The Big Picture
- TheStrangers franchise returns with The Strangers: Chapter 1, in the highly-anticipated trailer.
- Madelaine Petsch leads the new horror film, alongside Froy Guitierrez.
- The film follows a couple whose trip to a rental property turns deadly when they fall prey to The Strangers.
If ever there was a movie franchise that made people actually want to leave their homes, it would be The Strangers. The spine-chilling words, “Because you were home,” which certainly wasn’t the explanation that Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman’s characters wanted to hear in the original 2008 film, will never not be haunting and a good reason to get out of the house. Now, over 15 years and the so-so 2018 spin-off later, the terror returns with the first of a sequel trilogy with this year’s The Strangers: Chapter 1, written by Alan R. Cohen and AlanFreedland, and directed by Renny Harlin.
The buzz for the Renny Harlin (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master) helmed project has been building with intensity over the last few months and will officially come to a fever pitch today as the first trailer has dropped. And if the trailer wasn't enough to whet your appetite, attendees at Seattle’s Emerald City Comic Con will get to see exclusive footage from one of the most highly-anticipated pieces of media to come from this year’s horror lineup. Collider's own Perri Nemiroffwill bemoderating the panel for the film's star Madelaine Petsch and producer Courtney Solomon.
In addition to Petsch, the cast of The Strangers: Chapter 1 includes FroyGuitierrez, GabrielBasso, and EmaHorvath. As the trailer hints at, Petsch and Guitierrez are a couple on a road trip to a remote vacation rental, who become the prey of a gang of masked strangers who attack without warning or reason. It looks as though they will have to fight to stay alive—or fall prey to the mysterious strangers.
Madelaine Petsch: A Diehard ‘The Strangers’ Fan Out To Leave Her Mark On The Growing Franchise
Up until now, most folks had recognized Petsch from her role as Cheryl Blossom in the recently wrapped, wildly unpredictable, and over-the-top CW show, Riverdale. When it was announced that Petsch had moved on from the teen series to a piece of darker fare, audiences were stoked to have her talent reinvigorate the franchise. But, if you’re one of many worried fans out there, unsure if The Strangers: Chapter 1 will live up to the movie that started it all, Petsch is here to assuage your fears.
In an interview with Nemiroff for an installment of Nemiroff’s Ladies Night, Petsch described herself to have been just as wary as those on the outside looking in upon receiving her script. “When I got sent the trilogy of scripts, I said, ‘This feels like a behemoth that maybe shouldn’t be touched.’ I really felt that way as well, and I was very resistant to the idea.” But, she explains that as soon as she did her first read-through, she was hooked and understood why the trilogy needed to be told. “You’re getting so much more backstory,” Petsch said, “You’re getting so much more character development. I think my biggest pet peeve with the old one now is that you’re not really emotionally invested in those characters. So, yes, it’s terrifying, but you don’t know why they’re fighting originally.”
Lock your doors and have an exit planned when you watch the debut trailer for The Strangers: Chapter 1 above. The film slashes into theaters on May 17 but in the meantime, you can learn everything there is to know about it in our handy guide.
The Strangers: Chapter 1
HorrorA young couple drive cross-country toward a new beginning; unfortunately they have no choice but to stop in a secluded Airbnb in Oregon--and endure a night of terror against three masked strangers.
- Release Date
- May 17, 2024
- Director
- Renny Harlin
- Cast
- Madelaine Petsch , Rachel Shenton , Gabriel Basso , Richard Brake , Ema Horvath
- Main Genre
- Horror
- Writers
- Alan R. Cohen , Alan Freedland
