You know, I actually dug THE STRANGERS. I liked its simplicity, its nihilistic conclusion. I liked the lean, throwback approach, the use of source lighting and eerie folk music. Perhaps it was just because I saw it by my lonesome in the theater, with little expectation, but it’s a movie I instantly walked out of with thoughts of tracking writer/director Brian Bertino’s next move as a filmmaker. When I heard he finally gave in to the idea of going back to the well with THE STRANGERS 2, I had mixed emotions. After months of quiescence, we started wondering if the thing would ever happen. Well folks, we’ve finally got a STRANGERS 2 update (courtesy of STYD), replete with full script information.
When THE STRANGERS hit theaters in 2008, all involved in bringing the film to life (namely Rogue, Mandate, Intrepid and Vertigo), we’re happy with the films performance. Naturally, talks of sequel followed suit. Bertino even wrote a draft. But then in 2009, when Relativity Media bought out Rogue Pictures, a number of projects became stagnant, if not completely left for dead. As you can guess, one such project was THE STRANGERS 2.
But enough of the film biz red tape, you wanna know what the hell Bertino’s new script entails, don’t ya? Here’s the juice from STYD:
Bertino’s script is complete and he has slightly adjusted a sequence that would call for Liv Tyler to reprise her role as Kristen McKay in a Friday the 13th Part 2-esque nod. Fortunately, no, there is no back story to be explored with the “Strangers” this time (although some execs, I’m told, were pushing hard for some explanation as to where the Strangers came from). Instead, the sequel focuses on a family of four who are hit hard by the economy and hit even harder by the mysterious trio of killers who are still on a murder spree. The father is a fella named Mike who has lost his job, furthermore, his home.
The film kicks off, following a shocker opening, with Mike, his wife Cindy, his teenage son Luke and young daughter Kinsey loading their belongings into a moving truck. Their home has been foreclosed and they now need to find a place to crash for the night before moving on and staying with a grandmother. Low on cash, they eschew staying at a hotel.
Mike chooses to relocate his family, just for the night, to a trailer park also hit by the town’s apparent massive lay-offs and economic tough times. It’s a labyrinthine patch of land of supposedly abandoned trailers and they select one formerly owned by a friend. Luke and Kinsey are understandably upset about the situation and after a blow-out fight with his father, Luke decides to explore the grounds. Kinsey tags along and together they find the bodies of an elderly couple in a trailer. It appears the Strangers have targeted those who haven’t moved out of this trailer park and Mike’s family is next.
The sequel plays out like another cat and mouse chase. All three Strangers are accounted for – the Man in the Mask, Pin-Up Girl and Doll face. And what’s noticeably different this time out is the visceral impact Bertino makes. Where subtlety played so heavily in the first film, this is a straight-up go-for-the-throat slasher pic. Very Texas Chainsaw Massacre as opposed to Halloween, to draw a parallel in terms of tone.
Bertino whittles down the family emotionally and physically, pushing them to the limits, making a few surprising kills and leaving only one alive. He also relies – perhaps a bit too often – on familiar tricks from the first film. There’s a lot of “emerging from the shadows” sort of business when one of the Strangers makes an attack. The fury of the Man in the Mask (wielding an axe) makes for a particularly cool slaughter sequence. And the pick-up truck the Strangers drive figures prominently in much of the action, too.
With a bit of trimming – furthermore repositioning or cutting the Kristen McKay sequence altogether (because where it rests in the narrative does not work at all) – The Strangers Part 2 could work and would please fans of the original. Bertino does pull the rug out from under you a few times in the third act; overall, it has much more going on than the previous entry and elicits more sympathy for the leads. An improvement, for sure, but it doesn’t break any new ground in the grand scope of the slasher genre.
Wow. A whole roast served up right there. I’ve gotta admit, even if Bertino does not direct, he’s blueprinted a sequel I’m definitely down to give a day in court. From the out-and-out slasher approach, to the lack of exposition…I’m on board 100%. What says you?
Who else thinks Liv Tyler is still yummy!