There was understandable trepidation when word of a new The Strangers was announced. Would star/executive producer Madelaine Petsch and directory Renny Harlin manage to pull off a new remake?
Plot Synopsis: Long term unmarried couple, Maya (Petsch) and Ryan (Froy Gutierrez) take a detour from a road trip and spend the night in a forest Air BnB when their car breaks down. They are attacked, stalked, and eventually stabbed by a mysterious trio known only as The Strangers.
Film Verdict: It’s hard to evaluate The Strangers: Part 1 because it is literally 1/3 of a film (Part II and III were shot simultaneously, but have not yet been released). As a standalone film, it’s a bare bones slasher. As a remake of Bryan Bertino’s 2008 original, it fails to bring anything new to the table. As the first third of a film, though, there’s enough intriguing questions here to merit continuing on with the next two films. 2.5/5
- For a more comprehensive review, listen to the Horror Queers Patreon episode.
Credit to Rob Hunter (Film School Rejects) for the template for this piece
The Strangers: Chapter 1 (2024)
Commentators: Petsch and producer Courtney Solomon
- According to Petsch, opening kill Jeff Morrell (Ryan Brown) “plays an important role in this story” and we’ll find out more throughout the next two chapters.
- The driver of the truck they nearly hit on the offramp is the film’s stunt coordinator, Michael Ferragamo.
- The town is described by both Petsch and Solomon as “a main character” in the trilogy.
- It is later described as “locked in a period of time” that it never left.
- Solomon suggests that it was a small town that had a factory that went away, so there’s resentment when a $70k vehicle drives into town.
- The actress who portrays Eden, Rafaella Biscayn, is a co-producer on the film.
- According to Solomon, Rudy (Ben Cartwright)’s jump scare – when the mechanic appears at the window of Ryan’s car – is “the one unearned” scare in the three films.
- One of the elements that attracted Petsch to the project was the opportunity to retell the first film as the launching pad to tell new interesting stories. Ie: what happened to Liv Tyler’s character after we see that she lives?
- Petsch on the narrative conceit of calling to have the fridge fixed: “I’ve never stayed in a place where I needed a fridge to work for one night.”
- All three Chapters in the new trilogy take place over four days.
- “It all started with a knock” was one of the marketing taglines that was floated (and ultimately rejected).
- You can’t see the hair of the girl who knocks asking about Tamara because that would give away which person in the town it is.
- If you look closely, Maya’s nails are a distinct silver colour. Petsch comments that she hates that horror girls never have nail polish on. “If I can make this character fun and interesting through her nails, then why not?”
- The discussion about nails, polish, and gel goes on for two minutes.
- Maya’s Facetime friend Debbie (Rachel Shenton) is someone we’ll meet (in a future film).
- The interior of the house is a set, but the exterior is a real house in Bratislava
- The shed that Maya and Ryan explore to find the gun is another real location. It’s actually across the street from the cabin.
- Petsch learned to play piano (“Moonlight Sonata” specifically) for the film. (Her mother used to play it when she was a child)
- Petsch shared with the production that the scariest moment for a woman is a (serial) killer watching you in the shower when you have soap in your eyes, so the scene was written into the script.
- Solomon clarifies that it is Petsch’s real heartbeat heard on the soundtrack when she is sitting on the closet floor after the initial Dollface scare
- Tears were never written into the script so Madelaine never felt pressure to cry. The actress clarifies that she has no difficulty crying on camera: “it just comes out naturally”
- On the decision to shoot the films concurrently: “It’s just like shooting a shorter film.”
- The short time period of the three films made it easy for Petsch to shoot scenes from any of the films on a given day.
- It also made it easiest to ensure consistency.
- They did all three while all of the actors were still “hungry” (ie: didn’t have to return to the role 1-2 years later)
- Petsch also had another job in 70 days when she took on the role (the three films shot in 52).
- The relationship between Scarecrow and Dollface is an Easter Egg (something we’ve never seen before in a Strangers film).
- The prosthetic on Petsch’s impaled hand (from a nail beneath the house) was applied in 2 minutes so that they could keep shooting without losing momentum of the scene.
- A special set was built just for the uninterrupted take (no cut) from under the house with Maya’s impaled hand to where Dollface stands with the knife above.
- The production deliberately didn’t want to show a lot of blood or gore (“it’s not what the movie is about”).
- The truck and the masks were kept the same as the original film “because they’re so effective.”
- The bridge (from the start of the movie and also when Maya hides from Pin-Up Girl) will come back.
- Petsch arrived at the first Zoom meeting with Solomon and Harlin with 21 pages of notes.
- She also booked her own trip to Vienna (where she spent her birthday) before she was even signed onto the film.
- The actors were not allowed to hang out or fraternize with the three individuals who play The Strangers off camera.
- Originally they shot Scarecrow taking the tear from Maya’s face in the climax and placing it to his eye, but it didn’t come out right so it was scrapped.
Best in Context-Free Commentary
- “This is the 90-minute set-up of the entire [4.5 hour film].”
- “In order to tell this story, we have to do a repurposing of the original film.”
- The original 2008 film is Renny Harlin’s fave horror film.
- “If you’re new to a small town, you’re the stranger.”
- Madelaine wanted to do all (and did most) of her own stunts.
- On Petsch’s efforts to impress Renny with the stunts: “I [was] determined to make him proud”
- Harlin: “You want the audience to yell at the characters to get out of there but not feel like they’re stupid.”
The Strangers: Chapter 1 is now available on 4K and Blu