Why we absolutely did not need ‘The Strangers’ sequel

Any intruder movie fans will remember the chill that went down our spines the first time we saw the trailer for The Strangers. We remember seeing Liv Tyler (Armageddon) crying and clearly in distress, asking her captors why they were doing this to her and her husband. We remember taking in a breath when Dollface replies, “Because you were home.” Yikes! If that isn’t the scariest motive for a villain in a horror, we don’t know what would be.

The Strangers was the nominee for Best Horror Movie on five accounts and lead actress Liv Tyler won Best Horror Actress at the Scream Awards for her role in the thrilling addition to the intruder genre. As an individual movie, we can’t deny it deserves some praise. There are some truly creepy moments that make the film stand out from the rest of the intruder movies within the genre.

So we ask why, oh why, would they make a sequel? The amount of horror sequels we’ve seen absolutely bomb in the critics’ reviews should be proof enough that some movies should be left as standalone works. Yet unfortunately producers just can’t help themselves.

The plot of The Strangers: Prey at Night is so different from the original. Instead of stalking a couple in a vacation home, they stalk a family in a trailer park while they’re on vacation. Do you know what we really wanted to see instead? Liv Tyler’s character returning and exacting her revenge on the Strangers. Not a regurgitation of the original movie.