Uninspired, (mostly) uninteresting, and ultimately unnecessary, The Strangers – Chapter 2 is a lackluster sequel that chips away at what once made this franchise terrifying. Instead of building on the haunting brilliance of the Liv Tyler–led original, this entry (and the one before) has begun diminishing its legacy. It all but reduces the formula to a repetitive loop of hide-and-seek with killers. In fact, the film plays like an unintentional parody of itself. Our heroine flees and hides in a hospital, then a farm, then a forest, and finally a house. Each location is just a rinse-and-repeat cycle of cheap jump scares and predictable escapes. There’s never any real tension because we know she’ll survive every encounter. Admittedly, I found myself rooting for the killers just so the ordeal would wrap up faster. That said, Madelaine Petsch deserves some credit here. As the enduring “final girl,” she gives the role everything she can - even while battling a laughably bad CGI wild boar. By the way, this moment is as absurd on screen as it sounds on paper. Unfortunately, Petsch’s commitment can’t save the movie from collapsing under its own silliness. Adding insult to injury is the inevitable “to be continued” that flashes at the end. Sure, another chapter has already been filmed, but that doesn’t make the cheap TV-like cliffhanger any less maddening. Worse still, the film commits the ultimate franchise sin: it gives the killers a backstory. Guys, the terror of The Strangers has always came from the randomness — faceless evil with no motive. That’s the whole point. By pulling back the mask, this sequel undermines the core of what made the original so chilling. In short, it’s not inventive, it’s not scary, and it’s certainly not worthy of keeping this series alive.