Strangeland
A detective’s daughter is drawn into the orbit of a sadistic online predator whose return from psychiatric confinement reignites a cycle of abduction, torture, and revenge.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- bleak
- lurid
- disturbing
- late night horror marathon
- cult movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly regarded the film as an ineffectual and excessively exploitative horror movie, with little support beyond its notoriety.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The story begins in a teen chat room where Genevieve is lured into meeting Capt Howdy.
Capt Howdy is defined by extensive piercings and subjects adolescents to bodily torture.
Capt Howdy is released from a mental institution after being considered rehabilitated, provoking public fear and renewed violence.
Detective Mike Gage hunts Capt Howdy and later promises to kill him after Genevieve is abducted again.
Films like Strangeland, and why
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
sadistic killer, abduction-driven slasher structure, graphic torture, and grim psychological horror
The Collector
serial-killer terror, adolescent victims, graphic violence, and confrontational exploitation-horror tone
Unfriended
internet-era stalking, disturbed killer psychology, and bleak late-1990s horror atmosphere
Saw
transgressive body modification imagery, sadistic villainy, and underground cult-horror sensibility
Movie Details
- Director
- John Pieplow
- Release Date
- 1998-10-02
- Runtime
- 86 min
- Rating
- 5.0 / 10 (148)
Cast
- Kevin Gage
- Elizabeth Peña
- Brett Harrelson
- Robert Englund
- Linda Cardellini
- Tucker Smallwood
- Ivonne Coll
- Amy Smart
- Dee Snider
- Amal Rhoe
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Strangeland about?
- A detective’s daughter is drawn into the orbit of a sadistic online predator whose return from psychiatric confinement reignites a cycle of abduction, torture, and revenge.
- What is Strangeland like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Strangeland as brisk, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Strangeland violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Strangeland as graphic.
- What did critics think of Strangeland?
- Critics broadly regarded the film as an ineffectual and excessively exploitative horror movie, with little support beyond its notoriety.
- Which films are like Strangeland?
- Films with a similar feel include The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Collector, Unfriended, and Saw.
- How long is Strangeland?
- Strangeland runs 86 minutes.
- Where can I watch Strangeland?
- In United States, Strangeland streams on MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel.
