Horror is a genre which loves its franchises, but the success of a film doesn’t necessarily guarantee money will be invested in a sequel. Even when it is, the results tend to be less than pretty and often become a pale shadow of the original. Conversely, given the low budgets often involved, a bad film can lead to an epic follow-up (Troll 2 anyone). The Strangers: Prey at Night is one of the most unlikely comebacks. The Strangers, released a decade ago, didn’t really make much of an impact, but has aged well. Johannes Roberts’ film carries on where it left off.
Mike (Martin Henderson) and Cindy (Christina Hendricks) decide their family needs to spend some quality time together before they send wayward daughter Kinsey (Bailee Madison) off to boarding school. Along with their son Luke (Lewis Pullman), they head out to their aunt Sheryl’s trailer park. It’s a rather tense trip but there’s nothing quite like fighting for your lives to bring a family together.
If you’re a fan of the original, you’ll enjoy The Strangers: Prey at Night. Roberts basically re-visits the same formula again to create an entertaining, if unextraordinary, slasher flick. Saying that, it’s peppered with clever moments and there’s some above-par acting. One of its greatest assets is the way it uses music at just the right moments. If you’re a fan of the genre then The The Strangers: Prey at Night is likely to be right up your street.
The Strangers: Prey at Night is available on Digital Download from 24 August.
