Summary
-
The Strangers: Chapter 1
is a chilling tribute to the original film that also launches a much broader and more disturbing trilogy. - Producer Courtney Solomon promises a new generation of horror fans a suspenseful ride, leading into a bigger character study and survival thriller.
- Solomon and star Madelaine Petsch tase the next two chapters, where the franchise delves deeper into the minds behind the masks, promising a relentless pursuit.
If you loved Bryan Bertino’s 2008 classic The Strangers, chances are you’ll devour the three-chapter reboot that’s now being released to the masses. From Lionsgate, The Strangers: Chapter 1 is out now, and most of us horror fanatics already know the chillingly simple premise: A stranger knocks on a couple’s door, asks for someone who isn’t there, and then proceeds to terrorize the couple with the help of a pair of other masked assailants.
We recently caught up with one of the film’s producers, Courtney Solomon (After), at the film’s Los Angeles junket to learn more about what’s to come with the trilogy and why he wanted to tackle this entirely different sort of project after the inspiring film Arthur the King and the erotic After franchise.
The Strangers: Chapter 1 Has the ‘DNA of the Original’
The Strangers: Chapter 1
The Strangers: Chapter 1 is the third film in the horror/slasher franchise directed by Renny Harlin. The film follows a young couple who move to the Pacific Northwest to start a new life. However, their new life gets off to a terrifying start when a broken-down vehicle forces them to stay at a remote vacation home, leaving them to be stalked relentlessly by three masked murderers.
Solomon was quick to note how big of a fan he is of the original Strangers, and how Chapter 1 is really paying tribute to Bertino’s work. “What we’ve done in this one, the first chapter anyway, because it’s really a giant script, is we went to the DNA of the original because we really didn’t think we could do better than that,” he told MovieWeb. “There’s a whole new generation of fans that don’t know the original.” Solomon added:
Then there’s the O.G. fans that do know the original, that terrifying setup of just — these three people in masks show up, knock on the door, then play with you for hours, and then kill you. That is terrifying. That’s real, and that’s true horror.
This new trilogy, however, introduces us to young Maya (an excellent Madelaine Petsch) and continues past the terror of this first film.
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The Strangers: Chapter 2 & 3
Courtney Solomon also teased what’s to come with the subsequent chapters in the epic horror trilogy, which may ultimately be edited into one brilliant four-and-a-half-hour film. The Strangers: Chapter 2 will be released in the not-too-distant future, followed by the third and final chapter.
“We now go a step further,” said Solomon for the future chapters. “And we’ll take you a little bit behind who’s behind the mask, not in some big dialogue scene, just as glimpses into the dark minds. And we’ll take you through a character that survived something like that, and then for three or four days is locked in an environment she can’t get out of, while they’re literally pursuing and hunting her.” Solomon continued, reflecting on how the trilogy grounds a protagonist in a relatable and genuine nightmare.
“[We wanted]
to actually be realistic, so much as if you were Maya
, who started off going on that job interview across the country for that drive, a totally normal person as we all understand it, and you had to go through that?
What would it really do to you physically, emotionally, in all ways?
”
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What Star Madelaine Petsch Says About Chapter 1 and the Next Two Films
Star Madelaine Petsch also told MovieWeb how Chapter 1 paves the way to a much more descriptive and terrifying character study in the next two films. “Chapter 1 is a retelling of the original 2008 film, and it is really servicing our story as a launchpad into a much larger story we have to tell. But in order to tell the larger story, we have to go back into the original first, so that’s kind of where that came from,” explained Petsch, who is excellent in this new trilogy. She added:
It is really a character study to me, of what happens when a character is pushed past their breaking point. Who are they left with, while also dealing with some mental deterioration? And you find out who ‘Tamara’ is, which I think is a really cool little tidbit.
Watch this space for the release date of the next installment in this epic horror trilogy. From Lionsgate, The Strangers: Chapter 1 is now available in theaters nationwide. You can watch the trailer below:
