The easiest criticism of the Strangers: Prey at Night is that it comes nine years too late for some horror fans.
But in a strange (excuse the pun) turn of events, it’s been well worth the wait.
There are homages to the original, which in turn took inspiration from John Carpenter’s Halloween with some of the shots and tension building.
Here we find a much more visceral group of killers who are more concerned with carnage than scaring you.
Their aim is to freak you out then go for the kill.
Admittedly Johannes Roberts’ effort does take time to get going, but once a bit of clunky exposition is out of the way this a thrill ride with some shocks and great action set pieces.
None bettered than a sequence involving two characters fighting to the death beside a swimming pool. Here Roberts employs some of his work previously on 47 Metres Down to use the water as a tool to real put us into the scene and feel like we are underneath or struggling in the water.
We don’t find out much about these killers but their origins are best left mysterious and this certainly adds another chilling level to their deadly personas.
Strangely backed by an 80’s filled soundtrack Prey at Night is an evolution of the story and is certainly on par with the original whilst bringing a freshness to the story.
Check out our interview with star Damian Maffei HERE
The Strangers: Prey at Night is available in the UK on digital download on 24th August.
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