The Strangers: Chapter 1 is the first of a three part story that will take similar events to 2008’s The Strangers and expand on them.
The Strangers: Chapter 1 is certainly inspired by 2008’s The Strangers, but it is not a carbon copy. This movie does a good job of including a lot of Easter eggs and nods to the original, while still delivering a new story, which is the first of an annouced trilogy.
It’s A Retelling, Not A Remake
The second and third films promise to shift in tone and explore things like mental health and PTSD. As Executive Producer and star Madelaine Petch explains, “The first chapter of our saga is a retelling of the original film.” She then goes on to explain that the sequels are there to answer the question of what happens next in a fun way that has nothing to do with that universe of the original The Strangers film.
“Tonally the shift continues to happen. It becomes a lot more of a character study on a person continuously pushed past their breaking point and being left with whatever version of themselves they are left with at the end, while their mental health is deteriorating at the same time.”
Madelaine Petch
Creating A Different, But Similar Movie
Calling this film a retelling versus a remake was a very distinct choice the creators made. Madelaine Petsch states, “All the filmmakers, myself included, were all such great fans of the original.” She continues to explain that from the start, it was not something that they wanted to remake because it is perfect the way it is.
Instead, the filmmakers wanted to breathe fresh lift into The Strangers franchise, as well as modernize it. “The whole point of this first film is to create the new world that we want to build into for two and three. So it is quite different,” she details. Of course there are a lot of homage pieces for the fans of the original. However, the characters are vastly different in their personalities and the choices that they make.
The Strangers: Chapter 1 star Froy Gutierrez jumps in to say that he feels the silhouette is very much the same, but the way that it’s filled in is entirely different. “The relationship dynamic is different. The choices and the cinematography feels different as well. And the action is also very different.” He believes The Strangers was already done the best way it could be done in that shape, so they try it in a different form.
A Message For Concerned Fans
Many fans of The Strangers have expressed their concerns online about too many questions being answered. They feel that what makes the movie, and the concept, so scary is that we, the audience, do not know why these people do what they do. We do not know who they are and we never find out.
When asked what she would say to those who are worried about this becoming a more drawn out trilogy which further explores the strangers, Madelaine Petsch encourages them to watch The Strangers: Chapter 1 before coming to their own conclusions. “Although we are promising more answers, we’re not answering everything.” She goes on to explain that they understand the innate terror of the movies is that we don’t really know much about them or why they do what they do.
“Some questions will be answered, of course, to get more of a window into the machinations of those strangers, but we’re not going to lose the innate terror that is so visceral within the original.”
Madelaine Petsch
The Strangers: Chapter 1 hits theaters on May 17th.
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About The Strangers: Chapter 1
After their car breaks down in an eerie small town, a young couple (Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez) 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 in THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 1, the chilling first entry of this upcoming horror feature film series.
The Strangers: Chapter 1 hits theaters on May 17th.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. She is also a Freelance Writer. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for ten years and is a member of several Critics Associations including the Critics Choice Association and the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association.