Lede
A slasher that keeps running so fast it forgets why it started.
What does not make sense
- Rambo mode heroine. She is stabbed, chased, mauled, then upgrades to action lead while still bleeding.
- The masks look like a Pinterest board for “creepy but quirky”. Ghetto of prop design, not menace.
- The wild boar. Dropped in mid-film like a dare from the writers’ room. Scarier on paper than on screen.
- A full quarter is masked man jogs after injured girl. Then the finale asks us to clap for the same girl turning commando. Pick a lane.
Synopsis roast: The Strangers – Chapter 2 (2025)
Morning after the first film. Maya wakes, the killers are back, the small town is rotten, and every door leads to another chase. There is talk of backstory, justice, masks with meaning. The film nods gravely, then sprints into another corridor. The theme is “random evil”. The method is cardio.
Sense check / The numbers
- Second entry in the new trilogy directed by Renny Harlin, following Chapter 1. Stars Madelaine Petsch, with Gabriel Basso and Ema Horvath.
- US release late September 2025. Runtime just under 100 minutes.
- Critical mood: mostly negative. Complaints about thin motivation and flat tension. Rotten Tomatoes score in the gutter.
- The much-talked-about wild boar sequence is real. Petsch described filming it as “super intimidating”.
The sketch
Scene one: Poster corridor. A viewer squints. “Bold masks. Braver cardio.”
Scene two: Field at night. Music swells. The boar enters. Audience blinks.
Scene three: Finale. Our heroine limps, then fights like she trained for nationals during the credits.
What to watch, not the show
- How franchises try to “explain” faceless evil then lose the fear.
- When score replaces dread.
- The stunt where exhaustion turns into invincibility.
- Marketing that sells “answers” while giving more chases.
The Hermit take
Horror works when it feels unfair and close. This felt busy and far.
If your scariest idea needs a farm animal cameo, sharpen the script.
Keep or toss
Keep if you have Cineworld Unlimited and want a night out.
Toss if you pay per ticket. Wait for streaming and the pause button.
The Strangers – Chapter 2 (2025) Official Trailer
Sources
Wikipedia – The Strangers: Chapter 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Strangers_%E2%80%93_Chapter_2
IMDb – The Strangers: Chapter 2: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28671344/
Movie Insider – The Strangers: Chapter 2: https://www.movieinsider.com/m22824/the-strangers-chapter-2
Rotten Tomatoes – The Strangers: Chapter 2: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_strangers_chapter_2
CinemaBlend – Wild boar scene interview: https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/the-strangers-chapter-2-super-unexpected-scene-wild-boar-madelaine-petsch-says-filming-sequence-super-intimidating
People – Petsch on wild boar scene: https://people.com/madelaine-petsch-wild-boar-scene-the-strangers-chapter-2-exclusive-11815895
CinemaBlend – Critics roundup: https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/critics-sound-off-on-the-strangers-chapter-2-horror-trilogy-continues