In 2008, The Strangers came out and set a benchmark for home-invasion horror movies. With quotes like “Because you were home,” being the reasons for masked figures to commit random acts of violence gives viewers a paralyzing fear when watching.
Chapter 2 maintains the tensions of the original while moving from a secluded house to an isolated roadside motel. This changes the effects of claustrophobia to a different type of vulnerability.
Dollface, Pin-up Girl, and the Man in the Mask find out one of their victims, Maya Lucas is still alive, and the three murderous maniacs attempt to finish the job.
Maya soon finds herself with nowhere to run and no one to trust, stranded in a forest on the brink of survival. She’s in a fight against psychopaths who are willing to kill anyone in their way to get what they want.
However, the commitment of the film to continue building tension and fear throughout the whole movie, makes it feel prolonged and ends up being disappointing in the end.
It builds on the first movie by creating random and sudden frights and leaving the question of “why” unanswered. For example, in the beginning of the movie when Maya was laying in the hospital and having a nightmare, but the audience didn’t know it was a nightmare until she gasps and sits up, which is startling.
Chapter 2 is a rare horror sequel that understands the power of patience, and uses silence to maximize its impact.
