The Strangers: Prey at Night (2018) User Reviews

Y U SO STUPID

[anattott · 4/10 · 28 February 2019]

"Hey let's leave all of our phones unattended in one place even though we're clearly suspicious of a creepy person outside."

"Hey let's leave my wife and daughter behind while I go investigate a crime scene."

"Hey it's two against one let's not try to defend ourselves whatsoever."

"Hey I'm just gonna turn my back and let this waifish girl kill me in front of my daughter without even attempting to fight back."

"Hey it's two against one again and also I have a gun, let's NOT shoot the psychopath who killed my mom and just run away. Let's also leave the gun behind and completely forget about it a few moments later."

"Hey let's leave my stabbed brother behind without attempting to patch the wound and stop the bleeding in any way."

"Hey let's not warn the cop there's a masked killer behind him even though the killer is clearly in my field of vision."

"Hey I found a shotgun, let's leave it behind and run away on foot."

"Hey I'm a killer with a perfectly functioning vehicle and could quite easily run the wounded 15-year-old over, let's stop and walk outside the car for no reason."

why movie, why

An idiotic horror sequel

[capaldimark · 4/10 · 8 March 2018]

In 2008 a movie called "The Strangers" was released, which, in my opinion, is one of the best horror movies of recent times, mainly because of its simplicity and its eerie realism. So here we are, a decade later, with the release of its sequel, titled "The Strangers: Prey At Night", directed by Johannes Roberts. Given the success of the first installment, it's fair to assume that this sequel comes with a lot of hype even after all these years. Unfortunately, not only does "Prey At Night" not live up to the hype, it comes up far short of it.

Prey At Night's plot will be familiar to anyone that has seen the first movie. A family decides to go away for the weekend and stay at a trailer park where some family members live at. Soon after they arrive, they get a knock from a mysterious girl who is seemingly lost. After she leaves, the family begins noticing strange things and soon encounter three masked people trying to hunt down and kill them. Again, it's a story that will be familiar to anyone that has seen the original, but this time it's a family of four trying to survive in a trailer park seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Because it's set in the confines of a trailer park and not a house like in the original, there's a lot more room for the family to move around and escape from these masked killers. Ultimately, in this case, that ends up being a bad thing. What really made the original as eerie and intense as it was is how condensed the atmosphere was. It was two people essentially trapped in an isolated house with nothing else around them while being stalked and preyed upon by three unknown, masked people. It really added to the chill that you felt by watching it knowing that there is a bit of realism that is present in the situation. It was simple but very effective in how it delivered its scares. Here, it's different. It's a much more open and less suffocating atmosphere and as a result, you lose a lot of the tenseness and eeriness that existed in the original. What I'm trying to say here is that this movie is not very scary. It has its moments here and there, but the constant feeling of dread that was in the original is unfortunately absent here due to the structure of the environment.

Another element of the original that makes it better is the performances. Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman really made you feel like they were in grave danger, which added to the overall feeling of dread. In this sequel, the acting isn't quite as good. It's still an "okay" cast made up of Christina Hendricks, Martin Henderson, Bailee Madison (probably the standout here), and Lewis Pullman, but they're just not quite up to par with Tyler and Speedman, both being pretty good actors. To be fair, however, the characters and writing didn't necessarily do this new cast any justice. Multiple times throughout the movie these people would do idiotic things that would get them into trouble. If I had a nickel for every time I wanted to facepalm, I'd probably have enough to easily cover my ticket for the movie. And don't even get me started on the last 15 minutes. Most of the things that happen in the final 15 minutes is either so idiotic that I could barely watch, or not even humanly possible. It's all just a bunch of nonsense that tries to set up a sequel, but fails miserably.

The film's runtime is 85 minutes, which is pretty short for a mainstream movie these days. It ends up being a good thing though, as the movie doesn't waste much time getting straight to the action. Instead of a drawn out, overlong horror flick, it ends up being pretty well paced, which is one of the few things that it actually gets right.

Overall, what we have here is a horror sequel that pales in comparison in every way to the original. It tries to be as scary and thrilling as the original, but what the original had was simplicity and realism, which created a constant feeling of dread, something that this movie fails to deliver even in its best moments. Here's hoping that it takes them 10 years to deliver another sequel.

The Strangers Prey at Night: Improvement

[Platypuschow · 4/10 · 20 December 2018]

Let me be clear I HATED The Strangers (2008) and certainly didn't expect them to make a sequel a full decade later.

I'm not entirely sure what it was about the first movie, but it just came across as entirely one sided devoid of purpose and basically plot torture porn and that did nothing for me.

This time around we see a family set up camp in a trailer park only to come under siege by the same three masked psychotics. Among them the stunning Christina Hendricks and former child star Bailee Madison.

Thankfully what we're presented with isn't so one sided and does have a plot. Sure the plot is the time honored generic slasher one but it's a plot all the same.

So what does it have going for it? Well for a start the soundtrack is great as is the score. It fits the movie perfectly and is refreshingly retro. Ontop of that we have some great cinematography, the movie certainly has style.

So it looks great, it sounds great and we have Hendricks on board. So what went wrong? Well other than it being generic, Hendricks isn't the big character you'd imagine so forget about her being the leading lady. To make matters worse it falls into many of the standard slasher pitfalls so we've seen the majority of it before.

This is a vast improvement over the first movie, but it's still just another slasher.

The Good:

Christina Hendricks

A few decent shots

Fitting soundtrack

The Bad:

Christina Hendricks is wasted

Generic stuff

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

I'm glad I'm not the only one who awkwardly laughs when in pain

If they keep up with the improvements they might have an average movie eventually

Was this a parody?

[hungryfatboy · 1/10 · 9 February 2019]

If you like your horror films to have the main characters do every stupid thing possible then watch this.

The soundtrack is amazing

[brammerhammer · 7/10 · 10 March 2018]

The music is the best part of the movie. I loved the 80s themed soundtrack, especially during the pool scene. The movie slowly ramps up tension and when it hits full bore it never stops. Its relenting. The characters do stupid things of course, but that's par for the course for these movies. In the end you do care enough to want them to survive . I admit the film doesn't really bring anything new to the table, but what it does bring it does really well. I'd recommend to fans of the slasher genre and of the original movie.

So bad it got me to make my first movie review

[mhkleinonen · 2/10 · 24 March 2018]

About a week or so ago my girlfriend and I watched the first Strangers movie and remembered again that it's actually a pretty good movie and has it's scary moments in it. So then we realize the second one is in theaters and decided to go see that a couple days ago. I didn't check the ratings on it before going, but now I wish I would've.

My girlfriend expected to be scared throughout the movie, but soon after it began we ended up trying to hold back laughter through the entire movie due to the ridiculousness of it. Not one part that was supposed to be scary was scary, instead we're just laughing. Now for some examples of what we found ridiculous..

How the actors and actresses in this movie have not one ounce of survival instincts kicking in, especially in cases where it's 2 on 1 and they just basically accept their fate. Every single member of the family leaves their phones behind as they leave their trailer in an unfamiliar area with nobody else around.. As the brother and sister are running though this big trailer park area with a number of options of places to hide in and run to, one of the three strangers just knows exactly where the kids are going to go to. These strangers can see into the future or something, otherwise I don't know how they can put themselves into every trailer or crevice that these kids running for their lives end up trying to hide in. The girl who comes and knocks on the door at first gets blasted close range in the chest with a shotgun, and miraculously needs a second shot to finally die. Masked man rams into the back of this police SUV the daughter is in, disabling the SUV while his old truck runs like new with the front end being smashed in. The man with the mask is in his truck, which explodes in a huge fire, and continues driving said flaming truck after the daughter. Then he gets out and is able to walk swinging his axe, all without screaming hysterically as his entire body is singed in third degree burns.

If there's anything I learned from this movie, it's that the model of truck the strangers drive is an indestructible piece of machinery and should be used by the army in place of the Humvee.

A Good Continuation

[austinonifc · 7/10 · 3 June 2023]

I'm a big fan of the first Strangers, I always thought that was a the scariest home invasion film out there, and didn't think it needed a sequel, I was afraid they'd ruin it in some way, but after checking this Strangers 2 out multiple time, I might enjoy this one more. I appreciated the approach they took with this one. It's fast paced and most slasheristic. They told their story with the first movie, so now they got that out of they way it gives room for a fast paced balls out movie and that's what they did here. We get a good back & fourh between the killers and the family they go after and the ending was my favorite actually. There were times where it felt they took ideas from other horror movies but it's okay cuz it fit and kept the movie going. I never thought I'd say this but I want a Strangers 3 Now Damnit!

WHAT A LOAD

[jmoqoj · 2/10 · 23 May 2018]

Girlfriend made me watch this with her... now im single,

It's solid. Don't be mislead by the reviews

[tabobeeran · 7/10 · 21 May 2020]

Definitely worth a watch. The direction, the soundtrack, the dread and twists all make this a very thrilling watch underrated for sure!

Are they kidding me with those deaths?

[sarakuralexx · 1/10 · 20 March 2018]

The mother basically surrenders to Dollface, someone she could easily have tried to at least kick before letting her stab her multiple times for no reason. The father crashes the car into a wall only to be punctured in the stomach and that's it? Nothing that made the original memorable was present here. Instead, the usual horror cliches are plenty. Goth chick with no reason to hate the world? Check. Cop that gets shot as soon as final girl asks for help? Check. A main killer with superhero strength? Check. Radio/phone that's on loud speaker so it leads to a noise outside announcing the killer has heard them? Check. 80s songs devoid of any real connection to the plot thrown in constantly just to be trendy? Check. Cars on fire crashing and roaming empty streets where absolutely not a single soul spots the ongoing chaos? The trailer park isn't just abandoned, it's zombie-apocalypse abandoned - and it's gigantic. Did I mention not a SINGLE car drives by the entire night, on that gigantic radius, with the exception of said cop who, clearly, gets hits throat slashed the second he gets out of the car. The original was an exercise in atmospheric horror: you felt as if you were there, inside that cabin. You also rooted for the main couple because their story felt genuine. This is, unfortunately, a dud.

Wow, you guys were so wrong

[PedroPires90 · 8/10 · 21 November 2022]

Why do I listen to you, people? You are all wrong about this one and I didn't watch it before because I was stupid enough to believe in reviews and other people's tastes.

It's a completely different film than the first one and the set-up is a bit rough, I will give you that. Now...as soon as the family arrives at that camp, holy moly! I know I am a horror unapologetic fan, so I know that I got lots of references/homage that probably others didn't. However, even forgetting that, have you seen that camera movement? The music? The atmosphere? The fear? The acting? The jump scares? How does it play with darkness and light?

Tense as hell, this film never lets you breathe in the last 40 minutes, always playing with high stakes that make you believe that anyone can die. The pool scene and the police car scene alone are enough to recommend this movie every day of my life.

Best pool scene ever

[justinwfirestone · 7/10 · 11 March 2018]

The screenwriter of Strangers: Prey at Night, Brian Bertino, wants it to be very clear from the get-go: the movie is "based on true events." That means, according to an interview with director, Johannes Roberts, that Bertino in fact had a strange woman knock on his door once, and his neighborhood was victim to several burglaries. However, it seems the stabby-stabby, murder-murder stuff was based on Charles Manson, which of course, was a true event, so it's all good.

It's been difficult to build suspense in a post-smartphone world. After all, why would not the first step be, when facing three psychopaths, to take a selfie and tag it #worstLakeTrailerCabinEvar. Too bad all the death and terror is all so senseless, because if the teenage daughter had simply gone to class instead of becoming a dangerous truant with an affection for punk music, there would have been absolutely no need, no need at all, to go to the Murder-a-Lago. Then again, as one of the psychopaths gurgles happily: "Why not?"

Our killers seem to come from the anarchist-nihilist camp, yet they have a fondness for 80s love ballads and they seem very careless around trailer cabins, or maybe they're cabin trailers. There's a pool, and it is home to one of the best scenes in film history, no joke, and the final moments with a truck aflame will be burnt forever, making love out of nothing at all.

It Took Every Poor Decision Possible To Even Attempt To Make This Movie Work

[azketta · 1/10 · 13 October 2018]

So, I genuinely cannot stand how hard it is to get a proper review of a horror movie. Most the time, people rate horror movies bad because it was psychological when they wanted gore, or something simple like that.

However, this movie is horrible. I almost never write reviews, and try to give as much credit as possible to everyone involved...but I have to break down this movie with how many completely insane and unbelievable decisions are made...

First, you have some random girl literally knocking on your door twice, acting weird, clearly lost...confused...crazy...something... and you don't call the police or anything about it...

Then...the response to that is that your children go out for a walk alone at night - Also...what teenagers go out for a walk, in the middle of nowhere, alone at night, without their cell phones? What teenager goes *anywhere* without their cellphone? Much less both of them.

Then, your children come home and tell you they just saw their aunt and uncle murdered and cut up in their trailer...do you get your family in your van and immediately leave town, while calling 911? No...you tell your wife and daughter to go back to the house alone, where a creepy girl has already started to harass y'all...while you go investigate the seen of a homicide, without any weapon or anything at all... (not to mention they seemed to have no idea that it was even their families' trailer)

Next, you're alone in the trailer with your daughter, and this girl is coming at y'all with a knife...so after getting yourselves closed into the bathroom...you don't look for any kind of weapon, and once your daughter gets out...you just stand there telling her to run, not reacting at all to the girl coming up behind you, wrapping her arm around you and stabbing you? - No, you have adrenaline surging through you to protect your daughter. You fight back...you try to kill her or at least harm her in hopes she can't kill your family next. At this point...you only know about one attacker. Kill. Her.

Now the daughter. You just watched your mom get killed...you didn't help her ina my way...okay sure...you're scared and not tough...you leave the house and then go immediately to where you know your father and brother are at, right? Noooo you go running somewhere else alone entirely ... genius

Back to the brother and father...you *know* there is or was a murderer...and you try to convince your son to stay outside while you go investigate? No way.

Next...someone is wearing some crazy mask, outside this house...and you give him the option to walk away while counting? You don't even look to watch him go away? You could have walked out and he's at the side of the house stabbing you.

*** Note...here is the first scene I am actually proud of the acting - Father and son find the mother...the father breaks into tears and then realizing his son is coming to see what happened, he rushes him, and pulls him out of the room, trying to prevent him from being traumatized. The scene is emotional and completely believable... ***

Now...back to bad decisions!!!

The dad - You and your son (finally) get into the van, and go driving off to look for your daughter, then someone shatters the window to the point you can't see, but you just keep accelerating until you slam into a trailer, so badly, it breaks and wood slams into you...so you send your son to go look for your daughter...the killer sits next to you, and just like your wife you just sit there falling apart, begging for the life of your family...but never once try to fight back in any way...knowing your kids are next...

The boy - you know this girl either killed your mum, or is part of the people who killed her...but you're too afraid to shoot her, even knowing she's going after you and your sister. (The girl is the only one smart enough to be ready to fight back and kill someone at this point...but he won't give her the gun, and instead just wants to run away from the psychotic killers, and give them back the advantage)

Next... you knock the other girl out...and you 'slowly' go to take off the mask, as if you think she might still be alive. Either you assure she's dead...or you already believe she's dead, and you just yank the mask off. I still vote for number one first, and then you can do the second one.

Then...a man comes at you with an ax...something that clearly requires at least a little bit of momentom and such...he's swinging it at you in a way that gives you multiple opportunities in between to rush him and stab him...this continues all the way through the fight. In close close combat, the knife is going to be much more effective...if you weren't too scared to use it.

Skip ahead (I'm probably missing some to be honest...it's been a bit since I watched it now) ... but a cop shows up (in what must be the most deserted trailer park of all time), and seeing a girl covered in blood, doesn't utilize any of his training, to pull out his gun, look around or be proactive in any way about protection...and literally ends up turning his back to the killer, allowing him to be killed, close range, from behind with a knife *eye roll*

I assume it must be a horror movie rule to strangely assume that everyone hops out of their car and just leaves their keys in the ignition...only to find out, like every normal person in the world...the person who was driving took them out and put them in his pocket when he got out...so, the key is now in the killers hand (never saw that coming...)

This one is not a bad decision, just extremely unbelievable...this tiny girl take a shotgun blast to the chest...inches away...but is still alive and needs to be shot again? Yeah. Okay.

Finally...the last killer is in his truck, submerged in fire (which you see later literally burned off his skin), yet he is still just calmly sitting in his truck, slowly toying with her? He's not in unbelievable pain? He's not trying in any way to help himself...he's still just completely consumed with the idea of killing her before he dies...

Finally...the girl runs off straight down the road, instead of out of the road behind anything...and then when she looks around to run somewhere else, she chooses to run across the bridge, where she'd have no way of running side to side to escape the killer...

So many issues. There are a few good things near the end...and I'm proud of the girl for being willing to fight back when no one else seemed to care about it.

I just don't recommend it...obviously...unless you feel like ranting about the idiocy the entire time. Lol

Don't Waste Your Time

[hallbanks · 2/10 · 13 April 2018]

If you like movies where characters make cringeworthy irrational decisions, this is the one for you. From not leaving the camp when they should to hiding in a tube instead of running, this movie has it all. I do give props to the killers though, they seemingly knew where everyone was at all times and even where they were going to be.

This review is a warning to all, just skip the film or waste your time.

P.s. The first Strangers was much better than this.

Improvement Compared to The First

[themovieraidshow · 7/10 · 12 October 2022]

The setting being in a trailer park one being deserted is a little odd that no one rents them but is a good playground for terror.

The characters have improved being less communicative and uses their body language and plays mind games with the family.

The story is basic but conventional on the kills. The highlight of this story is the music being played during a stalk and prey moment. The main killer using the music as message and entertaining element.

The story could use more suspense being three killers stalking a family. There's very little character involved aside from the killers being the main cast. Prey At Night has a tone but one to shape in terror.

Writing a review on this is better then watching it

[robrhlphotographylee · 1/10 · 12 January 2019]

So here I sit. Currently this film still going as my wife is easily amused. However I'm so bored it's unreal. This film is so dreadful I don't even care about what's going on. I think watching paint dry would be more interesting

A really fun watch!!

[spencermountford · 7/10 · 9 June 2018]

I went into this as usual with no expectations as I loved the first one but didn't want to base my opinions of this based off of the first one but I was pleasantly suprised. The killers again had the same creepy tone but seemed more aggressive this time round. The characters weren't the selling point but I'd still reccomend this film to any horror fan or any movie gore wanting a decent watch.

TERRIBLE!!!

[joemasih · 1/10 · 27 December 2018]

In the history of slasher movies this has to be the worst ever made even though I painstakingly continued to watch it until it's dire end.

Fun And Totally Different Than The Original.

[neener3707 · 6/10 · 9 March 2018]

Sure, it did scare me several times, and I will give them props on making a fun slasher film, but for the most part I feel that it strayed away from and did not capture the charm, intensity, and terror of the first. Mainly because the film goes in an entirely different direction than the first, taking place in a trailer park as opposed to the middle of the woods, which lessened that sense of isolation. So don't get me wrong, the film had its tense and scary moments, but for the most part it was a very average slasher film with minimal gore and only a couple instances of scares. Definitely enjoyed this film in a totally different way than I did the first.

So the story is less about being trapped in a house, and more about being alone in a vacant vacation community. So the type of tensity wasn't really the same and I didn't get a true sense of isolation and fear. Also, none o the actors reached the performance of Liv Tyler in the first one, a performance that was critical to the original's intensity. Also, several plot choices I felt lessened the continuous anxiety of the film, giving you multiple chances to catch your breath, which the first one did not have. So all in all I wasn't disappointed, but honestly I was expecting better because the first one was so damn effective.

I would recommend it, but be warned, not like the original.

What a load of rubbish.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 3/10 · 30 March 2019]

I'm so often a lot kinder on films then many reviewers, but this was a genuinely terrible movie. The first one was successful in that it had a degree of subtlety, the couple were quietly terrorised, it built a tension, and had you feeling unnerved. This was a blunt, brash, dreadful attempt to drag further life out of a franchise long since past its sell by date. One or two good scenes I guess, but the Strangers literally became super villains.

It's a disaster. 3/10

Soundtrack turns an average slasher to a good one

[jonnyedwards-75288 · 8/10 · 24 July 2022]

Ok it's not the most original horror movie, but they're are a couple scene's that definitely make it worthwhile. The pool scene in particular is honestly one of my favorites I've seen in horror. The truck scene is also good. The rest I would say average, but with an upbeat 80s pop soundtrack it gives the movie style.

It would feel very much like it was treading old ground without the soundtrack with the original, and arguably not as well delivered.

Even without the positives mentioned above I would still say overall its harmless fun and definitely not as bad as some of the reviews on here.

Come for the sequel, stay for the fun

[HorrorOHorror · 7/10 · 9 March 2018]

First off, let me start by saying I am a massive fan of The Strangers and I have been keeping an eye on this sequel since 2008. Finally the day has come and it did not disappoint. The film starts with the three killers rolling up in their 1972 Ford F-100 on a sleeping elderly couple, all while "We're The Kids in America" spills out of the truck windows and onto the deserted foggy road. Our leading family made up of Kinsey (Bailee Madison), Luke (Lewis Pullman), and mom & dad (Christina Hendricks & Martin Henderson) find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time when what is supposed to be a quick overnight stay turns into the longest/possibly last night of their lives. Times have changed and the strangers seem to be continuing what they started with new victims (how often is not known), but they are as brutal as ever with their kills remaining uncomfortably personal. (*SPOILER* Dollface grabs mom, Christina Hendricks' face as she stabs her in the side, all while her daughter watches) Bailee Madison gave it her all as troubled teenage daughter, Kinsey. Madison was the true standout of the film. "It'll be easier next time" they said. They were wrong. Madison brings the final girl fight that you root for when wrapped up in this horror universe. "Give me the gun, I will shoot her." Kinsey shouts as her brother Luke hesitates. We see about one and a half stranger's faces, so their mystery is kept intact. There's not much expansion on the mythology of the killers. Pin-Up Girl basically doesn't little to nothing but Dollface does have a few line and Pin-Up Girl has her "but we're just getting started" line which is quite honestly the worst part of the film. Her voice just felt silly, out of place and voiced over. Man in the Mask is persistent as all hell, once again. A showdown with Luke by the pool surrounded by neon yard decorations to 80s power ballad "Total Eclipse of the Heart" made the film feel like a new classic. The film's score didn't really wow me, but there were definitely a few cool moments in there that give off a creepy tone. I just wish the score was more drawn out, maybe even sampled some from the original 2008 film. While feeling reminiscent of some of John Carpenter's work, Prey At Night manages to stand on it's own two feet. We get another look into this world where three people come together to wreak havoc with reckless abandon, but this time they may have met their match. I keep seeing a lot of "not like the first one" whining etc to which I will say: then go watch the first one, but I will willingly accept Prey At Night as a badass entry to this horror franchise.

Sad copy

[bb-d-19690 · 1/10 · 13 October 2020]

Same old, same old theme a bit overdone. Overacting by Bailee Madison particularly pathetic.

Unoriginal and Stupid Slasher

[claudio_carvalho · 3/10 · 27 June 2018]

"The Strangers: Prey at Night" is another unoriginal and stupid slasher, with a storyline that is on the shelf of any mediocre screenwriter ready to be reprocessed and usually said "based on true events". The most impressive is that even this type of storyline is able to produce good and scary low-budget slashers, such as the French-Romanian "Ils" ("Them" - 2006) or the Austrian "Funny Games" (1997) by Michael Haneke. Both films are tense and make the viewer nervous with the frightening atmospheres. The cruelty in "Funny Games" is impressively cold and therefore horrifying.

In "The Strangers: Prey at Night", there is no character development or motive and the situations are stupid with many cliches. The family splits in the beginning, aware that their relatives have been slaughtered, instead of immediately driving to the police station. The father sees what happened to his wife, but does not shoot the killer. The survivors have many chances to leave the camping area and to possess weapon, but are surprised in the most clichés situations. The police officer has his throat cut in another typical clichés, when the good girl believes that is safe. Advice when most needed is least heeded, but do not spend your time watching this movie. There are much better options in the genre. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): "Os Estranhos: Caçada Noturna" ("The Strangers: Prey at Night")

The Strangers are back in full force

[Charicific · 7/10 · 21 March 2018]

In 2008 The Strangers hit the screens and it was terrifying. After 10 longs years we have been given a second film and boy, was it worth the wait. The second installment in this mysterious and chilling story about 3 strangers on the hunt for blood, is just as scary and bloodthirsty as the first. Writer & director Byran Bernito made some great choices in this film and whilst the soundtrack is vastly different to the first, it almost turns it into an entirely different experience. If this is still screening where you live, I highly recommend you give it a go.