The Strangers: Chapter 2 hosted a panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2025 during which filmmakers and the star teased the upcoming film.
The Scarecrow, Dollface, and Pin-Up Girl are back—and they’re more terrifying than ever.
At San Diego Comic-Con, Mama’s Geeky was on hand for The Strangers: Chapter 2 panel, featuring star and producer Madelaine Petsch, director/writer Renny Harlin, and producer Courtney Solomon. And they didn’t come empty-handed—they brought three chilling new clips and plenty of sinister teases.
Harlin summed up the escalation perfectly:
“The first film was a home invasion movie. Chapter 2 is a town invasion—on a much bigger scale.”
That scale was evident in the first clip, which opens with Maya (Petsch) running through the woods, desperately escaping danger, before stumbling onto a road. A car full of locals stops to help—but can she trust them? The tension is palpable as Maya, clearly traumatized, panics inside the vehicle. The doors lock, and her fear escalates. The scene captures the overwhelming claustrophobia and paranoia Maya is feeling—making the entire town feel like a trap.
The second clip felt like a nod to Halloween II. Maya wakes up alone in a deserted hospital. The hallways are empty, the doors locked. Suddenly, Scarecrow emerges with an axe, and what follows is a white-knuckle chase through the corridors. Maya hides, misdirects him, and narrowly escapes. It’s an intense, edge-of-your-seat sequence that highlights just how resourceful she’s become.
Petsch teased a particularly brutal moment in the film:
“Maya gets to show us all how badass she is this time around… There’s one scene that’s truly insane—brutal, violent—you’ll know exactly which one when you see it.”
The third clip, now available online, shows Maya inside an unfamiliar home—possibly the place where the two girls from the first clip brought her. Scarecrow breaks in, smashing through the bathroom door à la The Shining. He grabs Maya by the head and slams it into the door. As she tries to escape, he yanks a chunk of her hair out in a gruesome moment that Petsch says was very real:
“Part of my real hair was in that—so you’re seeing actual pain in that scene.”
Thankfully, Maya escapes through the window and continues her fight to survive.
Renny Harlin emphasized that they’ve been listening to fan feedback and are determined to deliver with this sequel. Chapter 3 will arrive shortly after, completing the trilogy and giving fans even more insight into the mysterious killers.
Producer Courtney Solomon added:
“There’s a lot to get excited about—and the clips we showed today are just the tip of the iceberg.”
So—are you ready to return to the nightmare?
Lionsgate’s The Strangers: Chapter 2 will open in theaters on Sept. 26, 2025.
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