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Have You Ever Seen Anything Like the Pool Fight in The Strangers: Prey at Night?

Nov 21, 2024

Have You Ever Seen Anything Like the Pool Fight in The Strangers: Prey at Night?

As a long-time horror enthusiast and film critic with a penchant for all things slasher, I can confidently say that The Strangers: Prey at Night‘s pool scene has left an indelible mark on my horror-loving soul. Growing up, I devoured every classic slasher flick I could get my hands on, from Friday the 13th to Halloween. Yet, it was this scene that resonated with me in a way no other had before or since.

You might want to inquire about people’s opinions if they have watched the 2018 film “The Strangers: Prey at Night”. Typically, you will receive one of two responses. Some might say it’s an underappreciated ’80s-style slasher movie, with the pool scene being a standout moment; others may describe it as a disappointing sequel that couldn’t match the original, but they agree that the pool scene is unforgettable.

Critics’ opinions on the long-awaited sequel to 2008’s “The Strangers” were generally unfavorable, yet many negative reviews highlighted a thrilling scene involving the character Luke (Lewis Pullman) and the movie’s masked killer, Man in the Mask (Damian Maffei). This sequence takes place around and within a swimming pool. As Luke enters the pool area, he realizes he’s been locked in, causing him to become panicked. Suddenly, multi-colored neon palm trees and lights overhead illuminate the pool area with an unsettling ambiance. “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler can faintly be heard playing. The camera then focuses on Pin-Up Girl, one of the masked killers, emerging from the shadows. However, Luke manages to seize control and kills her using her own knife.

Afterward, the Man wearing a Mask slinks away, pulling a hefty ax along. He approaches Luke, who evades his attacks skillfully, until they both tumble into the pool. They struggle in the water as the camera follows them below the surface, where the music sounds muffled. Luke comes close to escaping, but as he’s struggling to get out of the pool, Man in the Mask catches up and stabs him in the back. The camera rises above them, showing the killer departing while Luke lies on his back in the pool, spitting up blood and trying to stay afloat with the water growing darker around him. “Nothing I can say,” Bonnie Tyler sings, “a total eclipse of the heart.

I’ve always found that four-minute sequence to be absolutely captivating and grandiose, a type of scene that instantly becomes iconic in slasher movies. To this day, I’m still reminded of it by fans, even as my career has progressed to more prominent roles such as in “Top Gun: Maverick.” It’s quite reminiscent of what I used to witness frequently during my childhood – fans approaching my father, actor Bill Pullman, to express their admiration for his climactic speech in “Independence Day.

The speaker often found himself asking questions like, “Does this leave you feeling great or disappointed? Does it make you think, ‘Wow, I nailed that scene and made an impact,’ or does it seem like the rest of the movie suddenly doesn’t matter?” His interlocutor responded, “No, if a scene is so powerful that people still talk about it years later, then you’ve succeeded.” In his own words, “Though this may not be on par with his legendary speech, I did experience a moment where I felt proud to have left some sort of mark. It means a lot when someone approaches me and says, ‘The pool scene in The Strangers: Prey at Night was fantastic.’

To learn more about the process behind creating this magical moment, I had conversations with Roberts, Pullman, and Maffei regarding the filming of the director’s coveted “capturing lightning in a jar” scene.

Setting the Stage

In Kentucky, where The Strangers: Prey at Night was filmed on an abandoned trailer park site perfect for horror movies, there was no pool available nearby. Producer James Harris managed to locate a usable pool, but it turned out to be quite a distance away, posing challenges beyond just the travel.

He exclaimed, “The size of that swimming pool was unbelievable!” He had expected a small one, like the kind usually found at a motel. But when he saw it, he realized it was vastly larger than what he’d imagined.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=KaUVkYHHSZY

Even though the pool lacked sufficient lighting, they improvised by bringing in neon palm trees that matched the ’80s theme of the movie. The large size of the pool also proved useful for Roberts, as it allowed him to focus on a particular reference point. He remembered standing at one end of the pool and gazing towards the other side in the distance, which reminded him of the chilling jump scare from The Exorcist III, where the camera remains stationary at one end of a hospital hallway until the killer appears with a massive pair of shears, causing an intense zoom-in effect.

In “Prey at Night”, Roberts adopts a comparable technique as Pin-Pin Girl flees behind Luke. Instead of capturing the scene in close proximity, he opted for a shot from the other side of the pool, employing a dramatic zoom reminiscent of William Peter Blatty to emphasize the killer’s presence.

Roberts stated, “Zoom remains my most cherished experience to date. Although the pool was excessively large, it managed to photograph exceptionally well due to the stunning expanse of space as the lights came on and the zoom drew closer – it all just magically fell into place.

Cranking the Tunes

In “Prey at Night,” the popular ballad “Total Eclipse of the Heart” amplifies both the drama and emotional depth, as well as the witty darkness that sets it apart from its more sincere precursor. The movie’s music selection contributes significantly to its 80s vibe, but Roberts mentioned that earlier versions featured a blend of genres and artists. However, this all shifted when he was searching for an opening song and discovered Kim Wilde’s 1981 hit, “Kids in America.

Roberts exclaimed, “Wow, that’s fantastic!” as it sparked a new understanding. “Now I get it,” she thought, “This is the tone we’re going for.

Given the circumstances, selecting “Total Eclipse of the Heart” for the pool scene was an intuitive pick. Although the script merely indicated a music cue, there was no other suitable tune for Roberts. As people initially found it humorous, I believe it’s now recognized as the most iconic song of all.

Despite the tight budget for the movie “Prey at Night”, it turned into a challenging process to secure the rights for a song, as Bonnie Tyler was ready to offer her rights for a very low price. However, the film’s producers encountered issues when they realized that artists and songwriters demand similar fees, and writer Jim Steinman proposed a cost that the filmmakers found too high. With their initial choice of song out of reach, the producers attempted using Bryan Adams’s “Heaven” and T’Pau’s “China in Your Hand”, as well as several other rock ballads. Unfortunately, none of these alternatives matched the impact of the original pool scene with “Total Eclipse of the Heart”.

In summary, Roberts stated that the producers eventually agreed and compensated Bonnie. It was clear all along that it would be Bonnie.

Getting in Fight Position

Fundamentally, the pivotal swimming pool encounter is a confrontation between Luke and the Man in Mask, an event that unfolds with a degree of sadness beyond what viewers might initially anticipate. It’s worth mentioning that Pullman’s character manages to make it through this ordeal, albeit incapacitated for the remainder of the film. The actors collaborated closely with stunt coordinator Cal Johnson to ensure the scene appeared authentic, as Luke needed to skillfully dodge the Man’s axe, and both characters had to end up in the pool.

Pullman stated, ‘We put a lot of effort into attempting to sell that item because once it loses its mysterious or frightening aspect, it becomes uninteresting.’

In Maffei’s words, “After about 15 minutes, we were so familiar with each other and had built such trust that performing the choreography felt instinctive… It was quite effortless, quite straightforward: I would swing the axe, and he would avoid getting hit.

In the pool, things took a turn for the complex. Maffei mentioned that they swapped with stunt doubles to ensure neither he nor Pullman were submerged together, but each man still ended up fully underwater separately. “It’s a bit disorienting swimming around down there,” Pullman said, “so you just cross your fingers that the camera is filming it.” Notably, Maffei had the tougher task with his waterlogged costume, which Pullman described as “300 pounds of soaked burlap.

Maffei recounted how his mask seemed to twirl on his head while he was swimming. “Everything was submerged,” he explained. “Since it was a corduroy suit, my pockets were waterlogged, and the boots felt like anvils; once they filled up, they pulled me towards the pool’s bottom.

In the final moments of the fight, it proved challenging for Pullman to execute his move effectively: He had to swim out of the pool and attempt to escape on land, while Maffei had to swim swiftly to catch up and grab him from behind. By then, Pullman was moving at a faster pace in his T-shirt, hoodie, and pants than Maffei who was still heavily soaked. This gave Pullman an advantage as he managed to reach the pool’s edge before Maffei could get out of the water.

Maffei remembered saying something like, ‘Slow down, buddy, but pretend you’re moving quicker,’ as Johannes was shouting and the sun was rising. I needed to nab this guy, so I said to myself. After some struggle, I finally managed to catch him. It wasn’t an easy task; he was simply too swift for me.

Roberts praised the tightly-knit team who executed the intricate sequence, which included the underwater brawl necessitating a camera to constantly enter and exit the pool. When Luke emerges from the water, so does the camera, moving up high above the pool. Lacking funds for sophisticated gear like a Technocrane (which Roberts frequently reminded us was absent due to budget constraints), the director acknowledged key grip Jeff “Fish” Fisher for affixing an underwater camera to a jib system, enabling all the complex camera work.

In discussing the pool scene’s success, Roberts commented, “I believe it’s a brilliant culmination of everyone coming together… However, I suspect that at its heart, [its appeal lies in] Lewis and Damian genuinely buying into it.

Making It Last

Reflecting on it now, it’s clear why this particular scene has been the go-to reference for both admirers and critics of Prey at Night. While filming, everyone involved felt the production was successful, but none anticipated the lasting fascination with that specific sequence.

Maffei expressed that he didn’t anticipate the pool scene becoming particularly impactful on its own. In essence, his expectation for the film was that it would receive harsh criticism, with a general sentiment being that viewers would strongly dislike the movie.

In essence, “The Strangers: Prey at Night,” released a decade after the original horror film, was a blockbuster hit, earning over $80 million against a production budget of just $9 million. Maffei’s assessment of public reaction was generally accurate, although there were indeed favorable reviews in 2018. Patrick Bromley, a writer for Bloody Disgusting, penned an article titled “Why the Pool Scene in ‘The Strangers: Prey at Night’ Is an All-Time Great Horror Sequence,” where he foresaw that five or ten years down the line, when many 2018 horror films have faded from memory, people would still be discussing “Prey at Night” specifically for the pool scene, and perhaps never listen to ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ in the same way again.

For the very first time, Maffei laid eyes on the completed sequence during the opening weekend at a theater on Long Island, as his friends persuaded him to attend a showing.

He noted that the film was exceptionally loud, with plenty of shouting, particularly during the pool scene where people seemed to be simply yelling. Watching it in the cinema for the first time with this audience made him forget he was on screen. Instead, he found himself exclaiming, “Wow, it’s stunning!” He thought the movie was beautiful overall, but the pool scenes were like masterpieces, and witnessing all the pieces coming together felt quite dreamlike.

Over the past six years since the release of “Prey at Night,” I’ve noticed a shift in how people perceive the movie. Whenever someone brings it up, they often mention the pool scene, but there are also many who initially disliked or ignored the film upon its release, now admitting to having developed an appreciation for it.

At the moment, the movie might have been slightly less successful due to the rapid rise of “elevated horror” becoming central in cultural discussions. As a contemporary review from Time Out stated, “In today’s horror landscape, where films like ‘Get Out’ and upcoming ‘Hereditary’ are being lauded for their boldness, these retro frights feel particularly outdated.” However, the throwback thrills of Prey at Night now seem unique and scarce — and the pool scene, in particular, stands as a vital demonstration that a traditional slasher can also achieve “elevation”.

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2024-11-21 17:54