The Strangers – Chapter 2
Studio: Lionsgate
Director: Renny Harlin
Sep 27, 2025
The Strangers – Chapter 2 is the second installment of the brand new remake trilogy from director Renny Harlin, following final yr’s The Strangers – Chapter 1. Whereas that chapter is actually a retelling of the occasions in The Strangers (2008), this chapter is now free from Bryan Bertino’s authentic and capable of go in additional of its personal course. Chapter 1 received issues off to a bumpy begin, and sadly, Chapter 2 is simply barely higher.
Harlin’s sequel, written by returning screenwriters Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland, takes place proper after the occasions of the earlier movie. Maya Lucas (Madelaine Petsch) is recovering in a hospital in rural Oregon after she and her boyfriend had been attacked, leading to his demise. It doesn’t take lengthy for a similar three masked antagonists, “the strangers,” to indicate up in Maya’s life once more. Maya is then on the run as she fights for her life whereas nonetheless recovering from her wounds.
The Strangers – Chapter 2 is actually a 90-minute chase sequence often damaged up by flashbacks. It strikes shortly by means of acquainted slasher settings resembling hospital hallways, empty barns, and darkish forests. The flashbacks, in the meantime, present nuggets of backstory for the threatening title characters.
Prolonged chase films can work nicely if they’re meticulously crafted and visually intriguing (resembling Apocalypto (2006) or Mad Max: Fury Street (2015)). Harlin’s sequel is neither of these issues. The veteran director proves he’s nonetheless able to framing intense scenes, however there aren’t any impressed touches to his course right here. He merely feels on autopilot. One scene involving a wild animal truly offers some pressure and unpredictability. Nonetheless, it feels oddly misplaced and incorporates some less-than-stellar CGI. There are occasional bits of pleasure all through the movie, however that scene is the one memorable one as a result of it’s so baffling.
The backstory for the strangers is concurrently welcome for character growth and unwelcome narratively. That’s as a result of it goes in opposition to these movies’ targets of portraying the randomness of on a regular basis violence from full strangers. Such a nitpick might be waived away if the backstory had been gripping. What’s supplied right here, nonetheless, is totally hackneyed and underutilized.
Regardless of the entire points with Chapter 2, Petsch can’t be faulted in any respect. She delivers a dedicated and plausible efficiency all through as Maya, stepping up her recreation from the primary film. The character makes loads of dumb choices and could be irritating due to that, however Petsch’s appearing is robust.
The Strangers – Chapter 2 offers a handful of thrills for undemanding slasher followers. It’s not as poor as its predecessor, nevertheless it additionally by no means rises above mediocrity. This remake trilogy continues to really feel uninspired and tedious, with little hope for the third entry.
Facet word: As an Oregonian myself, the movie made me giggle at how un-Oregon it seemed and felt. That’s not too stunning because it was filmed in Slovakia. May the supporting actors a minimum of be taught to pronounce the state appropriately for the third movie, although?
Writer ranking: 5/10
