“Is Tamara here?” – well she wasn’t in 2008…..

A few years back, for reasons only known to myself, I sat down and watched the pointless remake of Cabin Fever that once the final credits rolled and I wondered why I put myself through that, I made a promise that for the next horror re-make, I won’t be rushing excitingly to see it!

Yet, here we are in 2024 and I’ve just done it again. Renny Harlin, yes the director of Freddy Kruger’s Dream Master entry, in his wisdom has taking the 2008 horror hit The Strangers and turned it a horror trilogy, starting with a Chapter One that with its premise and a sequel from 2018 that was well received among fans and most importantly still fresh in the memory, should work with an already established fan-base out there.

The trouble is, for reasons only known to those behind the scenes, what could have been a fresh take, gets a first entry that basically covers the same old ground that we saw when Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman heard the same knock on their door and the words “Is Tamara here?”. Its understandable that fans like myself will be frustrated at what is on offer, but again I can sort of sympathise with what the creative minds behind this idea need to do as they are now offering a more wider scope to the story, and with parts two and three to follow, they had to mimic the same beat as Bryan Bertino’s original, especially for fans who have maybe not seen a film that was released 16 years ago.

While Harlin keeps to the same formula, he does tweak a few scenes and also adds a few more, the opening scene in particular actually sees a Speedman lookalike character running through the woods before meeting his demise at the hands of a familiar foe.

From there, it lays the groundwork. Riverdale’s Madelaine Petsch plays Maya who along with her boyfriend Ryan (Froy Gutierrez) are on the road to a new life, before making that fateful mistake in all horror films, by taking a detour and ending up in a small town in Venus, Oregon where an unwelcoming café pit-stop harks back memories of films of old before discovering car trouble and a helpful hand leading them to that damn cabin in the woods.

Its this moment that fans will know what to expect, with the trio of Scarecrow (Matus Lajcak), Dollface (Olivia Kreutzova), and Pin-Up (Letizia Fabbri) going all Michael Myers on the couple as they are stranded with nowhere to go.

The same narrative on show, dilutes its power even though to Harlin’s credit he does muster up some tension, most notably a shower scene and a crawl underneath the floor-boards that entices a first whiff of danger for us watching, but mostly its the same old that generates an exhaustion that makes the running time feel a lot longer than it is, even though, again Harlin’s CV and range in genre, like in action films – Die Hard 2 – does rustle up some sequences that spark you interest back from the dead.

Its a hard film to be negative about as again, its only the first part and it can only be judged for when we have the chance to have seen the whole concept that has enticed this idea to happen, especially as the next two films have already been made, so even if this does not quite get people on-board, the next chapters are being released regardless of the outcome.

Until then though, fans hoping for at least a similar scene to that barnstorming Pool set-piece in the sequel PREY AT NIGHT will be left wanting and while those unfamiliar with previous may get some kick of what unfolds, the rest of us will languish at the repetitive door, but also left a tiny a bit curious at what possibly, a second chapter could bring….

Rating: ★★☆☆☆