We Got The Trailer For Chapter One Of 'The Strangers' Trilogy And While The Suspenseful Terror Is Definitely Back, It Looks Like a Shot For Shot Remake Of The Original

hubbs3/04/2024 10:50 PM

Glenn Watson. Shutterstock Images.

To me 'The Strangers' will always be the scariest horror movie ever made. Not necessarily one that frightens you the most, but more the way it stays with you. The realistic take on a home invasion in the woods is downright panic inducing. You watch that movie and never experience being home alone the same. Any random sound from outside you convince yourself someone is about to break in and terrorize you. And that's growing up in a regular ol' harmless New Jersey neighborhood. Imagine actually getting away for a few days in the woods or even living in the sticks? I could never after watching that movie.

There's a magical horror that 'The Strangers' encapsulated which will never leave me. From the moment the killers arrive at the house and begin their antics there's never a moment where you feel it's safe to breathe. It's so tough to make a movie these days that scary and realistic while not needing to rely on cheap jump scares or tons of gore. No, it's the silence that makes you feel like you're the one in the house, unsure of what's going on, that'll chill your bones.

And that's why Hollywood is simply running it back. Just 16 years later, we're getting a revamped trilogy. I blogged about the announcement back in October, much to my chagrin. Remakes and reboots are all it seems Hollywood has cooked up these days. Why try and one-up the perfect amount of suspense, fear, and terror that the original movie brought us back in 2008? Money is the only answer. Alas, here's the trailer that dropped this past weekend.

Great song choice btw: Trouble by Cage The Elephant

Scary? 100% A shot for shot remake of the OG? In a laughable way. Almost like in college if you forgot to do the weekly reading and the assignment so you asked your buddy for his to copy it and change around a few sentences. Couldn't have been a difficult script to write since the goal was apparently to just run it all back. Besides of course changing the "because you were home" to "because you were here." Doesn't hit quite nearly as hard. Also way to give away the whole movie in three minutes? What are we doing here? Why would a studio put out that kind of trailer these days, especially if you really are just copying the original? Way to spoil your secret.

Now what they're telling us here is that this will be an origins story, and not necessarily a remake or reboot. I'm not sure they understand part of what made the original so scary was that we didn't know anything about the killers. That unknown added to the terror of a random home invasion in the woods. When it came to the X-Men, yeah I was curious how Wolverine got his claws. Definitely worth a background story. Not sure that's the case here, but I'll be happy to be proven wrong. Fun tidbit is that all three parts were reportedly shot simultaneously and planned to be released this year. That plan hit a snag with the Hollywood strike so we won't see all three until likely a little into 2025.

But back to my initial reaction from a few sentences ago, this movie looks extremely terrifying. Dare I say scarier than the first? This two minute clip shows you that the suspenseful terror aspect is definitely still in the arsenal. This gives me hope.

Do I roll my eyes at the idea of a remake/reboot/whatever this is? Yes, but I'm still intrigued, since there's three parts to this plan. Maybe enduring a rerun to get to see how good the 2nd and 3rd parts are will be worth it? Maybe diving into the origins of these killers is the worst idea ever? Only one way to find out. I tend to lean optimistic with these just setting myself up to be hurt. We'll do that again and hope for the best.

The "Scream Queen" Madelaine Petsch starring in this does have my attention, especially after watching the trailer. Is an actress of her expertise enough to get me to see this movie when it comes? Don't kid yourself, the answer is absolutely yes. See you in May.