STARRING: BAILEE MADISON, CHRISTINA HENDRICKS, MARTIN HENDERSON AND LEWIS PULLMAN
DIRECTOR: JOHANNES ROBERTS
RELEASE DATE: MARCH 9, 2018
Mother, Cindy (Christina Hendricks) and Father, Mike (Martin Henderson) make the tough decision of driving their rebel daughter Kinsey (Bailee Madison) to boarding school while making older brother Luke (Lewis Pullman) tag along. Their trip takes a dangerous turn when they arrive at a secluded mobile home park to stay with some relatives and find it mysteriously deserted. Under the cover of darkness, three masked psychopaths pay them a visit to test the family’s resolve as they struggle to survive. Johannes Roberts directs this horror film inspired by the 2008 hit The Strangers.
The film begins with Kinsey sitting in her bedroom crying because she is being forced to leave and go to boarding school. She’s upset that she’s the only one of her friends that has to leave home. Her mother reluctantly told her that it was their only option being that Kinsey’s new rebellious behavior has been affecting her school work. While Mike and Luke load the car, Cindy makes a phone call to her aunt and uncle letting them know that they are behind schedule on getting Kinsey to her new school so they’ll be arriving at their home a little bit later than expected.
Once they arrive at the trailer park, Cindy notices that it’s strangely vacant but then remembers that after the Memorial Day holiday everyone leaves. As the family continues to drive through the park, they pull up to a gift shop. Cindy has the look of euphoria on her face as she enters the establishment to find a note that was supposedly left by her aunt and uncle. Little did she know that the events coming next were way sketchier than the note that she had found.
The film then transitions to the trailer that the family will be staying in for the night and everything becomes chaotic. Kinsey, still upset about having to move, goes for a walk. Cindy and Mike send Luke to find her after what seemed to be an eternity that she was gone. After Luke finds Kinsey sitting on a swing set, they head back to the trailer. On the walk back, they come across one of the trailers whose door is wide open. The two, being mischievous, enter to find their relatives murdered with dismembered faces and body parts. In total shock, they run all the way back to their trailer to let their parents know about their findings. As they’re running away, they bump into their parents hysterically. Luke leads his father to the trailer of the discarded corpses which horrify him. As the film progresses more strange things happen which will keep the audience cringing in their seats.
The Strangers: Prey at Night is a horror film that explores the limits of survival. It is brutal and filled with gore like any other horror film would be. It has its antagonist, who at the beginning of the film is not very likable, but due to the circumstances beyond the control of the character becomes the hero that eventually saves the day. The dynamics of the film is nothing new but what is presented within it works. This cinematic masterpiece of horror genre generated $10 million on its opening weekend and has grossed $22 million thus far.
The film receives 8 stars out of 10 stars.