Old Strangers: Review

9th January 2022

It’s been a long time since Sarah (Madeleine Humphries), Michael (Ted Evans) and Danny (Colton Eschief Mastro) saw each other. They’ve been friends since high school, but since the lockdown during the pandemic started, they’ve not been able to see as much of each other as they’d liked to have done.

So, after the restrictions ease a little and the trio have all had their health checks, they decide to head out into a secluded mountain retreat in order to catch up, relax and unwind after all the madness that the pandemic brought in. Also, Sarah and Michael are especially keen to see each other again because just before the world came to a halt they’d started dating.

However, as they’re all catching up with each other Danny sees something he doesn’t recognise and like all good curious people, he reaches out to touch it. Although that’s when it stings him and soon the old friends start to realise that it’s not just their friendship that’s changed over the course of the lockdown.

Old Strangers is a horror movie written and directed by Nick Gregorio. There have been many opportunities to write stories and make films about the pandemic since it began. There have been romcoms about people finding love in a difficult time, horror movies about people being trapped in their homes as an unknown threat hunts them and there have even been highly realistic dramas that depicted the events as they happened. Then there are films like Old Strangers which show a time where it seems that things may be getting better and we can reconnect.

The characterisations of Danny, Michael and Sarah feel authentic and there are some great details in their interactions with each other. The audience may believe that they really are old friends reuniting and trying to get their lives back together, which may make what comes all the more shocking.

Clearly influenced by a particular Fifties science fiction classic, director Gregorio brings the story right up to date albeit without the political commentary. Either way it will delight fans of science fiction and horror whilst maybe even putting another conspiracy theory in there for people to laugh about.

Old Strangers reminds us that no matter how our friends change, we’ll still always know who they are.

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