Fans ofThe Strangers(2008), starring Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman, have plenty of frightening scares coming their way… and very soon.The Strangers: Chapter 1hits theaters this May, but Lionsgate plans to release a total of threeStrangersmovies in “a span of 9 to 12 months,” according toVariety.Plus, directorRenny Harlinreveals that an all-inclusive four-and-a-half-hour director’s cut is quite possibly going to end up in movie theaters for the die-hard fans to enjoy. Harlin said in the same report:
“It’s in our heads. This is definitely what we want to do.We want to cut together the full arc.We know exactly how to do it,then we’ll create a movie and see who are those die-hard fans who will come to the movie theater forfour and a half hours.I don’t know if we need to havean intermission, so people can get some food and go to the bathroom,but Idefinitely want to have that eventand see if people take four and a half hours of dread and fear and terror and despair.”
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.
Harlin’s life-changing directorial effort came in the form of another horror film,A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master(1988). From there, Harlin became one of Hollywood’s heavy hitters, helming Bruce Willis’Die Hard 2,Andrew Dice Clay’sThe Adventures of Ford Fairlane,and Sylvester Stallone’sCliffhanger.But hadThe Strangers: Chapter 1been a sequel, he wouldn’t have sat in the director’s chair. Harlin said in the same interview:
“If it had been a straight remake or a sequel, I wouldn’t have done itat this point of my life. I have such respect for the original film and am somewhat intimidated by the quality of it.Simply doing a sequel or remake didn’t appeal to me,but this was such an opportunity to havefour and a half hours of a case study of victims of a violent crimeand the perpetrators and what makes them tick andhow it affects a person who goes through this.”
The Strangers: Chapter 1 is ‘the Primal Nature of the Original Concept’
Renny Harlin’sStrangerswas split into three chaptersin order to accommodate the film’s massive four-and-a-half hour runtime. Harlin’s vision for the newStrangers’trilogy relies heavily on the 2008 film, which went on to make $82.4 million worldwide. And according to producer Courtney Solomon,The Strangers: Chapter 1is “the primal nature of the original concept.” Solomon said in the same interview with Variety:
“In order to tell it you’re gonna need to go back to the great original.It’s the primal nature of the original concept,these three random people and unexplained,random acts of violence,which is justso terrifyingand real.I don’t know if you can improve upon that.”
The Strangers: Chapter 1 Trailer and Poster Revealed Ahead of May 2024 Release Date
Slasher movie The Strangers: Chapter 1 will reboot the franchise and is set to be released June 26, 2025. Check out the trailer.
Solomon continued:
“So, why don’t we take thatbasic premiseas a starting point andmodify it for a bigger storythat becomesproper, character-drivenhorror?You need to spend time with both protagonists and antagonists,so I went off and came up with whatended up being a 285-page script.”
The Strangers: Chapter 1opens in theaters on May 17. And be sure to check out thereal-life events that inspiredThe Strangers(2008) and 2018’sThe Strangers: Prey at Night.
