The Strangers: Chapter 1 Reveals First Clip

After releasing films in 2008 and 2018, the Strangers franchise is returning next year with an entire trilogy. 16 years after The Strangers first captivated horror audiences, director Renny Harlin will release three brand new Strangers films in quick succession. All three of these new movies were filmed back-to-back, and they’ll all be released in 2024, beginning with The Strangers: Chapter 1. 

On Thursday, Lionsgate released the first clip from The Strangers: Chapter 1, which focuses on the film’s main protagonist, played by Riverdale star Madelaine Petsch. You can check out the clip in its entirety below.

Here’s the official synopsis for The Strangers: Chapter 1:

“From master director Renny Harlin (Cliffhanger, Die Hard 2, The Exorcist: The Beginning) comes a new trilogy of terror. In Chapter I, Madelaine Petsch (TV’s Riverdale) stars as a young woman starting a new life with her fiancé. Suddenly, during a road trip stop in a remote vacation rental in the woods, they become the prey of a mysterious gang of masked strangers who attack without warning or reason. What begins as a fight to stay alive becomes one woman’s journey of courage and cunning in this horror series bridging three compelling films.” 

Casting The Strangers trilogy

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Harlin explained how he came to the decision to cast Petsch and Froy Guiterrez in the lead roles for his new take on The Strangers.

“Obviously Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman did a fantastic job in the original film and those were some big shoes to fill,” the director pointed out. “We looked long and hard for our scream queen. When I spoke with Madelaine I just knew that she was an exceptional person, exceptional actor, and that’s what it took to play this part. In the same way, after looking long and hard, we found Froy Gutierrez, who is another wonderful young actor. We wanted a couple who feel natural and relaxed together. Their relationship, maybe it’s not identical to the relationship in the original film, but it’s something that feels very natural and very real, and that to me was the key to this movie and this trilogy. It’s the realism.”

Are you looking forward to this new take on The Strangers? How do you think the new films will fare compared to 2018’s The Strangers: Prey at Night? Let us know in the comments!