Movie Review: THE STRANGERS: PREY AT NIGHT

Why am I reviewing the film here, instead of on our sister site, darkness.com, which caters to all things Horror? I discovered, doing a little research on the film–I wanted to know what the people underneath those scary masks actually look like–well, Dollface, specifically, but while I was at it I checked on the other two–btw, it turns out Dollface is appropriately named, as she is played by hot model Emma Bellomy–ANYway I learned that the guy who plays the Man-in-the-Mask, Damien Maffei, starred in a low-budget movie called NIKOS THE IMPALER, obviously inspired by you-know-who; and that actress Lea Enslin, who plays Pin-up Girl, was in some movie called TWILIGHT something or other. (I’d never heard of it.) So there is a vampire connection!

As for the movie itself, it’s a damn-near perfect Horror flick. The intensity keeps increasing steadily, like the measured tightening of thumbscrews. The acting is impeccable. And the sheer realism of the film, the knowledge that something like it could actually happen, and has happened, removes that comfortable awareness of the unspoken impossibility one usually has with a Horror movie; as a result, the threat feels more real, and relatable. The ending left me a tad unsatisfied–I wanted more out of it, a better “twist”–and they almost went too far with the homages to other Horror movies. (When you start counting and listing them, it takes you out of the story, weakening that atmosphere of uncomfortable reality I mentioned.) Still, it’s a damn fine film. A solid A. Go see it.

By TheCheezman

WAYNE MILLER is the owner and creative director of EVIL CHEEZ PRODUCTIONS, specializing in theatrical performances and haunted attractions. He has written, produced, and directed (and occasionally acted in) over two dozen plays, most of them in the Horror and True Crime genres. He obtained a doctorate in Occult Studies from Miskatonic University and is an active paranormal investigator. Is frequently told he resembles Anton Lavey. And Ming the Merciless. Denn die totden reiten schnell!

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