mandatory routine exposition, and after exhausting all possible slasher clichés, the film unexpectedly morphs into a wonderfully abstract, visually bloated almost-musical that ironically combines 80s pop with violent scenes. What's more, the whole thing begins to feel as if the director threw away the script in the course of filming and decided to remake John Carpenter's Christine instead of making a sequel to The Strangers. From the car radio of a pickup truck of a trio of masked assassins, driving slowly inside a deserted caravan park, there is a constant 80s pop that sends shivers down your spine. The story may be set in the present day, but the titular psychopaths seem to have styled themselves as 80's slasher killers who can't do without 80's tunes even when they get out of the car. Highlights of the film include a fight scene in a neon-lit swimming pool, with “Total Eclipse of the Heart” playing, or the heroine being chased by a burning car to the accompaniment of “Making Love Out Of Nothing At All”. (26.06.2018)