Despite the fact that The Strangers: Chapter 2 was a complete box office flop when compared to its predecessor, it somehow set a perplexing Rotten Tomatoes record for the franchise. Starring Madelaine Petsch as Maya Lucas, the lone survivor of Chapter 1‘s Strangers attack, The Strangers: Chapter 2 was unable to capture any forward momentum for the new trilogy, which was filmed all at once.

Despite reshoots based on audience feedback from the poorly-received Chapter 1, audience goodwill appears to have all but disappeared for the franchise. On a reported budget of $8.5 million, The Strangers: Chapter 1 has only captured $10.1 million at the box office so far, a far cry from Chapter 1’s respectable $48.2 million.

While none of the four movies of the Strangers franchise have drawn critical acclaim, the 2008 original starring Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman is widely regarded as a foundational entry in the home invasion horror subgenre. It’s not quite at cult classic status, but it’s typically spoken about positively in modern horror circles. That makes The Strangers: Chapter 2‘s Rotten Tomatoes record all the more vexing.

The Strangers: Chapter 2 Has A Higher RT Audience Score Than The Iconic Original

Critics panned The Strangers: Chapter 1 mostly because it acts like a cheap reboot of the original The Strangers. Chapter 2, on the other hand, was criticized for essentially accomplishing nothing in its runtime. It features Maya running, hiding, and fighting back momentarily as the three Strangers continue to pursue her, then rinse and repeat.

That repeтιтion yielded the lowest Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer Score of the entire franchise, at a dismal 16%. However, it also somehow boasts the highest Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter Score, which is a measure of reviews from verified audience members on Rotten Tomatoes.

Despite weakly continuing what is fair to label as an unsuccessful attempt at breathing new life into the iconic slasher franchise, Chapter 2 has somehow generated a higher audience score than even the original The Strangers. While it’s certainly possible that The Strangers: Chapter 2 dips under the original with more time, it currently includes more than 500 verified ratings, so it isn’t a fluke based on small sample size.

In this particular case, it seems like the higher rating is sort of an illusion of circumstance. The Strangers has nearly two decades of reviews factored in, and has more than 250,000 audience ratings accrued. Meanwhile, the only people who have even seen The Strangers: Chapter 2 are people who enjoyed Chapter 1 enough to try it.

It’s possible The Strangers: Chapter 3 provides some measure of redemption for the franchise; the trailer that acts as The Strangers: Chapter 2‘s post-credits scene at least teases some mildly more interesting plot developments. However, there may not be many audience members left who will stick it out with the franchise.