Andrew_DeBough’s review published on Letterboxd:
Why?
Why was this marketed as a prequel? The newest addition to the Strangers franchise was promised as an origin story of sorts, but instead it's just a remake of the 2008 film - one that's worse in every aspect.
This is the most clichéd horror of all time with a Strangers layout. The obvious jumpscares and repeated to death "tension" builders are just the start. Gone are the cold, calculating killers who move like real people. Now we have a trio that can teleport in and out of a location, sometimes without the shot ever changing. The dark look of the original is replaced with a very polished and shiny lens. This is more apparent with the uninspired directing choices, which adds to the painfully generic vibe of it all. Another downgrade comes in the form of our two leads. ZERO CHEMISTRY. The couple from the first movie who are trying to cope with a failed marriage proposal are replaced with a cutesy couple who look fresh off of a high school rom com. Also, they both are dumb as fuck. The leads in the OG are dumb too but this is another level. Why does the opening text call the following events one of the most brutal crimes ever, when just one man is stabbed once? Why do they redo the original's ending, but with a worse response from Pin-Up girl and a more drawn out conclusion?
If the previous two movies never existed, this would just be your standard predictable bad horror flick. Instead, it's just pointless. A prequel, but really a remake, of a movie that isn't even 20 years old, with each copied story beat being dumbed down to the lowest level possible.
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