The first installment in a brand new reboot trilogy from Lionsgate and director Renny Harlin, The Strangers: Chapter 1 will be available in theaters nationwide on May 17, 2024.
The Strangers: Chapter 1 is said to be something of a remake of the original 2008 movie, while its sequels – Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 – will blaze a new path from there.
Our hope is that the two subsequent movies will allow Renny Harlin to get crazy and inject a little more of his personal filmmaking style into the proceedings, because The Strangers: Chapter 1 indeed does look to be a pretty straight up remake of Bryan Bertino’s 2008 home invasion classic. This first trailer essentially goes through all the familiar beats, ending with a new/lesser version of the most iconic line from Bertino’s movie. “Because you were home” has been replaced with “Because you’re here,” which doesn’t quite have the same punch to it.
Another change from the 2008 original is that the two main characters here look to be a happy couple, whereas the first movie’s couple was on the brink of collapse at the start of their nightmare. That character drama added an additional layer of tension to the proceedings, as our two leads were already a decidedly un-united front before the Strangers came knocking.
“Discover how the Strangers became the Strangers” is the tagline at play in this first look trailer, which suggests this new movie is intended to be a prequel to the 2008 film?
It’s hard to tell. Either way, Watch the trailer for The Strangers: Chapter 1 below.
Madelaine Petsch (“Riverdale”), Froy Gutierrez (Hocus Pocus 2), Rachel Shenton (The Silent Child), Ema Horvath (“Rings of Power”) and Gabe Basso (Hillbilly Elegy) star.
Based on the original 2008 cult horror franchise, the project features Petsch, who drives cross-country with her longtime boyfriend (Gutierrez) to begin a new life in the Pacific Northwest. When their car breaks down in Venus, Oregon, they’re forced to spend the night in a secluded Airbnb, where they are terrorized from dusk till dawn by three masked strangers.
Here’s the full official synopsis: “After their car breaks down in an eerie small town, a young couple are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin. Panic ensues as they are terrorized by three masked strangers who strike with no mercy and seemingly no motive.”
Renny Harlin (Cliffhanger, Deep Blue Sea, Die Hard 2) is directing from a script by Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland (The Freak Brothers, Due Date). Lionsgate will distribute worldwide.
Producers on the new franchise reboot movie include Courtney Solomon, Mark Canton, Christopher Milburn, Gary Raskin, Alastair Burlingham, and Charlie Dombek.
The Strangers began in 2008 with Bryan Bertino’s original home invasion horror movie, a terrifying film that introduced three masked killers who returned 10 years later with The Strangers: Prey at Night in 2018. The first film took place in a remote house in the woods while the sequel brought the murderous Man in the Mask, Dollface and Pinup Girl into a trailer park.