Film Review - The Strangers: Chapter 2
Images courtesy of Kismet Movies.
Renny Harlin’s The Strangers: Chapter 2 is less a sequel than a prolonged echo - a film that chases its own tail through dim corridors and rain-slicked roads, hoping that a more assured pace will mask its narrative inertia. Picking up moments after Chapter 1’s hospital cliffhanger, Maya (Madelaine Petsch) is once again on the run from the masked trio of killers, and the small country town of Venus remains suspiciously empty as ever - like a horror sandbox with all the non-plot-relevant characters turned off.
To its credit, Chapter 2 does successfully improve on its predecessor’s momentum. The film is essentially one extended chase sequence, which gives Petsch room to flex her survival instincts. She’s more compelling here - bruised, breathless, and finally attempting to fight back. There’s a kinetic spark to her final girl performance that almost makes you root for her, even as the script keeps her character frustratingly one-note. Anything the film might be saying about the way violence affects us under stress comes across more like an afterthought, while Maya’s motivations remain external: survive, escape, repeat, and any real emotional depth is kept at arms length.
Harlin’s direction is serviceable, echoing the workman-like qualities of a mid-career Alexandre Aja, yet without any of the 2000s era slasher nastyness and all of the leaps in logic. A hospital with approximately two staff members clocked on for the night? Flashbacks that attempt to explain the group’s descent into murder via playground drama? A CGI pig duel?? It’s surreal, sure, but not in the way that adds to the film's atmosphere. It feels like Harlin trying to inject lore into a franchise that was never built for it. After all, whatever happened to “because you were home”?
The biggest issue is structural. This trilogy was shot back-to-back, and it shows. Despite its increase in vigor, Chapter 2 doesn’t quite stand on its own; it’s a bridge, a placeholder, a “to be continued” that lands with a theatrical groan. There’s no real arc, just another tease for the final chapter served up with some minor escalation of tension. While the viscera may flow more freely this time, it’s not enough to change this crawling caterpillar into a beautiful (or bloody) butterfly. In the end, the sophomore effort in this new Strangers trilogy is a marginal upgrade - louder, faster, less likely to send you to sleep - but still remains trapped in a narrative loop that feels more contractual than creative. If you’re absolutely craving a modern slasher, wait to stream it with friends, popcorn, and maybe a beer or two, but just don’t expect too much in the way of carnage or catharsis.
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The Strangers: Chapter 2 is screening in cinemas now. For tickets and more info, click here.