Movie · 2025 · Horror, Thriller · 1h 38m · R · English
Curator score: 0.2/10 (78K ratings)
Survival was just the beginning.
Overview
After learning that one of their victims, Maya, is still alive, The Strangers return to finish the job. With nowhere to run and no one to trust, Maya soon finds herself in a brutal fight for survival against psychopaths more than willing to kill anyone who stands in their way.
Ratings
Curator score: 0.2/10
IMDb: 4.7/10
Letterboxd: 1.78/5
Metacritic: 28
TMDB: 6.1/10
Director
Renny Harlin
Production
Sherbone Media, Lipsync Productions, Stream Media, Fifth Element Productions, Lionsgate
Cast
Madelaine Petsch, Froy Gutierrez, Gabriel Basso, Ema Horvath, Brooke Lena Johnson, Richard Brake, Pedro Leandro, Rachel Shenton, Florian Clare, Janis Ahern, Pablo Sandstrom, JR Esposito, Sara Freedland, Ben Cartwright, Stevee Davies, Ella Bruccoleri, Nola Wallace, Pippa Blaylock, Jake Cogman, Vincent Zaninovich
Where to watch
Starz, Philo
Curator Review
Verdict
A grim, chase-heavy survival horror sequel that seems to double down on brutality and franchise mechanics without earning much goodwill from audiences. The appeal is mostly for completionists, gore-forward horror fans, or viewers curious about a notorious modern slasher series continuing its run.
Best for
completionists of the franchise
viewers who like relentless home-invasion survival horror
fans of mean-spirited, high-stress slasher movies
audiences curious about cult-bad sequel energy
Skip if
you want a smart or inventive horror thriller
you dislike repetitive chase-and-attack plotting
you are turned off by thin characterization
you prefer suspense over cruelty and chaos
Overview
The Strangers: Chapter 2 plays like a franchise that has mistaken escalation for momentum. The setup is simple and nasty: Maya is still alive, and the masked killers return to finish the job. In practice, that means more pursuit, more punishment, and more of the same bleak survival mechanics that defined the earlier entries, but with little sense of discovery or dread-building payoff.
Worth noting
Audience reaction suggests a movie that is more frustrating than frightening. The most common take is that it leans hard into absurdity, with a few moments of accidental camp and a lot of disbelief at character decisions, contrivances, and the film’s willingness to keep stretching the premise. Even sympathetic viewers seem to be watching out of endurance rather than pleasure.
Bottom line
If you like horror that is ugly, relentless, and almost confrontational in its refusal to comfort, there may be something here. But for most viewers, this is the kind of sequel that makes the original concept feel overextended rather than expanded.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Joe A (1★) · 3095 likes
Trying to get through each new chapter of The Strangers is the true one battle after another.
lucia🎞 (1.5★) · 1867 likes
madelaine petsch ate, but no one was doing the dishes
. (2.5★) · 1586 likes
genuinely curious as to why she was so loud the whole entire movie. absolutely hooting and hollering, no wonder they kept finding and beating her ass. she really had me wondering how anybody could be SO stupid. and to the people who thought the first one was bad? WAIT UNTIL YA’LL SEE THE CGI BOAR SCENE IN THIS !! like why are we getting backstories that nobody asked for. they are supposed to be STRANGERS, not acquaintances. unfortunately though, i am way too far into this story and like torturing myself so you best believe i will be sat for chapter 3.
justinwuah (0.5★) · 1219 likes
it's kinda camp how they actually managed to make this one worse than chapter one
VagelisVitsikas (1★) · 1090 likes
The scariest part of the movie is the post-credits trailer of Chapter 3 that promises it's coming soon.
1974 · Horror · 1h 23m · R · Curator 7.2/10 (937.5K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Peacock Premium, Philo, Shudder, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus
Essential viewing for anyone drawn to raw, relentless horror and the feeling of being hunted.