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Wednesday, April 24, 2024
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HOLLYWOOD THE STRANGERS: PREY AT NIGHT
EDITOR'S PICK
'The Strangers: Prey At Night': A slow but tense horror film (IANS
Review By Troy Ribeiro ; Rating: **)
Director Johannes Roberts' 'The Strangers: Prey At Night' is a slow but
chilling, horror thriller, inspired from Director Bryan Bertino's 2008-released
film of the same genre called - 'The Strangers'.
Flat and rudimentary in its approach, it is a battle of survival after being
hunted by three psychopaths in a desolate trailer park.
The story is just an excuse to set the plot in motion. Teenager Kensey (Bailee
Madison) is supposed to join a boarding school soon, so her parents Mike (Martin
Henderson) and mother Cindy (Christina Hendricks) plan a weekend trip to a
trailer park run by their relative. Uncle Martins. They drag their son Luke
(Lewis Pullman) along to accompany his sister during the weekend trip.
There is tension in the family as Kensey resents her parent's decision of
sending her to the boarding school. Nevertheless, Luke's presence offsets the
tension.
The family arrives at the trailer park late in the evening and find it strangely
deserted. And while they settle in their trailer, a stranger knocks on the door.
Cindy opens the door and she asks, "Is Tamara home?"
And after Cindy tells her that she has knocked the wrong door, the stranger
mysteriously wanders off.
Meanwhile, after some disagreement on some non-specific issue, Kensey walks out
of their trailer. Luke follows to cajole her. And while they are bonding in the
deserted environment, there is a knock again on the door. Thinking it is their
children, Mike opens the door but instead it is the same stranger. She repeats
her question. Cindy who overhears the conversation finds this bizarre. She
senses something is amiss, so she cajoles Mike to accompany her to bring back
their kids who are out in the park.
On the other hand, the kids stumble into an open, abandoned trailer and discover
a dead body. They immediately rush back to their parents.
This sets the ball rolling for an atmospheric filled, slow but tense horror
drama, when all hell breaks loose and the family members find themselves
attacked by masked strangers.
The writing is simply blasé. With no much ado about character development, the
plot propels like a slasher film -- with no rational motive or any supernatural
characteristics or scruples among the slayers as they goes straight into the
attack of the victims. The senseless attack, though exasperating due to lack of
logic, whips up a frenzy among the audience, especially during the climax.
The performances of every character are perfunctory.
On the technical front - Visually the setting and the framing of the shots with
its light and shadow effects and the apt sound design, elevate the viewing
experience.
At the end, the film does manage to keep you at the edge of your seat as you
empathise with the plight of the victims.
A family’s road 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 every limit as they struggle to survive. Johannes Roberts directs this horror film inspired by the 2008 smash hit THE STRANGERS.
