The Strangers – Chapter 2 Review: Why Are We Doing This Again? [Fantastic Fest]
"The Strangers – Chapter 2" manages to be a slight improvement over "Chapter 1," which isn't saying much, but at least it's got that going for itself as we head into the finale of this unnecessary remake/prequel/sequel/alternate universe trilogy. Returning director Renny Harlin and writing duo Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland make the interesting choice of pivoting from home invasion to survival horror, which makes for some unexpected set pieces and some thrilling sequences in the woods — including a fun animal attack set piece. Sadly, the film suffers from being repetitive in its set pieces, forcing some bad choices from the main character. But the biggest mistake "The Strangers – Chapter 2" makes is that it spends a significant amount of time telling us the backstory of the titular Strangers.
Yes, that's right, we now know what the Strangers were like as kids, and even why they started killing. Now, building a mythology isn't necessarily bad, nor is giving your masked murderous trio some lore. But to actually show their first kill and give it a purpose other than "Because you were home" outright betrays the "random killings" thesis of the film (which is yet again repeated in an opening text spewing some statistics about strangers killing people randomly).
Taking a page out of "Halloween II," the movie takes place minutes after the end of "Chapter 1," with Madelaine Petsch's Maya Lucas in the hospital after surviving a brutal attack by Dollface, Man in the Mask, and Pin-Up Girl. The moment the townsfolk learn that there was a survivor of the latest random killing in their remote town, Maya just so happens to get another visit from her would-be killers. From there, the movie becomes a cat-and-mouse game as Maya runs through the woods of Oregon, fending off the killing trio, the elements, and other dangers.
Better than The Strangers: Chapter 1, but that's not saying much
Harlin is competent when it comes to the survival aspects of the script, going from longer takes and steadicam as Maya runs for her life in the hospital, to more frenetic cuts and camera movements in the woods. Now that the suprise factor is gone and the killing attempts are not exactly random, "The Strangers – Chapter 2" wisely spends a big chunk of the runtime with Maya having to just survive out in the woods rather than just trying to escape capture. Forget the torture or the slashing and dicing — the most horrifying thing that happens in this movie involves a simple re-stitching of wounds, with the sound design doing a hell of a good job in making the audience want to crawl deep into their seats.
Unfortunately, "The Strangers: Chapter 2" falls apart by nature of it being part of a planned trilogy. Who knows, maybe it will all pay off when the last entry arrives and we'll look back at the baffling choices made in the first two and see the big picture. But as it stands, these first two movies aren't successful as standalone stories, and as a follow-up to not just "Chapter 1" but the original 2008 film from Bryan Bertino, "Chapter 2" just feels like too big a left turn. As mentioned, the movie tries to explain the origins of the Strangers, slowly building up some larger conspiracy and cycle of random killings, while also letting us get to know the three people under the masks. The problem is that to give them backstories is to take away from the randomness of the killings, and to give us an actual motivation for the murders feels like a complete betrayal of the franchise.
With a rather abrupt cut to black and a mid-credits tease for "Chapter 3," it is clear that Harlin and company think of this as a singular story told in three chapters, one that has more to say than just "don't open your door to strangers." The problem is that, as a singular movie, "The Strangers – Chapter 2" feels like a misstep. It's an improvement simply because this trilogy started off pretty badly, but nevertheless an uninspiring survival horror with repetitive set pieces, baffling character choices, and a mythology that feels like it's erasing the very reason his franchise exists in the first place.
/Film rating: 4 out of 10.
"The Strangers – Chapter 2" releases in theaters on September 26, 2025.