The Strangers Chapter Two has one idea in mind: scare the audience. Most horror movies have this goal. The opening quote that says that ‘thousands of people are killed by strangers every year in the U.S’ at the very least makes the fear of violent death more palpable in a country with record numbers of school shootings.
In this film, the horror comes from the never-ending run that Maya (Madeline Petsch) is on from the three strangers who broke into their cabin and killed her fiancé. As Maya recovers in a hospital, it soon becomes clear that the place is anything but hospitable and, as she escapes from the three killers, it becomes clear that no place in town is safe. Thus begins Maya’s desperate journey to safety with the hope that her sister and the ambulance that she hired to bring her to the city are back in time. Nothing seems more vulnerable to corruption than a small U.S town in this film as every place Maya goes to find relief is filled with people she is unable to trust. The film rides on the tension that essentially every person she meets is a stranger to her and thus, any of them could be one of the three killers who are after her.
Chapter Two does touch on some feelings of fear that are perhaps increasing in North America. Despite its small town setting, it seems to capture a feeling that is more expressed online: strangers cannot be trusted. The trust that once lived in small town Americana is dead. Now, anyone may be a violent killer or have ill intent towards you for various reasons. This film creates a microcosm for the feeling that many people have in the city that you cannot trust strangers.
Admittedly, the film lacks the runtime to expand or develop the intricacies of Maya or any other character. Instead, it uses its rollercoaster plot to keep the audience on their toes while not leaving much in the way for nuance. Strangers does show that Maya is in a state of emotional turmoil, reminding the audience with key flashbacks and emotional moments that Maya is still grieving her fiancé. Thus, perhaps the fear that the audience is supposed to feel may play out for some as a metaphor for grief as losing someone can feel like being alone in a small town or being under threat. Maya is both of those things making the danger and mental stress a lot more physical than metaphorical.
What the film does suffer from is a very circular structure. It drives home, in the simplest way, that no place is safe because Maya constantly has to find a (sometimes illogical) hiding spot in each new building, remains trapped by the killers, an innocent bystander then dies at the hands of the killers to ensure they still seem threatening and then Maya escapes, either through an unforeseen exit or by the killers being occupied by the bystander. The logic of how she escapes is often frustrating. Where Maya is relative to her environment is not often consistent and may lose the viewer. Simply put, too many scenes use that structure, making this film a much more linear experience than I hope most horror movies would deliver.
Still, Chapter Two does offer is some explanation as to why these killers are they way they are. It is a mostly simple childhood trauma story but it does offer some story to the fans who have become invested in the questions that were laid out in the original film. Here, Strangers also alludes to some religious trauma but, being the middle act of a trilogy, it seems most of that will wait until the last film. We get the idea though that, in this small American town, the religious focus may have done more harm than good for some of the townsfolk.
The film overall is lacklustre compared to some of the more exciting horror movie entries we’ve encountered this year (Weapons, etc.) There is a lack of atmosphere or tone created in this film, as most shots tend to stick to a typical Hollywood coverage approach and it rarely leans into the unique camera moves that the genre often seems to thrive on. The use of music is minimal which is a strength at some points but, with how repetitive some scenes feel, a unique musical score could have been a great asset at some points.
The Strangers: Chapter Two is in theatres on Friday, September 19th, 2025.
