The Strangers: Prey at Night

The Strangers: Prey at Night is the follow up to the 2008 film The Strangers. The premise is pretty much the same except it's at a mobile home park and it's a family of four.

Bryan Bertino did the original and wrote this follow up's screenplay. The dialogue and structure of the film is very 80s horror and throws in a lot of tropes that audiences have come to expect. It's formulaic and predictable if you're an adult. This film is rated R but for some reason, the kills that were used throughout the film were generally muted. Sure there's blood but I left the theater thinking that I saw a PG-13 film.

Johannes Roberts has improved since doing 47 meters down. Don't ask me why that film got a sequel. This man loves his horror films and it shows. There are some camera and editing problems but nothing too major. He used the zoom function of the camera so much in the film. There are parts where I could see intent on how he chose the shot and then others seem random. Randomness is a theme to the film so I suppose there's a connection there.

I wish there was more Christina Hendricks, not just because she was in one of my favorite movies of all time, Drive, but because she can act really well and I felt she was just briefly in the film even though she's credited first.

Daughter of Christina Hendricks was the wonderful Bailee Madison who you'll recognize from the television show Good Witch or The Fosters. I believe, maybe foolishly, but I believe that there was intent on how Kinsey emoted at the beginning of the film. I suppose I should say lack thereof. There is a bigger character arc if at the beginning there are little expressions on an actress's face so that when there's horror there's a drastic change in how the audience sees her. She nails the horror queen, Laurie Strode, scream, and whimpering.

The bigger problems with the acting come from the two males in the film. They were stereotypic with underdeveloped characters and poorly written excuses to separate the family from each other. The choices they make are a roller coaster of fickleness.

I disagree with some of the critics on just how bad of a film most believe it was. It's not that bad. Sure the final scenes are an eye roller and the first ten minutes aren't all that interesting, but I enjoyed the hunt and horror the rest of the film provided. I didn't like it as much as the first but I think Bailee Madison carried the film pretty well.

Result: C (The Ritual is a better choice and you don't have to leave home to watch that horror film.)

Comments

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026)

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is directed by Aaron Horvath , Michael Jelenic , and Pierre Leduc , with a script by Matthew Fogel , who also worked on The Super Mario Bros. Movie . This sequel brings back the core cast while expanding the universe significantly, pulling in fan-favorite characters like Fox McCloud , Rosalina , Bowser Jr. , and Yoshi . The film leans heavily into spectacle, bouncing rapidly from one set piece to another. It often feels like a chain of “and then” moments, stitched together with references to the games rather than a tightly constructed narrative. Chris Pratt , known for Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World , returns as Mario and delivers a similar performance to the first film. He remains serviceable in the role, but the script doesn’t give him much room to grow this time around. Mario feels more like a vehicle to move the audience through the different worlds rather than a character with a meaningful arc. Anya Taylor-Joy , known for The Queen’s Ga...

Whistle (2026)

Whistle (2026) plays less like a finished horror film and more like a theater kid’s passion project that somehow made it to the screen. The script tries to build emotional investment in the main character but never succeeds, and the horror elements are almost nonexistent. The scares simply are not there, leaving the film feeling hollow for a genre that depends heavily on tension and payoff. The screenplay comes from Owen Egerton , whose work here feels more like a personal self insert than a fully realized character. The protagonist, played by Dafne Keen , comes across almost like a gender swapped version of the writer himself. Keen, known for Logan and His Dark Materials , tries to bring intensity to the role but the material gives her very little to work with. The direction from Corin Hardy , who previously directed The Nun , feels restrained by the script. It is hard not to feel a bit bad for him because there is only so much a director can do when the writing does not provi...

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (2026)

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come reunites the directing duo of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett , known for Ready or Not and Scream VI . Despite releasing seven years after the original, the story picks up immediately where the first film left off, which creates a slightly odd but mostly workable sense of continuity given the visible passage of time. The film leans harder into its dark comedy and expands the twisted family game concept, raising the stakes while keeping the same chaotic energy that made the original stand out. Samara Weaving , known for Ready or Not and Babysitter , steps back into the role with ease. She still brings that frantic intensity and sharp comedic timing, but there is a noticeable shift in her presence. The character feels more hardened, less reactive, which fits the story but loses a bit of the unpredictability that made her performance so memorable the first time around. Still, she anchors the film and keeps it grounded even when things get ridic...

Movies, Film, and Chili

Search This Blog