‘The Stranger’: A Pulse-Pounding Chiller Starring Horror Icon Maika Monroe [Watch]
Welcome to The Overlooked Motel, a place where under-seen and unappreciated films get their moment in the spotlight. I hope you enjoy your stay here and find the accommodations suitable. Now, please take a seat and make yourself comfortable. I have some misbehaving guests to ‘correct.’
Watch the latest episode:
While scrolling through the Hulu catalog, I stumbled upon a recent release called The Stranger. I took a chance and the picture really grabbed my attention. Well, it’s technically a Quibi series recut as a film. But there’s no need to split hairs. I had a great time with The Stranger. Writer/director Veena Sud steeps the film in a tense atmosphere and delivers palpable tension throughout. Additionally, the feature benefits from an unnerving cat-and-mouse dynamic between two very capable leads.
The Stranger follows Clare (Maika Monroe), an aspiring writer who recently relocated to Los Angeles where she doesn’t know a soul. While she waits for her big break, Clare makes ends meet by driving a ride-share. When she picks up Carl (Dane DeHaan), Clare is hurled into a waking nightmare. Carl has sinister plans for Clare and shows no interest in stopping until she’s permanently incapacitated.
Right off the bat, I will concede that The Stranger is not overly original. The picture doesn’t necessarily tread a lot of new ground. The film is content to revisit familiar tropes without taking a lot of risks. But as I’ve said before, I don’t mind a movie that retreads familiar territory if the execution is effective. And The Stranger is effectively executed on almost every level. So, as long as you don’t get hung up on the lack of originality, you’re likely to have a great time with this film.
Also Watch: This Clint Eastwood Film Is A Must-Watch Erotic Thriller [The Overlooked Motel]
There are several aspects that made The Stranger resonate with me. The first standout attribute is the strong showings from both leads. Dane DeHaan is very impressive as Carl. The actor gets to show off his dynamic range as a performer here. At first glance, Carl reads as unassuming and relatively harmless. But with each passing second, he becomes slightly more menacing. When his true intentions are eventually revealed, we come to see Carl as a madman who is simultaneously composed and unhinged. His calm demeanor juxtaposed with his violent and aggressive behavior is chilling. He’s in control, yet completely out of control at the same time.
Maika Monroe also shines as Clare. Monroe continues to prove she’s no one trick pony. I often find the actress unrecognizable from one role to the next. Here, she’s meek, timid, and unsure of herself, a stark contrast to some of the other characters she’s played. Monroe portrays Clare as insecure without having to tell us she lacks self-confidence. It’s all in her body language, tone of voice, and mannerisms. Though she may be meek, she is down-to-earth and relatable, making her a nice counterbalance to DeHaan’s Carl. Additionally, Clare’s status as all alone in a strange city helps effectively paint her as isolated and without a lifeline.
Watch Also: ‘The Night House’ Is Smart, Stylish, and Terrifying [The Overlooked Motel]
On a personal level, I relate to Clare. She’s an aspiring writer who makes ends meet as a ride-share driver. As a writer who once dabbled in ride-share to keep the lights on, I can very much relate. That aspect surely played a role in my appreciation for the film. But not just because I can see elements of myself in Clare. It comes down to understanding what it’s like to be trapped in a moving vehicle with an unpredictable passenger. I never matched with a rider as unhinged as Carl. But I feared for my safety on more than one occasion, which makes the stakes feel all too real. Sud commendably captures the claustrophobic tension inherent to Clare’s situation and uses that to enhance the depiction of the unspeakable peril in which she finds herself.
Being trapped in a car with an unhinged passenger is a terrifying premise that could have sustained the entire feature. And when I went into the film, I expected that. I envisioned the flick like The Hitcher updated for the ride-share era. But Sud diversifies, staging the action in a number of different locations. The constant change of scenery keeps the pace brisk and ensures the viewer never has the chance to become complacent.
Also Watch: ‘TransSiberian’ Is a Criminally Underrated Psychological Thriller [The Overlooked Motel]
In addition to serving up action sequences at a breakneck pace, the picture also serves as a commentary on how vulnerable we make ourselves online and the privacy we sacrifice in the name of convenience. That theme has been explored many times before. But Sud handles the thematic elements effectively and uses that depiction of vulnerability to ensure Clare has nowhere to hide, no one to trust, and no obvious means of escape.
Also impressive is the fact that The Stranger doesn’t feel like a TV series recut into a feature. The editing is seamless and cohesive. Converting a television show to a film could easily be a recipe for disaster. But in Sud’s capable hands, it works surprisingly well.
All things considered, The Stranger is thrilling and intense. It features a strong showing by both leads. If you’re keen to seek the flick out, you can find it streaming on Hulu as of the publication of this post.
That’s all for this installment of The Overlooked Motel. If you’d like to chat more about under-seen and underrated films, feel free to hit me up with your thoughts on Twitter, Threads, or Instagram.
Categorized:Editorials The Overlook Motel
