The Strangers: Chapter 1 Red Carpet Promises Exciting Scares & Terrifying Expansions To The Story

Summary The new Strangers trilogy will explore trauma and the motivations of the masked killers in a modernized and terrifying way.

Director Renny Harlin's musical approach to building tension adds a unique element to the horror genre for the cast and audience alike.

The use of practical effects and an intense filming process heighten the chilling atmosphere while maintaining safety on set.

The Strangers: Chapter 1 is a modern retelling of the 2008 cult classic horror movie which sets up a new trilogy. Happy couple Ryan and Maya are moving across the country to start the next chapter in their life together. When their car breaks down in a small town in Oregon, they stay in an isolated cabin while it is repaired. This leads to a nightmarish experience as they are hunted, terrorized, and attacked by a group of masked strangers who target them without warning or explanation.

The Strangers trilogy will delve deeper into these characters than ever before, exploring the immediate impact of such a horrifying trauma on those who survive while also digging into what creates such monsters. Renny Harlin, an acclaimed horror director, helmed the project, bringing his own modernized spin to the story and leading an impressive set as they filmed all three movies in the trilogy simultaneously. Madeline Petsch not only leads the impressive cast of The Strangers: Chapter 1, but took on a leadership role off camera as well as a producer on the trilogy.

Related The Strangers: Chapter 1 - Release Date, Cast, Story, Trailer & Everything We Know The Strangers: Chapter 1 is kicking off a trilogy of rebooted The Strangers movies in 2024, and what's been revealed so far looks terrifying.

Screen Rant caught up with the cast and producers of The Strangers: Chapter 1 on the red carpet while at the premiere. The stars of the movie discussed Harlin's directing style and how he brings a rhythm to building tension, as well as the trust they put in him when using practical effects. Harlin and writer Alan Freedland tease how this trilogy will expand the world of The Strangers, exploring their motivation, with Courtney Solomon promising countless Easter eggs for eagle-eyed fans.

The Strangers: Chapter 1 Stars Break Down The Musicality Of Renny Harlin's Horror Directing Style

Building tension is a key factor in crafting stories within the horror genre. The audience needs to be drawn in while the tension builds before a scare sends them reeling, especially with a project like The Strangers. Sarah Freeland and George Young compare Harlin's directing style to music in how he builds this, with Freeland recalling how Harlin specifically shot certain movement-heavy scenes with the thought of a dance. Young explained why the musicality of building tension in horror excited him both with Harlin and James Wan.

Sarah Freeland: There was a scene where he was like, I need this to move like a dance. I loved it and it felt like everyone was in it and in it for the shot, and it was incredible. Highly, one of my favorite highlights of filming.

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George Young: What I love about this trilogy is that it's staying within that sort of universe. And Renny Harlan and Courtney Solomon exec producer extraordinaire, has created this sort of theatrical episodic experience from it, which continue a fresh story within that world. So that excited me going there, filming all three back to back, that was unique for me. I haven't done a trilogy back to back before, and I was mentioning before, I don't really like watching Scary films, but I like being in them because people like Renny Harlin and James Wan I've worked with before in Malignant, they orchestrate not just the jump scares, but that tension buildup. There's that sort of this musicality to it, and they're the composer and we are just in the orchestra and they have to pull all these strings to make it work just right. That's just such a skill. Obviously I have to forget that. But I am kind of watching it in the side eye going, How are they doing that? How are they making it work? So it was amazing. It was very traumatic to film because filming in Bratislava, it's a beautiful place, but they found the creepiest spaces. So yes, the art direction's amazing, but the locations they found the right vibe for it.

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Brooke Lena Johnson praised Harlin's eye for detail and how his meticulous approach helped keep the actors' performances consistent. This was especially important on the set of The Strangers, as they shot all three movies in the upcoming trilogy simultaneously.

Brooke Lena Johnson: I think he was so detailed on every shot that he wanted and for a reason, and he really kept the through line in his head. So for us as actors, it was so great to work with because I think he just really helped us set that tone and keep it consistent. So it's going to be so exciting to see how it is through all three movies, but he is a legend for a reason.

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The Strangers: Chapter 1 Producers On The Exploration Of Trauma

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Executive producer Dorothy Canton shared insight into the intense filming process with the cast and crew shooting three movies at once. This included over a month of exhausting night shoots.

Dorothy Canton: I do think that to film out of order was definitely something that we had to figure out and it had its challenges and we also filmed 37 day night shoots, which were exhausting in itself as well. But all in all, it was all about having the people just be so invested in the original storyline and then want to actually make it this event that now people are fully blown away by.

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Canton broke down the exploration of trauma teasing quite the journey for Petsch's character. With The Strangers sequel picking up immediately after The Strangers: Chapter 1, the audience will be able to see the real-time impact that such brutal violence can have on a person as those who survive must grapple with it.

Mark Canton: Well, I think what you're in for without giving it away is if you've seen some of the movies or like the power universe that I've done and stuff. I think you can expect a progression and a change of attitude in our lead characters because I think we all have a tipping point, and I have a feeling Madeline's character's going to reach that tipping point.

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The Strangers: Chapter 1 Stars Talk Practical Effects & Trusting The Director

Co-stars Petsch and Gutierrez discuss the use of practical effects in the movie. Although these experiences may seems scary and dangerous their trust in Harlin to run a safe set and understand what needs to happen to keep his actors safe while still getting the shot shines through.

Madelaine Petsch: I'm sure you're familiar with a little shot where an ax goes through a door. That was a practical effect, right Close to my face. But I trust it. I mean, it's Ronnie Harlan. You obviously trust him. Whatever Ronnie does, I'm like, Yep, you got it boss. So that's why I did

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Froy Gutierrez: A lot of the effects were practical, which is so cool. But also it meant that when there was a motorcycle exploding, it was actually exploding in front of my face and it was a whole new level of stunts and I was just trying not to injure myself basically. And I never did on a stunt, but I did. In between takes, I would slam a door and cut my hand open just by being clumsy.

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The Strangers Writer & Director Tease Answers About The Strangers' Motivation

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Freeland explained how he wanted to expand the story of The Strangers. While randomness and mystery are key elements of what makes these killers so terrifying he also wanted to go deeper into what spurred them to become the monsters that audiences know and fear.

Alan Freedland: You take that concept of what is this couple and what new couple can we start with in this movie? And then also say, go a little deeper. We didn't know a lot about that couple deep into what that couple was going through in the first movie and who they were. You're going to learn about this couple and these movies. And then also you're going to learn a little bit more about who the strangers are. So a lot of times in horror movies you're like, oh, there's a bad guy, or Bad guys or bad girls, but you don't know why they got to where they are. And I think by the time you watch all three movies you'll appreciate and you'll go, oh, I get why they did what they did.

What can you tease about what we learned about the strangers in this film or in the other two films?

Alan Freedland: I can't give away too much, but I think you'll have a satisfying journey to go, oh, this, why is the knocking on the door? Is Tamara here? Why are they saying that? And all that. Those kind of things. But it's a, well, you may not agree with why they're going through and what they did, what they do. You go, at least I get why they did what they did.

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Harlin promises answers to questions that audiences have had for over a decade. He also broke down why this sort of horror movie is even more relevant today with violence in the United States more prevalent than ever adding to the realism of The Strangers story.

Renny Harlin: For any fan of the original film like myself, it's just to get some of those answers that we've been wondering about for over 15 years, but still keeping the veil of secrecy because what's special about these movies is the randomness of violent acts. There's a violent act every 26 seconds in the United States. It's just the bad luck of being in the wrong place at the wrong time and being subjected to something like that. So it's just that realism that is so important.

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Pablo Sandstrom shared insight into his character and hinted at a connection with the Strangers. He also promised that while audiences likely won't sympathize with the strangers as they learn more there will be a deeper understanding of what caused them to go down such a dark path.

Pablo Sandstrom: So I play Neil, who's one of the original people from the town. Without giving spoilers, am a stranger, am I not? I am close to the strangers somehow. It's one of these things of what are these people doing in our home? I feel like, especially when you start watching what happens, through the trilogy, you sort of think, Okay, it's insane, but there's a reason to why they start doing all this. So I would stay with that. It just puts you in that mind zone of sometimes weird things happen to people and things make you do crazy things or crazier.

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The Strangers: Chapter 1 Producer Teases Easter Eggs From The Original Movie

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Solomon broke down why they wanted to remake The Strangers adding their own twist before expanding the story with the trilogy. He also teased Easter eggs for hardcore fans to spot while promising this movie is the perfect entry point for new audiences to enter The Strangers universe "in a terrifying and chilling away.​​​​​​​"

Courtney Solomon: I think the DNA of this one goes to the amazing DNA that was created with the original, which I really don't think we could have improved upon. So why try? But this is its own unique story and it's a much broader story that goes way beyond what happened in the first one. This chapter brings you into this stranger's universe in a terrifying and chilling away.

Are there any Easter eggs that eagle-eye fans or The Strangers franchise could be looking forward to in this film?

Courtney Solomon: I would say yeah, but I don't want to say what they are. You don't have to say, oh yeah, there's Easter eggs and then the Easter eggs keep coming. Yeah, so you kind of step on more Easter eggs and more Easter eggs and more Easter eggs.​​​​​​​ I think there's going to be a lot of talking in between about what's going to happen next and could it go this way? Could it go that way? Could it go this way? And what did that mean? And does this mean something going forward? We were very cognizant of each three eggs.

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Zaria Teases Faran's Journey In Pretty Little Liars: Summer School

Zaria teased what Pretty Little Liars: Summer School fans can expect to see from Faran in the second season. She also discussed how the series pays homage to classic horror movies like The Strangers which is how she knew about the original even though most horror movies terrify her.

Zaria: Faron was a ballerina in the first season and this season she is a lifeguard. She is a boxer, she is a fighter. So I'm really excited for everyone to see what Baron has up her sleeve or in her muscle.

Have you ever seen the original Strangers? And if so, what was your experience with that film?

Zaria: I was just saying that it's so funny that I'm in a horror genre as an actor because I'm such a scaredy cat. I do not watch horror movies all the time, but I love the idea of the masks and I know I'm in for a treat. Okay. Because also our show references a lot of horror movies and so yeah, I knew a little bit about strangers.

About The Strangers: Chapter 1

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After their car breaks down in an eerie small town, a young couple is 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.

Check out our other The Strangers: Chapter 1 interviews here:

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The Strangers: Chapter 1 hits theaters on May 17