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russthorn
Reviews
The Strangers: Prey at Night (2018)
Better than the original
First off I have to say that I am a big fan of 80s slasher movies. They are my favorite subgenre of horror films. I'd much rather see one of the Friday the 13th sequels than a bleak, depressing horror film.
The original Strangers was a good film. It was creepy and very bleak. It's not a film I can rewatch often because it is so downbeat. This sequel is one that I could rewatch over and over again. Probably as many times as I have seen Friday the 13th part 2. It's just an all around fun slasher flick. It's not near as scary as the original but I found it to be miles more entertaining.
The actors all did a good job and I liked the characters and was rooting for them to survive throughout the film despite some of the dumb decisions that some of the characters made. But ALL horror films have characters making dumb decisions. One of the classics is Evil Dead which features a character walking into the woods in the middle of the night because she hears someone calling her name. Horror movie characters are notorious for making dumb decisions.
Overall this was a FUN time at the movies and I would easily go see it again at the theater. The pool scene was awesome!
Tragedy Girls (2017)
3 stars for the cast alone
I gave this one 3/10 because I think the cast is just excellent. It's a shame they are all thrown together in such a mediocre film.
I have read various reviews for this film and I just have to admit that I don't get it. I'm not sure if these girls are supposed to be likable. Are we supposed to root for them? Admittedly through most of the film they are killing off people who aren't that nice at all.... In that case I wasn't feeling much sympathy for the victims but I still found the two leads to be obnoxious. Again, this is all about the characters as I think the actors were phenomenal.
My big complaint comes from the ending and I'm discussing spoilers so read at your own risk....
I wasn't a fan of the revelation that they murdered the mother of the main guy and then after telling him this they murdered him too. He was a decent guy. Not very bright, but decent nonetheless.... And then to show his father outside the school crying out for his son while the girls sit outside and mockingly watch him just felt so unnecessarily cruel. I mean here is a guy who has literally lost his family because of them. Was it meant to be funny and I'm just not getting the joke? Perhaps..... I mean a lot of people seem to be loving this movie. The only thing I can figure out is that I just don't get it.
I love dark comedies and I do have a fairly twisted sense of humor but I didn't find anything particularly funny about this movie (aside from the hilarious death at the school involving the saw.) Overall, it wasn't the worst movie I've ever seen but ultimately it will be a forgettable experience.