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Bertino's 2020 hit, The Dark and the Wicked, is a must-see psychological horror film with a twisty ending exclusively on Shudder. The Dark and the Wicked, though underrated, outshines even The Strangers, offering a disturbing atmosphere and unsettling folk horror experience. Bertino's return to form with The Dark and the Wicked showcases his strength in creating a deeply effective and downright scary horror film.

Best known for writing and directing the 2008 sleeper hit The Strangers, filmmaker Bryan Bertino also made one of the best horror movies of the 2020s and hardly anyone saw it. With the release of the poorly received The Strangers: Chapter 1, the first installment of an intended relaunch of the cult classic franchise, horror fans are likely looking for a more compelling watch. Partly based on a true story from Bertino's childhood, The Strangers is a truly chilling psychological horror film that centers on a distraught couple, Kristen McKay...

Amidst several releases this month, The Strangers: Chapter 1 certainly emerged as an unexpected contender. It is, in fact, one of the films people expected to shine the least, and yet the opposite is true. Despite initial skepticism, the film’s robust opening day performance signifies a promising start, capturing audience attention and defying expectations.

Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez in The Strangers: Chapter 1 | Lionsgate Movies

While dealing with a lot of criticism and mixed reviews, it now seems that it is steering steadily forward on a path of potential success. The film’s surprising success has undoubtedly left some fans shocked, especially considering its competition in the race for the box office, which includes John Krasinski’s brainchild, If, and the already-running Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and the Ryan Gosling starrer, The Fall Guys.

The Strangers: Chapter 1 Makes a Strong Start at the Box Office...

The outcome of Ryan's fate may not be as definite as it seems, as Maya's survival raises questions. The residents of Venus exhibit odd behavior, hinting at a possible conspiracy linked to The Strangers. Scarecrow's eerie presence in the hospital with Maya might be more than just a physical threat, possibly a manifestation of trauma.

Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Strangers: Chapter 1.The Strangers: Chapter 1 left horror fans with more questions than answers, giving its sequel some heavy lifting to do in terms of resolving lingering plot threads. A half-remake, half-soft sequel to the original horror duology consisting of The Strangers and The Strangers: Prey at Night, The Strangers: Chapter 1 promised audiences answers on the sleeper horror franchise's mysterious masked slashers. However, by the end of The Strangers: Chapter 1, the series has only become more of a mystery.

Headed by the young optimistic couple of...

Warning! The following article contains Spoilers for The Strangers: Chapter 1.

Maya's survival in The Strangers: Chapter 1 sets up a major twist later in the reboot trilogy. The movie is a reboot and semi-prequel, focusing on Maya as the Final Girl. Maya's death at the end of The Strangers: Chapter 3 would be unexpected and impactful for the franchise.

Although Maya survives The Strangers: Chapter 1, one fan theory suggests that this may set up a major twist later in the reboot trilogy. The Strangers: Chapter 1 sees Froy Gutierrezs Ryan and Madelaine Petschs Mayas idyllic stay at a remote holiday home ruined by the eponymous masked invaders. Following on from 2008s sleeper hit The Strangers and its belated 2018 sequel The Strangers: Prey At Night, The Strangers: Chapter 1 is a reboot and a semi-prequel simultaneously, with the new movie promising to explain the origins of the titular Strangers in its two upcoming sequels.

After debuting at the Sundance Film Festival in the Midnight section, Chris Nash’s slasher film In a Violent Nature immediately became one of the most buzzed-about horror movies of the year. A clever subversion of the tropes of the genre shot primarily from the killer’s perspective, this is a slow-paced but incredibly eerie horror picture with some absolutely epic kill scenes.

We at FandomWire got to discuss In a Violent Nature with Nash, taking a deep dive into the film’s… execution…

In a Violent Nature Interview

FandomWire: I mean this as a huge compliment, but I think In a Violent Nature may be one of the cruelest films I’ve seen outside European extremist cinema. What made you want to approach these characters’ deaths with such brutality?

Chris Nash: Wow. I don’t consider it brutal — I just never did. I have a background in prosthetic effects design,...

Photo: Jasin Boland

Much has been made of the post-pandemic theatrical experience and the takeover of streaming, but there have been promising signs for the state of cinema. Last summer’s Barbenheimer got at least hundreds of thousands of butts in seats, and just this weekend after winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes,...

The right actor for Daphne Blake is crucial for Netflix's new live-action Scooby-Doo series' success. Recent adaptations have made Daphne more complex, but her innate style remains a key trait to consider. Various actors like Madelaine Petsch, Jeon Jong-seo, and Billie Lourd could bring unique interpretations to Daphne's character.

Details about Netflix's new live-action Scooby-Doo series remain scarce, but the show will have to find the right actor to play Daphne Blake if it's going to have any chance at success. Daphne has been a key part of the Mystery Gang since their first appearance in 1969's Scooby-Doo Where Are You! She was originally the gang's charismatic face alongside Fred, but her role has evolved through multiple adaptations to reflect the trends of the time.

Daphne Blake used to be portrayed as a pampered rich kid who would often get her family's butler, Jenkins, to do some of her dirty work.

The name Renny Harlin must ring some bells in everyone’s mind. The director has carved out a niche for himself over the years, delivering blockbusters like Diehard 2, Nightmare on Elm Street 4 and Exorcist: The Beginning. These films have made him a household name over the years. His new release, The Strangers: Chapter 1 looks all set to have cemented his spot as one of the leaders of the industry. And he is looking to carry forward the legacy.

Renny Harlin knows how to turn things around

Renny Harlin infused Nightmare on Elm Street 4 with new energy l Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Renny Harlin is known, more than anything, for his penchant to step in when a franchise seems to be down in the doldrums. He has rescued many a franchises from eminent decays and oversee their redemption. And all of this becomes possible only because of the risks he is willing to take.

Quick Links The Strangers: Chapter 1 Turns Ryan Into an Inadvertent Killer The Strangers: Chapter 1 Kills Ryan After His Egregious Mistake The Strangers: Chapter 1 Teases Maya's Survival & Revenge How The Strangers: Chapter 1 Sets Up a Sequel

The following contains spoilers for The Strangers: Chapter 1, now playing in theaters.

While there have been iconic slasher franchises from the 1980s and 1990s such as Halloween and Scream, the modern era has its gems as well. One of them is 2008's The Strangers, which focused on three serial killers stalking and butchering a couple. The 2018 sequel, The Strangers: Prey at Night, then had the murderers attacking various families at a trailer park.

Now, The Strangers: Chapter 1 dials things back in the timeline, dealing with a prequel story for the slashers: Scarecrow, Pin-Up Girl and Dollface. They're now stalking a young couple, Ryan and Maya, in the woods outside Oregon.

The first instalment in a new Strangers trilogy arrives in theaters this weekend, and the reviews have been pretty merciless so far, with one critic going so far as to call the home invasion slasher "one of the worst" horror films they've ever seen.

With 53 verdict counted, The Strangers: Chapter 1 currently sits at an abysmal 13% on Rotten Tomatoes.

We're not sure why anyone would have been expecting very much from this after what might honestly go down as the worst trailer of the year (see below), but it's fair to say the majority of critics were less than enthusiastic about what sounds like a beat-by-beat rehash of the original.

Check out some reactions below.

The Strangers Chapter 1 might be one of the worst horror remakes I’ve seen in a long time.

Boring, uninventive, and painfully sterilized. Really makes you wonder why bother remaking this movie if you’re just...

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The release dates have been set, and yes, a three-part reboot of The Strangers is being released over the next year. It starts today when The Strangers: Chapter 1 hits theaters, and who better to direct than veteran genre filmmaker Renny Harlin, the man behind Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger, and many more. When audiences first hear the title "The Strangers," they'll correctly think back to Bryan Bertino's hit horror film from 15 years back, which was loosely inspired by a true story of a couple being slowly terrorized overnight by a trio of killers for no apparent reason. Harlin's new film stars Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez as the couple, and the end result is just as terrifying, if not more so.

We recently caught up with Harlin to learn more about the great undertaking of rebooting a classic scary movie and...

A new trilogy of terror begins with the release of the horror movie The Strangers: Chapter 1. A reimagining of The Strangers that will serve as a longer version of the story, the film stars Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez as a couple who find themselves targeted by a group of masked strangers.

In an interview with Cbr's Kevin Polowy to promote the film, Petsch and Gutierrez spoke about what frightened them for real with filming the horror movie. Petsch pointed out how the Scarecrow actor showed up to the set with black makeup left on his face on days he wasn't working, and that helped create some tension during filming, as he'd essentially stayed in character by watching the actors from a distance. Gutierrez also detailed how he was genuinely scared by a flaming motorcycle scene, while Petsch revealed how she was traumatized by another scene she personally asked to put into the film.

Quick Links The Strangers: Chapter 1 Does Have a Mid-Credits Scene What Is The Strangers: Chapter 1 About? Will The Strangers: Chapter 1 Get a Sequel?

The following contains spoilers for The Strangers: Chapter 1, now playing in theaters.

When it comes to slasher stories, Hollywood has truly kicked into high gear in the 2020s. There are new Scream movies in the works, Halloween got a new trilogy, while Netflix put out movies like There's Someone Inside Your House and a new Texas Chainsaw Massacre film. One of the more modern efforts, The Strangers, is now starting a new trilogy.

This franchise kicked off in 2008 and had a sequel, The Strangers: Prey at Night, in 2018. Now, The Strangers: Chapter 1 is detailing a prequel story for the masked killers who randomly pick hotels and cabins to attack. With a bigger narrative being eyed by creator Bryan Bertino, fans are already...

Quick Links From Bertino to Harlin: A Strangers Saga The Strangers Live On, but Does Anyone Else?

Could this happen to you? Is The Strangers: Chapter 1 based on a true story? The opening title cards certainly lead us to believe so. And why not? "Strangers" knocking on your door and terrorizing you isn't too far-fetched of a notion, as it seems. True crime docuseries are everywhere these days, perpetually growing in popularity across the streaming giants amid the world's fascination with serial killers, stalkers, and more.

It's no real surprise, then, that a throwback scary movie like The Strangers (2008), written and directed by Bryan Bertino, has been revisited and expanded upon in an all-new four and a half hour film that's been divided into three parts after a 278-page script was written by Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland. Veteran filmmaker Renny Harlin is at the helm, and Chapter 1 is now in theaters,...

Family films can be a big money maker if the movie is an all-quadrant pleaser. John Krasinski has stated that he wanted his new movie, If, to bring audiences back to the Amblin-like days of wonder when filmmakers like Steven Spielberg unlocked people’s imaginations. The box office predictions from our own Chris Bumbray had placed the movie to only open at $30 million. Family audiences are likely to be split between this and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which should be a strong second with around $28 million. Although, his A Quiet Place prequel will likely make a lot more money at the box office this summer.

As the weekend starts, Deadline has reported that the Thursday night preview figures that If imagined would ultimately total at $1.75 million from screenings that started at 4 Pm. It is noted, however, that original, live-action PG-rated family films are more rare nowadays and...

When the trailer for "The Strangers: Chapter 1" first dropped, fans were introduced to a new couple in a new setting, but the same ol' scary masked killers wreaking havoc simply because "you were home." Well, in the case of the new film, it's because "you were here," but there's no need to split hairs. As is the case with the existing two films in the "Strangers" series, the chaos begins when a mysterious young woman shows up unannounced asking if Tamara is home, the ringing death knell of all "Strangers" stories. From there, all hell breaks loose, set wonderfully to "Trouble" by Cage the Elephant, with an expertly placed repeat of "Oohs" that turns this alternative/indie hit into something that sounds far more sinister.

With a shockingly low track record at the box office so far, "The Strangers: Chapter 1" has the potential to be the first true...

Writer-director John Krasinski‘s original family film IF has started off its box office run with $1.8 million in Thursday previews.

The fantasy pic, headlining Ryan Reynolds and Cailey Fleming alongside an A-list voice cast, explores the world of discarded imaginary friends and what happens when a young girl and her neighbor try to reunite them with their previous human pals.

The live-action/CGI animated Paramount pic is tracking for a domestic debut in the $40 million range from more than 4,000 theaters, but the family marketplace continues to struggle in the post-pandemic era. Nor is original fare an easy proposition. It’s hard to read too much into Thursday previews since families don’t start turning out in earnest until Friday and Saturday, generally speaking, although some exhibitors are worried the movie could have a hard time getting to $40 million based on presales, according to sources.

Reviews aren’t so great — If...

The Strangers: Chapter 1 has debuted on Rotten Tomatoes with a critic score of 21%. This is the lowest score of the entire three-movie franchise so far. This low score could potentially impact the reception of the entire planned prequel trilogy.

The Strangers: Chapter 1 has broken a Rotten Tomatoes record for the home invasion horror franchise. The new movie, which stars Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez as a couple whose car breaks down in a remote Oregon town and whose Airbnb is invaded by masked killers, is a standalone follow-up to the 2008 original and its 2018 sequel, Prey at Night. It is intended to be the first of a prequel trilogy. The Strangers: Chapter 1 release is set to be followed by Chapter 2 later in 2024 and Chapter 3 at a date that has not yet been set.

Rotten Tomatoes has now aggregated the first official score for The Strangers: Chapter 1. With 33 critics weighing in,...

The following contains spoilers for The Strangers: Chapter 1, now playing in theaters

The Strangers: Chapter 1 sets up a new trilogy with a post-credits scene, confirming Maya's survival and future as the main character. Director Renny Harlin aims to explore survivor trauma in upcoming sequels, hinting at Maya's continued danger from the Man in the Mask. The franchise will delve deeper into the masked killers' true nature and Maya's quest for answers in The Strangers: Chapter 2 and The Strangers: Chapter 3.

The Strangers: Chapter 1 is the latest entry in The Strangers horror franchise, and the post-credits sequence sets up the direction for the next two entries in the series. The film largely follows the template of 2008's The Strangers, focusing on a couple as they try to avoid the grasp of a murderous trio of masked killers. This time it's Maya and Ryan, whose cross-country trip is derailed when they have to...

Back in the Old Days, sequels and franchises used to be anathema in Hollywood. The conventional wisdom was that no audience wanted to see more of a story that had already reached its conclusion, and that a "part two" or more didn't make as much money at the box office as an original work did.

Except, that is, within the horror genre. Universal Pictures discovered pretty early on in cinema's history that audiences would be down with seeing their spooky pals on screen as much as possible, and thus Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolf Man, and others made return visits in the '30s and '40s. However, each of these sequels sought to be as unique as possible, with very few merely rehashing what had come before, and the concept of continuity or lore was essentially tossed aside at will.

Now we live in a cinematic age where IP rules the day,...

Director Renny Harlin has made some of your favorite movies. He's also made some total stinkers. And the beauty of speaking to the filmmaker -- who has carved out a unique niche across horror and action cinema for past four decades -- is that he's completely aware of it. Here is a director who has been around long enough, who has seen every facet of the filmmaking machine from all possible angles, that he's willing to be straight-up honest about it. Like anyone with a filmography this large (and this wild), he has stories to share. 

When I sat down with Harlin over Zoom to chat about his new movie, the horror reboot "The Strangers: Chapter 1," I hoped we could talk about his entire filmography. But 30 jam-packed minutes later, my time was up, and the sheer number of noteworthy movies we didn't get to was astonishing. But we did...

In 2008, The Strangers surprised many outside the horror community. The very straightforward home invasion movie featured a couple of stars and quickly turned a big profit. However, the middling success of the 2018 sequel left many cold. Despite this, The Strangers: Chapter 1 debuts in theaters nationwide this weekend.

Years after the original movie, director Renny Harlin takes over the stalking movies, announcing a trilogy of new films. By more than doubling the existing movies in the franchise, Harlin becomes one of the de facto voices in defining the property. With the trilogy already filmed, some may ask if there’s going to be a teaser for The Strangers: Chapter 2. The answer is an unequivocal yes.

Suggested“I hope they don’t…”: Cliffhanger Director Has One Request for Sylvester Stallone Sequel 31 Years Later What Happens in The Strangers: Chapter 1 post-credit?

After the traumatic events of The Strangers: Chapter 1, Maya...

This article contains major spoilers for "The Strangers: Chapter 1."

The horror genre is no stranger (pun intended) to creatures returning from the dead. After "The Bride of Frankenstein" brought back the Monster in 1935, no major cinematic horror character has lain dormant for too long, with even the unlikeliest of beasties or killers coming back for at least a second go-round or more.

The villains of 2008's "The Strangers" count as one of those unlikely killers, though not because they're difficult to sequelize. On the contrary, the very ethos of the Strangers — that being they kill "because you were home" — is incredibly open-ended and ripe for exploration and expansion in further films. Yet therein lies the rub, as they say, for a large part of what makes "The Strangers" so terrifying is that it's a home invasion movie where absolutely no rationale is given for the tragic fates suffered by the...

The following contains spoilers for The Strangers: Chapter 1, now playing in theaters

Maya survives brutal attacks in The Strangers: Chapter 1 but remains in danger, set to be the protagonist in upcoming sequels. Ryan's fate is uncertain in The Strangers: Chapter 1's ending, leaving doubt about his survival prospects. The killers have no clear motivation, embodying fear of the unknown in a random act of violence.

The Strangers: Chapter 1 is a brutal game of cat-and-mouse, with the film's ending underscoring the haunting themes of the series as a whole. Serving as a three-part reimagining of 2008's The Strangers, the first entry in the new trilogy focuses on the long-term romantic couple Maya and Ryan. While trying to move to Portland, the pair end up briefly stranded in a small town and elect to rent an AirBnB. However, this also places them in the path of three killers, with The Strangers...

The following contains light spoilers for The Strangers: Chapter 1

The Strangers: Chapter 1 is the start of a new trilogy explaining the history of mysterious killers. The film relies more on suspense than gore, making it a tense thriller rather than a gorefest. The violent scenes are relatively reserved, focusing more on the tension and threat of violence instead.

The Strangers: Chapter 1 is the latest entry in The Strangers series and earned a similar R-rating to the prior two films in the franchise. All three films focus on a trio of mysterious and largely unknown killers, who stalk average settings to hunt down and try to kill otherwise innocent and unconnected people. The Strangers: Chapter 1 is the beginning of a new trilogy, which is set to explain the history of the villains and the fallout of their actions.

The Strangers: Chapter 1 is functionally similar to 2008's The Strangers, which starred...

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...

After four decades of filmmaking, Renny Harlin isn’t slowing down in the slightest. The journeyman director, who’s most known for Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger, Deep Blue Sea and A Nightmare on Elm Street 4, is back on the big screen with The Strangers: Chapter 1, the first film in a trilogy that he’s already shot across 52 days in Slovakia.

Chapter 1 stays true to Bryan Bertino’s 2008 horror classic, The Strangers, only it imagines a scenario where an analogue for Liv Tyler’s character definitively survives the central home invasion, setting up Chapter Two and Three. Madelaine Petsch’s Maya is now filling that protagonist role, as her cross-country road trip to Portland results in her and her boyfriend (Froy Gutierrez’s Ryan) having to stay at a small town Airbnb due to car trouble. That’s when the Strangers crawl out of the woodwork to play their patented cat-and-mouse game.

The Strangers: Chapter 1

Photo: John Armour (Lionsgate)

After 16 years of axe-wielding, needle-dropping, and door-knocking scares, The Strangers have become all too familiar. When Bryan Bertino’s 2008 original asked, “Is Tamara home?” the home invasion felt like a novel avenue for slashers. With added authenticity and a sense of criminal mundanity,...

Horror films can often be the red-headed stepchild of the entertainment industry. They’re rarely treated with the same glitz and glam of other genres. So the fact that Lionsgate is pulling out all the stops for The Strangers: Chapter 1 is a good sign of their faith in their trilogy. Because yes, this is the beginning of not just one solo outing but an entire trio of films for audiences to take head-on. So I was happy the film was getting not just a big theatrical release after being rumored for straight to streaming, it even got a big Hollywood Red Carpet premiere. And I was lucky enough to be able to attend!

Being my first ever Red Carpet, I obviously don’t have a whole lot to compare it to but I was very impressed. The Red Carpet was made of burlap and they had various Strangers lurking around.

Plot: 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.

Review: I count myself as a big fan of the original Strangers. The idea of home invasion is absolutely terrifying and its pulled off brilliantly. The Strangers themselves were able to enter the pop culture zenith due to their incredible mask designs and the mystery behind them. Then Prey At Night came out and didn’t have quite the same impact. Sure, everyone likes the pool scene but what else is there? So it’s nice to see The Strangers return, but more in the style of the 2008 film. But those expecting the same old, same old may be disappointed.

Despite being a soft reboot, Chapter 1 is...

“Is Tamara here?” In May of 2008, those three words hung in the air with foreboding menace (along with “because you were home”) as Bryan Bertino’s The Strangers played in theaters and shocked moviegoers like myself with its straightforward approach to home invasion horror and random violence. Now, 16 years later, the masked murderers now known as Pin-Up Girl, Dollface, and Scarecrow are back on the big screen in The Strangers – Chapter 1, the first film in a new trilogy and the third movie overall in the franchise (the most recent being 2018’s The Strangers: Prey at Night). More of a relaunched expansion of the franchise rather than a full-on remake of the original movie, The Strangers – Chapter 1 still retreads a lot of the first film’s frights, but it does so effectively while weaving in its own intriguing story threads, delivering a promising start to a new trilogy of terror...

“The Strangers: Chapter 1” is more enjoyable than anticipated. In a backwards way, that’s all the more reason to be let down by Lionsgate’s increasingly confused slasher franchise: A recognizable and once cherished piece of IP that, less than two decades since its creation, is already getting picked for parts.

What began as a barebones home invasion horror — extraordinary because of how well writer/director Bryan Bertino manipulated a total lack of expectation in his first film from 2008 — isn’t so beautifully subtle or senseless anymore. No, these days and directed by Renny Harlin, “The Strangers” is your average melodramatic thriller packed front-to-end with shadowy forest scenes, tight jump-scares, and clumsy repeated references to what few lines work as callbacks from the original script.

That’s fun enough for casual fans and, although the character work and dialogue leave something to be desired, it’s hard to knock “Chapter...

The Stranger: Chapter 1 offers chilling and thrilling moments. The film lacks originality; it follows similar plot beats to the original movie. The cast fully commits, with standout performances contributing to the overall tension and experience.

Few things feel scarier than a home invasion. A place where you're supposed to be safe coming under attack for reasons behind your comprehension. That terrifying concept formed the basis of the original Strangers in 2008, and now it hopes to kick off a whole new trilogy with The Strangers: Chapter 1. The new movie, directed by Renny Harlin, opens with a chilling statistic about how many violent crimes are committed in the United States every year, and claims that the one we're about to watch is one of the most brutal.

5/10 ProsThere are some truly chilling and thrilling momentsMadelaine Petsch is fantastic, as is the rest of the castConsThe film doesn't offer anything new...

Nearly 16 years after Bryan Bertino's The Strangers shocked moviegoers, the three mysterious masked murderers are slicing their way back onto the big screen this week with Lionsgate's May 17th release of The Strangers – Chapter 1, the first film in a new trilogy within The Strangers franchise. Ahead of the film's world premiere in Los Angeles last week, Daily Dead had the chance to talk with producer Courtney Solomon about how the opportunity to make a new Strangers film came about, his desire to do something new with the franchise rather than remake the iconic original movie, exploring the enigmatic masked killers, the initial 289-page screenplay, and more!

You can watch our full video interview with Courtney Solomon below, and stay tuned to Daily Dead for more of our coverage of The Strangers – Chapter 1!

Directed by Renny Harlin from a screenplay by Alan R. Cohen & Alan Freedland (and based on...

The first major studio family film of summer 2024 opens at the box office this weekend, and it couldn’t boast more star power.

Writer-director John Krasinski’s If — headlining Ryan Reynolds and Cailey Fleming alongside an A-list voice cast — explores the world of discarded imaginary friends and what happens when a young girl and her neighbor try to reunite them with their previous human pals.

The live-action/CGI animated Paramount pic is tracking for a domestic debut in the $40 million range. Reviews so far are mixed, but good audience scores will arguably matter more in this case. Plus, there’s a pent-up demand for family product that all ages can go see.

Unless there is a total upset, If should top the box office and wrest the crown from Disney and 20th Century Studio’s male-fueled Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which overperformed in North America with a $58.6 million opening last weekend,...

With Riverdale now in her rearview mirror, Madelaine Petsch is kicking off her post-Cheryl Blossom era in ambitious fashion. This Friday, Petsch returns to the big screen in Renny Harlin’s The Strangers: Chapter 1, the first installment in a trilogy that is already shot and slated to release in full by early 2025. Now, one would think that Petsch was able to shoot an entire trilogy of films by virtue of no longer being tied to a TV show for most of the calendar year, but she actually shot and executive produced the saga of films in between Riverdale’s concluding sixth and seventh seasons. So with little time to spare, she felt the pressure both on and off camera during the 52-day shoot.

The Strangers: Chapter 1 is a reimagining of Bryan Bertino’s 2008 horror classic, The Strangers, as Petsch plays Maya, an aspiring architect who lands a job...

The Strangers: Prey at Night is the sequel to the cult horror hit The Strangers. The sequel received mixed reviews but still had enough success to spawn an upcoming third entry in the franchise, The Strangers: Chapter 1. All three installments in The Strangers franchise feature masked killers terrorizing seemingly random couples and families.

Starring Riverdale's Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez (Cruel Summer), The Strangers: Chapter 1 is the third installment in the long-running horror film series. Creator Bryan Bertino envisions Chapter 1 as a prequel to the 2008 cult hit The Strangers and its 2018 sequel, The Strangers: Prey at Night. In the latest installment, a couple (Petsch and Gutierrez) are terrorized by three masked psychopathic killers while on a road trip. For fans of the series, the premise likely sounds incredibly familiar to the first-ever Strangers film, which sees another vacationing couple (Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman) tormented.

A sleeper hit, The Strangers elevates its slasher premise.

Paramount will keep its chin up high amid the whole Sony and Skydance takeover headlines and keep the summer box office churnin’ with the John Krasinski-directed/scripted/produced Ryan Reynolds-led family movie, If, which is hoping to hit $40M. This is after Disney’s overperformance with 20th Century Studios’ Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which posted a $58.4M opening.

If‘s m.o. is to be a five-quad movie appealing to everyone from 2 to 80. It’s been awhile since the marketplace has had a PG-rated live-action original movie, hence if the studio hits $40M on this $110M production, celebrate it.

Paramount has If booked in 4,000-plus theaters boosted by premium large format screens. Scripted by Krasinski, the pic is about a girl who discovers that she can see everyone’s imaginary friends — and what she does with that superpower — as she embarks on a magical adventure...

Its late one night and theres a knock on the door. Outside, hidden in the dark even though the porch light was working a few moments earlier, is a young woman who wants to know, Is Tamara home? There's no one with that name in the house, and locking the door up after this weird encounter will just give a false sense of security. The night of terror has already started in The Strangers (2008), a home invasion slasher inspired by tragic real-life incidents. The sequel that came out 10 years later, Stranger: Prey at Night (2018), changed the tone to be more campy, setting kill set pieces to pop music and neon lights, but it doesnt have the same kind of dread. The first one is gritty and relentless, with a straightforward plot, heightened sound design, and terrifying modern horror villains. Before the new Strangers trilogy begins with Renny Harlin's The...

In 1988, director Renny Harlin made a big splash in Hollywood when he directed “A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master,” which at that point was the highest-grossing film in the “Elm Street” series — and would remain so until “Freddy vs. Jason” in 2003. Two years later, Harlin had an even bigger hit with “Die Hard 2,” a movie that several critics at the time considered to be artistically superior to its predecessor. Now Harlin, whose credits also include “Cliffhanger,” “The Long Kiss Goodnight,” and “Deep Blue Sea,” returns to the world of sequels with “The Strangers: Chapter 1,” a sequel to Bryan Bertino’s ultra-creepy 2008 horror film about a brutal home invasion. As with his previous sequels, Harlin has both delivered the satisfactions of his source material and gone in his own new directions, in the process creating the most frightening thriller of 2024 so far.

The director’s overall...

When The Strangers trilogy was initially announced I think most of us were intrigued. The concept of filming an entire trilogy back-to-back implies a level of faith in the material. Then hearing that they were going back to the aesthetic of the original piqued my personal interest. After all, the first one is a modern-day horror classic. As someone who didn’t love Prey At Night but has always considered the first to be a great thriller, I was ready to go back into the world of violent home invasion. And The Strangers: Chapter 1 looked to take things back to the basics.

I was fortunate enough to talk to director Renny Harlin, producer Courtney Solomon, and stars Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez about their new film. Knowing what a big horror fan Petsch is, I had to ask what it meant to be a final girl in a major horror franchise.

The episode of The Best of the Bad Guys focuses on the trio of killers from The Strangers. It is written, narrated, and edited by Mike Holtz.

Welcome to The Best of The Bad Guys! Where we rank the best of cinema’s worst villains. From their best kill to their best jump scares and even their French kissing abilities. What? Today, we’re talking about The Strangers. A trio of mysterious and sadistic murderers who like to show up in remote locations, toy with, piss off, and eventually murder human beings for absolutely no reason whatsoever.

Now, at the time of this writing, there are only two films worth of Stranger’s awful antics, but there’s an entire trilogy on the way, starting with Renny Harlin’s The Strangers: Chapter One this May. Would you like to go lay by the bay? Perhaps eat some hay? The original...

The Strangers: Chapter 1 is the beginning of a new trilogy, with a longer story arc planned over three films. Director Renny Harlin wanted to create a case study of victims and perpetrators, not just a remake or sequel. Starring Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez, the film follows a young couple at an AirBnB stalked by masked killers.

The Strangers: Chapter 1 hits theaters in just a few days, and while the 2008 film that starred Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman was a contained story from start to finish, this time around its being divided into three parts, with Chapter 1 serving as the first act. The Strangers became a runaway hit in 2008, earning $82 million at the box office against a budget of $9 million. Reviews have been mixed over the years, but its financial success paved the way for a sequel in 2018, with Johannes Roberts directing The Strangers: Prey at Night.

Directed by Renny Harlin,...

The Strangers: Chapter 1 follows a young couple tormented by masked murderers in a terrifying remote cabin setting. Producer Courtney Solomon discusses the deeper exploration into the minds of the killers and survivors in the new trilogy. Director Renny Harlin's style builds tension and suspense similar to Alfred Hitchcock, creating a captivating theater experience.

Ryan and Maya seem like the perfect happy couple in The Strangers: Chapter 1, moving across the country to begin the next phase in their lives. While making the drive, their car breaks down, and the couple is forced to stay in a secluded cabin in Venus, Oregon. However, the night turns into a nightmare when they are tormented by three masked individuals who target them for reasons neither Maya nor Ryan fully understand.

The Strangers: Chapter 1 is based on the terrifying 2008 hit of the same name and is the start of a new trilogy. The Strangers trilogy was shot simultaneously,...

My friend and colleague Ken Grieve, who has died aged 74, was a film and television director who worked on a range of drama series and plays including Dr Who, Strangers, Peak Practice, Casualty and The Bill, his career perhaps hitting a peak in 1988 with an adaptation of Len Deighton’s Game, Set and Match, starring Ian Holm.

Ken was born and brought up in Edinburgh, the son of Henry Grieve, a plant manager at British Aluminium, and his wife, Lesley, a seamstress. He attended the Edinburgh Academy, where he excelled in geography and history, and won a scholarship to Bryanston school in Dorset.

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We're a few days removed from Halloween 2016 by now, but this Stranger Things-themed jack o'lantern is absolutely worth sharing because my jaw dropped when I saw it. It's not the most intricately carved pumpkin I've ever seen, but the creativity on display here is fantastic, and by the time the last half of the video rolls around and reveals what's on the other side, I was shaking my head in awe. Super cool idea, and I'm glad this won a competition because it definitely deserves some recognition.

Amongst some great competition, we score another win in the Jack Morton annual pumpkin carving competition. Good work team! It's Strangers Things themed, if by chance you didn't see the series.

A video posted by Chris Maroney (@chrismaroney) on Oct 28, 2016 at 5:13pm Pdt

Via: That's Nerdalicious...

The synopsis for Carrie Pilby can sound atrocious on paper. Most films utilizing an eighteen-year old Harvard graduate do so as periphery color because the trope lends itself to obnoxious pedantry and an unsympathetic notion of “first world problems.” Having your titular lead (played by Bel Powley) be that person is therefore a risky proposition. She’s an introvert bagging on society for willingly lowering their Iq to fit a cesspool of mediocrity despite making no attempt to engage or discover whether that assumption is true. We should despise her and harbor frustration towards director Susan Johnson for wanting the opposite. Well the joke’s on us because her character proves utterly likable in her failings — likable and relatable while traversing the landscape of life and love.

Her identity is in shambles after a year off post-college in her adopted home. With Dad (Gabriel Byrne) refusing to leave London (she...

A new report suggests that there's going to be a new Gilmore Girl -- or little Mad Man -- coming into the world soon: Alexis Bledel is reportedly pregnant, expecting her first child with husband Vincent Kartheiser.

According to Celebuzz, a source has revealed that Kartheiser is "trying to keep it quiet," but added that the actor is "very happy about the news."

The site reports that the pair's baby news slipped out when friends were "seen congratulating Kartheiser at the world premiere of his new National Geographic Channel movie, 'Saints & Strangers,' in Los Angeles on Monday night." Bledel's rep did not respond to Celebuzz's request for comment.

That's par for the course for the super-private couple, who met on the set of "Mad Men" more than three years ago. While their onscreen characters didn't exactly have a happy ending -- Bledel played a housewife who seduces Kartheiser's Pete Campbell,...

Sunday, September 25th 'Retreat' Ff Review: Getting Away to a Lonely Island? Beware of Bloodied Strangers by Peter Martin 'Juan of the Dead' Ff Review: Cuba Does Zombies by Jacob S. Hall Observations from a Fantastic Fest Virgin: Looking for the Magic and Finding It in 'You're Next' by Erik Davis   Monday, September 26th Monday Morning Review: 'Moneyball' Does The Unthinkable By Making Baseball Interesting Again by Sean O'Connell Dialogue: Seth Rogen on '50/50', Telling Personal Stories and Getting a Little Help from His Friends by Erik Davis 'Livid' Ff Review: A Junk Food Trick-or-Treat Bag of Deliciously Bad-for-You Horror by John Gholson Dialogue: José Padilha...

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In 1987, the iconic filmmaker John Waters was sent by Playboy magazine to interview his all-time hero – Little Richard. It was a surreal, almost religious experience for John who had been a lifelong fan of the godfather of rock'n'roll. So why did it almost end in a fistfight?

Little Richard scared my grandmother in 1957. I was 11 years old, on the way to her house for dinner with my parents, and had just shoplifted a record in the five-and-dime. Mom and Dad hadn't even noticed. Easy pickings – the 45rpm of "Lucille" on the Specialty label. My favourite tune. I felt happily defiant in the back seat of the car with the sharp edge of the single jabbing my stomach beneath the sweater. Once inside Mama's (as we called Stella Whitaker, my mother's mother), I made a beeline to her out-of-date hi-fi and let it roll. "Lu-cille! You won't do your sister's will!