Renny Harlin, the film's director, has provided us with our first look at The Strangers: Chapter 1.
It has been reported that a brand-new trilogy will be a part of The Strangers franchise, and the announcement was made over a year ago. Now that we've finally reached this point, we'll give you a sneak peek at the brand-new first chapter. Renny Harlin, whose previous work includes the horror flicks A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master and Deep Blue Sea, directed all three movies at the same time, which is reminiscent of the Fear Street trilogy that was released on Netflix. According to Harlin, working on three films at the same time was "the challenge of a lifetime," but it was also something that he "really embraced."
It's possible that on Monday morning I'll be filming the second chapter, then on Monday afternoon I'll be filming the first chapter, then on Tuesday morning I'll be filming the third chapter. Because we wanted to create a visual language that evolves so that the movies get bigger and more epic as we go [on], it was tremendously demanding for the actors, for the continuity in terms of the make-up and wardrobe, and for my director of photography. This was because we wanted to create a visual language that evolves. Simply put, it kept all of our creative juices flowing at all times."
In addition, Harlin stated that the plot of The Strangers: Chapter 1 "is close to the original movie in its set-up of a young couple in an isolated environment in a house and a home invasion happening for random reasons."
Maya (Madelaine Petsch) and her fiance Ryan (Froy Guiterrez) are the new characters in the movie. They have traveled to a rural vacation rental when they are attacked by a group of strangers known as Dollface, the Man in the Mask, and Pin-Up Girl. Maya is played by Petsch, while Guiterrez plays Guiterrez. It was difficult to cast the new leads because, as Harlin explained, Live Tyler and Scott Speedman had left "big shoes to fill" following the first film.
It was clear to me after speaking with Madelaine that she was not just a remarkable person but also a remarkable performer; these are the qualities that were essential for her to portray this character. In a similar manner, after a great deal of searching, we were finally able to locate Froy Gutierrez, who is yet another fantastic young performer. We were looking for a couple that had a comfortable and easy rapport with one another. Their relationship may not be entirely similar to the one that was depicted in the first movie, but it is something that comes across as very natural and very genuine, and I believe that to be the most important aspect of both this film and this trilogy as a whole. It's all about being realistic."
Renny Harlin, the director of The Strangers: Chapter 1, went from being a fan to an actual director.
Even now, Harlin is able to vividly recall what it was like for him to watch the very first version of The Strangers directed by Bryan Bertino. "When I first saw it, I didn't really know very much about it, but I immediately fell in love with it. I thought it was amazing, and it continues to be one of my go-to picks when I'm in the mood for a good scary movie. As a result of this, when the opportunity arose for Renny Harlin to direct neither a remake or a reboot of the series, but rather a trilogy that was based on the first picture, he considered it to be a "incredible opportunity."
"We came to the conclusion that the fact that all of the masks are the same was essential to the story." The masks worn by the characters in The Strangers are not like Batman's costume or something else that changes with time. The Strangers are the Strangers to us, and as a member of the audience, I wanted to see them just as they were in the first movie. Is there somewhere you can get your hands on one of these masks? No. It was a process of understanding what they were like, how they were created, how they fit on the performers' faces, and how to produce the same impression as when they were originally worn. It was one of the more difficult aspects of making the movie.
The Pin-Up Girl and the Man in the Mask are not seen in our initial glimpse of the movie; but, we do get a look at Dollface. Fans will undoubtedly be able to identify the intruders right away due to the various clothing they are wearing, despite the fact that their masks look identical. It looks that the Man in the Mask has adopted a much more laid-back style of attire, while Dollface is now wearing what could be a knit cap on her head. That could imply that these are fresh killers wearing the same masks, which would make sense given that, SPOILER ALERT, The Strangers: Prey at Night concludes with all three of the strangers passing away.
The screenplay for The Strangers: Chapter 1, which will be released in theaters the following year, was written by Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland. After that, there will be further two parts released shortly after that. In the interim, Harlin and producer Courtney Solomon will be speaking on a panel about the new trilogy at the New York Comic Con on October 12.
