Watch An Exclusive Clip From THE STRANGERS: PREY AT NIGHT
Like most horror fans who enjoyed The Strangers when it was released in 2008, I assumed that the sequel would be coming along within a year or two, as is the norm for these things. But due to a variety of setbacks, mostly revolving around a few studio switcheroos (the first film was released by Rogue Pictures, which was bought by Relativity - which then went bankrupt), the sequel took a long time to get off the ground. After a while it seemed like it might never happen at all, but production finally commenced last year with director Johannes Roberts (47 Meters Down) pitting the likes of Christina Hendricks, Martin Henderson, and Bailee Madison against our returning trio of killers. This time the action takes place at a largely deserted family campground (it's the off-season; Hendricks' character's uncle owns the joint and is letting them stay there to save a few bucks), and without getting into spoilers, anyone who found the low body count in the original to be disappointing has nothing to worry about here.
But how can they make it up to ME, specifically, for the long wait? Simple: they can set a big attack scene to the iconic pipes of Bonnie Tyler! If you've seen me at karaoke more than once, then it's practically a guarantee you've heard me belt out "Total Eclipse of the Heart" as it's my #1 go-to, the only standard karaoke option written by my beloved Jim Steinman that is short enough for me to do without everyone in the joint hating me. I only needed to hear approximately 1/8th of a second of the song to recognize it, and it put a big smile on my face for the remainder of the sequence, in which Man in the Mask attacks one of our heroes in/around a pool with the song playing on the park's PA system. I don't know if Aviron is creeping on my karaoke outings or if it's just coincidence, but either way they certainly picked the perfect clip to let us show you exclusively.
This is of course just a snippet of the scene, as they obviously don't want you to know how this fight turns out. But I CAN tell you that you'll hear way more of the song in the full scene (come on, sing along: "Turn around, briiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight eyes!"), and if you're a Steinman fan like I am, there's another treat for you that happens a few scenes later that I'll let you discover on your own. The film comes out on March 9th, look for our review around then. And if you're in LA and need a further fix, they are hosting a haunt experience in the middle of Hollywood until March 11th. It's free, but you have to register and spots are limited, so head HERE and sign up to see how you fare against Pin-Up Girl, Dollface, and the Man in the Mask! I'm checking it out tomorrow night myself, and will be reporting back in next week's Collins' Crypt.
