The Strangers: Prey at Night will soon become available on Blu-ray and DVD from Universal Home Entertainment and this is one film you’ll want to pick up.
When The Strangers was confirmed to receive a sequel many years since its original debut, horror fans everywhere were thrilled to have a chance to return to the slasher genre. The film impressed audiences in theatres for months, but now the film is shifting its way to a home release and we have some reasons that you should check it out for yourself and enjoy all of the horror-goodness it has to offer.
It keeps the genre alive.
Horror films are few and far between, with most leaning towards the more over the top horror that contains accidental humor. In The Strangers, there’s no doubting it is a pure horror film with blood, carnage and a death toll. Slasher movies act more as a horror sub-genre, which is seen even less with the last real example being Happy Death Day. The Strangers differs due to it’s straightforward methods where you have the traditional slasher inclusions like a masked group of psychopaths targeting others – with no need for supernatural or anything impractical. Something about a slasher genre just feels like the most authentic avenue for true cinematic horror, and the bloody unrated version is a prime example.
This time, they fight back.
Previously we had seen a struggling couple try to survive but for the most part they were non-confrontational and were hiding on a regular basis. It became clear in the second film that despite a few hiccups – they weren’t just going to hide and hope for the best, this family is ready to fight to survive. It might not occur immediately, but by the time The Strangers get a taste of their own medicine it creates a few scenes that had (and will have) audiences cheering for the protagonists. Prey at Night solidifies that they took notes from the first film and improved the overall atmosphere of the movie by fixing what didn’t work and capitalizing off what did – most notably, the need to fight.
An alternate ending sheds light on the theatrical conclusion.
The final scene of The Strangers: Prey at Night embraces some of the most traditional endings, giving some slight nod to the unknown and the terror that accompanies it. After witnessing the alternate ending for the sequel, you get a better idea at the intention of that final scene and without spoiling anything – the mind is quite a fragile thing. I appreciate a good alternative, but more importantly this actually managed to answer my question about the ending itself – so check it out when it’s released and you’ll see what I mean!
Protagonists who aren’t one dimensional.
In horror, it isn't the easiest to craft characters truly worth rooting for. They tend to fulfil some stereotypical film traits, and in the beginning of The Strangers: Prey at Night you may assume the same thing. As the killers begin to target the family, they are brought out of the simple family conflict and their desire to keep each other alive moves to the forefront of the plot. At the midway point, my opinion on particular characters had completely changed and I shockingly found myself rooting for two that I didn’t expect to. The fact that they could make someone unlikable and give them depth in the midst of bloodshed is evidence that the sequel is actually a step up from the original.
The Strangers: Prey at Night is available digitally now and hits stores on Blu-ray and DVD starting June 12, 2018. Make sure you pick up The Strangers: Prey at Night now for a chance to see an instant horror classic in the comfort of your own home – just be careful for any uninvited strangers!
