'The Strays' (2023). Netflix Movie. Review: A “New Horror” that Is not so “New”

The Strays is a thriller movie written and directed by Nathaniel Martello-White starring Ashley Madekwe.

The Strays appears to be a classic tv film with an actress that has been in hundreds of these and, however, the film has a look and theme that is more film centered close to Don´t Worry Darling or Us (the Jordan Peele movie) in its subject, although it is more English in its aesthetics.

Movie Review

This movie poses interesting considerations in a thriller, a little like the “new horror” of Peele, with intrigue that basically revolves around a greater vindication, which is entertainment in the form of a nightmare in English suburbia.

However, the great director with his ironies and suspense formulas is absent in this pic. Here the suspense is more horror and the intentions posed in the first third of the movie (especially in the look of the film) are lost in a fabulation and thriller that is not convincing in its rhythm or its treatment or even the intents.

A curious photographyc attempt that is also ever changing as well as the music that goes from classic to more “cinematographic” rhythms for the “scary” scenes.

And, speaking about scary things, an important part of a horror film: this reflection wrapped in a tv film, does not manage to reach the viewer which is disguised as a horror thriller has a climax that is a little flawed.

Our Opinion

Unfortunately, this film fails in its attempt to do a take on a twisted social classes vistion and discourse of “new horror”. It failms filmwise and in an aesthetic proposal that does not rise up to its vindicative pretensions.

Storyyline

A woman’s meticulously crafted life of privilege starts to unravel when two strangers show up in her quaint suburban town.

Release Date

February 22, 2023

Where to Watch The Strays

Netflix

The Star: Ashley Madekwe

Ashley Madekwe is an acclaimed British actress who has starred in a multitude of television shows and movies. She first gained recognition for her role as social climber Ashley Davenport on ABC’s hit series Revenge, where her performance earned her critical praise from critics and viewers alike. Additionally, she has appeared in Salem, The Following, Elementary, 24: Legacy, and numerous other notable shows.

Madekwe made her feature film debut in 2009 with the comedy horror movie Tormented. Since then she has gone on to star in big-budget blockbusters such as Maleficent (2014) and Ready Player One (2018). She recently received rave reviews for her performance as the lead female protagonist in the 2020 biographical drama Minamata starring Johnny Depp. More