The Strangers: Chapter 3 (2026)★ 4.5/10

I, like so many others, am not a fan of the STRANGERS franchise. The first 2 I didn’t mind, but the next trilogy of movies are something else. THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 3 has just released, so let’s dive in. This is the third movie of a trilogy that started bad and has gone downhill from there. Director Renny Harlin filmed all three of these artistic turds at the same time, which may have saved some money, but he shouldn’t had been so confident. This was a failed experiment that never justifies its own existence. This story easily could’ve been edited down into one great movie. CHAPTER 1 is a home invasion, CHAPTER 2 is a survival nothing burger, and CHAPTER 3 just goes full “Dexter”. You have three acts right there, just edit them down. Maya (Madelaine Petsch) gives us serious “final girl” vibes as she is terrorized by the titular strangers. This could’ve been a story about how trauma can make people into sociopaths. That would’ve been at least interesting. On paper, a story where the “final girl” may or may not be corrupted sounds cool and refreshing. At least it would be, in better hands. There are some ridiculously loud sound effects and jump-scares that pissed me off. On the other hand though, there’s an infuriating lack of much-needed dialogue throughout this movie. Not only does it help characters develop, but it also makes people seem more like actual humans. Petsch is still the best aspect of this franchise. Her physicality is pretty demanding. She deserves better than this. This last movie finally answers every question I’ve had while watching, and each answer is stupid. Wait, there’s one question it never answers: Why am I watching this? This trilogy completely lost the plot when they started spoon-feeding you information about the strangers themselves. They’re strangers. You’re not supposed to know anything about them. That’s what made them scary. The randomness of violence is what this franchise is supposed to be about. Overall, THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 3 is a movie. Thank God the franchise is over. Let it die, please?

Esta entrega final de la trilogía cierra el ciclo de supervivencia de Maya con un desenlace bastante digno y que, aunque intenta profundizar en el origen de los atacantes (que no era necesario), pierde la tensión y el misterio que caracterizaba a la obra original.