In Renny Harlin’s The Strangers: Chapter 1, Venus, Oregon, is turned into a fatal trap for an unsuspecting couple thanks to the three masked killers who first went on a bloody rampage in 2008’s The Strangers. And while the seemingly same murderous trio was responsible for the massacre in 2018’s The Strangers: Prey at Night, Harlin’s film is a more direct homage to the original, starring Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman. But unlike Bryan Bertino’s film, there’s an opaque, near-tangible design to the danger that Maya and Ryan drive into in The Strangers: Chapter 1.
Spoilers Ahead
What Is The Film About?
Venus doesn’t seem like a town that’s too giddy about welcoming a couple of outsiders. And eating at a local diner under the judgmental gaze isn’t what Maya and Ryan had in mind when they stopped for a quick bite. The passive aggression of the locals is through the roof. And to make matters far worse, their car breaks down. When asked to spend the night at an Airbnb, Ryan’s suspicious of how convenient this is all turning out for the locals. But Maya’s not quite as cynical as her boyfriend. The Airbnb is not a total letdown. But between Ryan riding off to get his inhaler back from the garage, the power going out, and creepy things happening all around her, it’s safe to say that Maya’s not having the best time.
What are the similarities between the 2024 Film and the original?
The Strangers: Chapter 1 does tweak a few things here and there, but the essence and even most of the events of the film draw a direct line to the 2008 original. We’ve got Dollface knocking on the door with the same ominous “Is Tamara here?” And “The Sprout and the Bean” playing on the record is telling of the horror that’s about to befall them. In the original, Kristen and James had been going through a pretty rough patch since she turned down his proposal. And in The Strangers: Chapter 1, Maya and Ryan are not quite aligned regarding their ideas about marriage and where they stand five years down the line since they first started dating. Granted, most of the fear evoked by the three killers in the franchise is about just how unpredictable they are and how there’s no clear agenda to their killing spree. But there’s something to be said about how insignificant the protagonists’ personal issues are when they’re faced with three mindless killers with a singular goal in mind. Ryan’s motorcycle’s lit on fire just like James’ car was in the original. And much like James shot his friend dead thinking he was one of the killers, the Airbnb owner in The Strangers: Chapter 1 is unfortunate enough to show up at the wrong time and catch a bullet from a paranoid Ryan. The masked man, now called the Scarecrow, is just as menacing with his ax-wielding and car-crashing skills, separating Ryan and Maya as if it already wasn’t terrifying enough for the two to be hunted by psychotic killers out in the middle of nowhere. And Pin-up Girl seems to have a more passive yet undeniably terrifying presence this time around, drawing out the terror just to torment the prey before the time comes for slaughter.
Does Maya survive?
In The Strangers franchise, the people being hunted are not quite the stock victim characters in slashers whose only purpose is to be convenient to kill. But there’s no unrealistic heroism in them either. Time and again, characters in this franchise have found it hard to pull the trigger on the killers. And while that might be exasperating for us on this side of the screen, hoping they’d make the smart choice in the moment and save themselves, it’s also quite believable that a regular, sensible person would hesitate before pulling the trigger. I don’t think Ryan was above killing Pin-up Girl when he caught her at the end of the barrel in the woods. But his momentary hesitation gave Scarecrow a chance to incapacitate him and bring him to the house, where Maya was already tied up to a chair courtesy of Dollface.
I don’t think any of us were actually expecting a motive to be laid out clearly. None of the victims who have come across these masked killers in the three films in the franchise so far have found closure in their final moments. The senselessness of why their lives are cut short only adds anger to the helplessness they feel knowing their time’s about to run out. And if anything, killing people just because they happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time means these killers aren’t limited to a singular agenda. What’s more terrifying than that?
Unfortunately, in The Strangers: Chapter 1‘s ending sequence, even though Maya and Ryan have worked out their differences and acknowledged just how much they mean to each other, Ryan doesn’t survive the stabs of Scarecrow’s knife. But Maya sneakily called the cops when she was hiding from Dollface in the woods. So even though she’s mercilessly stabbed too, the sound of the cops driving in scares the killers away before they can make sure that both of them are dead. And that’s pretty similar to how Kristen got to be the final girl in the original. In the mid-credit scene, a devastated Maya is recuperating in the hospital. The fact that you see Scarecrow right there when she gets up from the bed might make you think that she’s been captured by the killers. But there was a get-well-soon card on the side table. And I really don’t think the killers would be so courteous. So it’s safe to say that Maya’s gotten away from the maniacal killers who’ve practically destroyed her life. But this is not where Maya’s story ends. Renny Harlin’s planned-out 4.5-hour-long narrative will likely follow Maya’s story as she goes on a hunt for the killers.
The Strangers: Chapter 1 was only the first installment of the trilogy, and the second part will come out later this year. And while it’s kind of pointless to try to figure out who the killers are as of now, I’ve got some theories about the tragedy that’s befallen the protagonists of The Strangers: Chapter 1. From the moment they set foot in the town, Venus gave off a noticeably eerie vibe. There’s almost a cult-like nature to the town. Considering how the locals at the diner reacted to the fact that Ryan and Maya weren’t married, it’s safe to assume that they’re quite conservative. And then there’s that religious angle.
Like the 2008 and 2018 films, the two creepy boys added a dose of peculiarity to The Strangers: Chapter 1 as well. But this time they went a step ahead and handed Ryan and Maya church fliers, asking them if they think they’re sinners. And that’s not the only time a religious cult angle has come into play in the film. When Ryan went to get food late at night, the frowny-faced owner of the joint also tried to give him a church flier. So I don’t think we can rule out the town’s involvement in what went down at the Airbnb. And how could I forget the creepy masks that Maya found in the closet? We might be looking at a religious cult murder prospect here. When our final girl’s all better, let’s hope her revenge journey will give us a little more clarity about the wicked games at play here.
