The Strangers: Prey At Night and watching as someone who doesn't like horror

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I was never a horror movie fan and I believe everyone could tell that based on how I would normally avoid it. There were very few horror movies I actually liked. The main horror movie I liked the most was IT (2017) when I was a teenager which I don't enjoy as much now compared to before. Nowadays though, as I find myself on the quest to watch more films and TV shows of various genres, I was actually open to watching a horror one. While it was mostly because I was a fan of one of the actor starring in it (Lewis Pullman who plays Bob in the Thunderbolts and Luke in this film), the premise looked promising and I heard a handful of good things about it!

The movie is about two parents, Mike (played by Martin Henderson) and Cindy (played by Christina Hendricks) take their son, Luke (played by Lewis Pullman) and daughter, Kinsey (played by Bailee Madison) to go on a roadtrip to a trailer park. It soon becomes a horrible nightmare when they are suddenly being hunted down by three masked murderers who are forcing them to fight for their survival. The family wonders if they can get out of the park and survive all together. While it is a sequel to The Strangers (the first movie), it isn't necessary and does work as its own standalone film.

After watching the movie, I was surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did. The characters were all likable, the killers were chilling and the overall atmosphere of the film was one of the highlights about it! I was expecting it to be scary and while it definitely was, it was more tame than the rest of the movies that I have heard about. The movie was thrilling and kept me on the edge of my seat which I didn't expect. If anything, I assumed that it'd be a nonsensical, "so bad it's good" movie but it was actually compelling and well made, in my opinion. If I ever indulge in anything horrific or bloody, it has to either be good or fall into a category where it's bad but entertaining nonetheless. This manages to end up being good and manages to play with the usual tropes of a slasher film well. As someone who doesn't have any preferences when it comes to movies of this type, this checks all the boxes of being intriguing, fun and thrilling which you would want in a film like this.

There is one scene in particular that I believe is the best part of the whole movie and what makes the film worth it in my eyes. This scene involves one of the protagonists in a setting involving a pool. I don't want to spoil what happens in this scene but the cinematography and usage of sound in this scene is phenomenal. Before viewing this film, I was made aware of this scene but when watching it unfold as the events were progressing, I couldn't help but find myself invested in what was going on. Even when reading other reviews as inspiration for this one, a common praise that critics have is this particular scene with it being what people remember the most after watching. I was told that the movie should be watched for that scene alone and while I don't necessarily agree that you should watch something for a single scene but it was a highlight of the film for me.

At the end of the day, watching this movie depends on your tastes. It isn't really a masterpiece or reinvents the slasher genre but it's a great film experience with a lot of effort put into making it. There is a chance that if you prefer slasher films that lean into the typical horror movie tropes then you would manage to like this. Of course there is a chance that this film isn't your taste in horror and that is totally fine! We all have our different guilty pleasures! I, myself, wasn't a big fan of the horror genre until I gave this a try. So if you're open to these types of movies or if you're looking for something fun to watch on the night of halloween, I would 100% recommend The Strangers: Prey At Night. Now that the spooky season is quickly approaching with only a few days left until the eagerly awaited time of year, I'd say that watching cliche slasher movies is one of the best ways to get yourself in the mood for this time of year! Who knows, maybe just like me you'll discover a new film that you didn't expect to love!

It didn't make me want to keep watching horror films nor did it give me any new opinions on the genre. What it did do was keep me engaged all the way through and make me gain a feeling of fondness for it. It isn't perfect by any means but it slowly became one of my many comfort movies despite the lack of comfort happening on screen. While it isn't jaw dropping or too special, it will be something I will watch over and over again every October.