Interviews
‘The Strangers’ – Renny Harlin Teases the Upcoming Trilogy’s Cohesive Story, And He’s Ready to Make More
Lionsgate is gearing up to unleash an entire trilogy of brand new movies set in the world of The Strangers, with The Strangers Trilogy set to be released in 2024. And they’ve enlisted director Renny Harlin (Deep Blue Sea, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Die Hard 2) to helm the ambitious new trilogy.
Harlin and producer Courtney Solomon (Cake, After franchise) are set to introduce an exclusive first look at the trilogy during their New York Comic Con panel at 3 p.m. ET today (October 12), where they’ll also discuss making all three films.
The trilogy stars Madelaine Petsch (“Riverdale”), Froy Gutierrez (Hocus Pocus 2), Rachel Shenton (The Silent Child), Ema Horvath (“Rings of Power”) and Gabe Basso (Hillbilly Elegy).
Based on the original 2008 cult horror franchise, the project features Petsch, who drives cross-country with her longtime boyfriend (Gutierrez) to begin a new life in the Pacific Northwest. When their car breaks down in Venus, Oregon, they’re forced to spend the night in a secluded Airbnb, where they are terrorized from dusk till dawn by three masked strangers.
Ahead of the NYCC panel, Bloody Disgusting spoke with Harlin to get a better idea of what to expect from not just one new Strangers feature but all three.
Froy Gutierrez as “Ryan” and Madelaine Petsch as “Maya” in THE STRANGERS Trilogy, a Lionsgate release. Photo Credit: John Armour for Lionsgate
Harlin comes to the project as a massive fan of Bryan Bertino’s unsettling 2008 film and details how he got involved in the new trilogy.
Harlin explains, “The original film is one of my all-time favorite horror films, and what’s so incredible about it is that it feels so real. There’s nothing supernatural about it. It’s just two people in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the randomness of the violence that they experience is so powerful, and it just plays on that very human feeling of safety and security and being able to have some kind of control over your life. It always stayed with me. When Courtney Solomon, the producer, sent me the script, I opened it, and it was 280 pages long; I thought he’s lost his mind.
“I read it, and I was just blown away by it. I called him, like, ‘This is incredible, but what? It’s 280 pages long?’ He said, ‘Yes, we want to make three movies.’ That’s when I understood the whole scope of this and that the idea here was to have a first movie that basically is a fairly faithful remake of the original film but seen now in today’s world 15, 16 years later. I think that, myself included, a lot of the fans of the original film, all these years we were asking ourselves and our friends like, ‘Why? Why did this happen? Who are these senseless killers? Who are they? Why were they doing this?’ The original movie ends with them just driving away. And you are like, what? To be able to make three movies where we start exploring the reasons; because even if the senseless acts of violence happen in our world happen in America all the time, unfortunately, there’s got to be some reason behind it.”
“So, not to trivialize it or spell it out too much, the second and the third movies are an exploration of where did this come from,” Harlin continues. “More than anything, they are the exploration of what could happen to a person, in this case, a young woman who is the victim of such senseless violence. What does that do to you mentally and physically, and what’s your journey after that? It’s an exploration of that more than anything. And I think that we will answer a lot of the questions that the fans of the original have and then go far beyond that. By the end of the third movie, there are more questions than answers, really.
“I can’t wait to make the next three movies because I just think that we do something so interesting here; personally, I can’t wait to see where it goes after this.”
Madelaine Petsch as Maya in The Strangers. Photo Credit: John Armour
In other words, only the trilogy’s first installment will take cues from Bertino’s original film, with the subsequent chapters forging new ground. When asked whether this meant distinctly different chapters or a cohesive story told in three parts, Harlin answered and explained why this approach sets the trilogy apart from usual horror sequels.
“I would say that it’s one cohesive story,” the director stated. “I was so excited about the fact that this is not your usual case of let’s make a movie and then see if it’s successful, and then we’ll make a sequel a couple of years later, in which case always everything has changed, the world has changed, and the actors have changed, and you have to come up with a whole new thing. But in this case, the second movie continues immediately from where the first movie ended. Let’s say it’s no secret that the main character is Madelaine Petsch, who is the star of the first movie, she will continue to the second and the third movie, and it’s her journey that we are watching from the moment the first movie ends; we get to see what happens to her five minutes later.“
The filmmaker previously revealed that the iconic masks the trio of killers wears in the franchise will remain. Being such a fan of the original film, the masks weren’t the only elements that Harlin wanted to incorporate or pay tribute to in his new trilogy.
“Definitely, the masks were an important part,” he tells us. “They are so iconic, and we wanted the fans and the people who are new to the movie to have that same experience from the original and give The Strangers that sense of random and senseless violence and not understanding who these people are, why they are wearing these masks, especially in the first film. Then, just the location of this house that seemingly is a nice warm house in the middle of nowhere. So, the environment and the surrounding impenetrable forest were all elements. Of course, that red and white truck has to be part of the movie. So there’s definitely those touchstones, even the record player and some of that music that plays in the first one, we are using it.
“We want the audience to feel at home with the first movie and then go far beyond it in the next films.“
With Harlin and Solomon poised to debut a first look at the trilogy this afternoon, expect to hear more details soon. Stay tuned.
Interviews
The Work ‘Grind’ Is Hell, So Brea Grant & Ed Dougherty Made a Horror Anthology About It [CFF 2026 Interview]
Genre fans rejoice! Chattanooga Film Festival is back for its 13th year in 2026 with a killer lineup and once again offering audiences both in-person and virtual options. After having its World Premiere at SXSW this spring, the horror comedy anthology Grind is playing CFF 2026 opening weekend.
From a screenplay by Brea Grant (Torn Hearts, 12 Hour Shift) and Ed Dougherty (MLM) and segments directed by Grant, Dougherty, and Chelsea Stardust (Satanic Panic), Grind features four interwoven stories that parody the gig economy, hustle culture, and the evils of late-stage capitalism.
The anthology follows weary everyday people juggling side hustles just to survive, while going up against greedy oligarchs, and cleverly uses dark humor and bloody practical effects to portray a world much like our current economic nightmare.
Bloody Disgusting had the pleasure of chatting with Brea Grant and Ed Dougherty about the socioeconomic commentary in Grind, casting Barbara Crampton as a villain, and DIY filmmaking.
Bloody Disgusting: Every segment in this anthology feels relatable because people are actually struggling to survive in the gig economy right now. How did the two of you come up with the idea of creating Grind?
Brea Grant: Like you said, we were trying to come up with a cool idea that seemed relevant right now. The thing that everyone we know is talking about is the economy, the lack of work, and the nightmare hellscape that is late-stage capitalism. It felt like the right time to write something that really featured that as the main horror. As the main thing that people were scared of, this world sort of came to us over the course of a couple of years.
Ed Dougherty: We wanted to make a hit film, and we said, “Let’s make a horror anthology, that’s the most marketable thing there is.” [laughs]
BG: [laughs] Definitely not!
BD: I love anthologies!
ED: We do, too. We feel like it’s kind of an undervalued form of horror film, but it’s a hard sell.
BG: People told us not to make it. They said, “Don’t make an anthology. It’s too hard to sell.” But we did it anyway.
BD: I guess I’m just one of those weirdos who likes anthologies and watches them all.
ED: We believe that there are a lot of weirdos like you out there. It seems like every good horror anthology has a long life, but it’s just getting over the initial hump that’s difficult.
BD: Chelsea Stardust directed some of the segments with the two of you and serves as a producer. How did she first get involved with this project?
BG: The project has a long history. We shot the first segment, which is about multi-level marketing, a couple of years ago. We had decided we wanted to make a full anthology, but it took us about a year after shooting that initial segment to shoot the rest of the movie. When we did that, we knew we needed to bring on a producer aside from Ed and me, since we were directing the bulk of the movie, so that was how she came on board. I’ve been friends with her for a long time, and the one thing I know about her as a friend is that she is very organized, so it felt like a good fit. I just called her one day and said, “Would you want to produce these three segments that we have left to shoot of Grind?” and she came on board.
BD: There are some fun cameos in Grind, but we have to talk about Barbara Crampton. She’s so good as a villainess. Why did you want her for this role, and what was it like working with her on this film?
BG: She’s in her villain era, which is so fun. [laughs] Obviously, we’re huge Barbara Crampton fans, and when we were making MLM, it was a smaller part of the movie that we knew we needed to call on people who could do a good job but were also friendly to us [laughs]. I’m friends with Barbara Crampton, and we’ve done three movies together before this. So, it felt like someone within our reach, but could also really draw a horror crowd. She has a huge fanbase, and she’s also super supportive of all the projects that she’s been in, so that was also really exciting. She’s a great actress, and she’s super funny. I think a lot of these horror actresses, especially those who came up in the eighties and nineties, weren’t given an opportunity to be funny. I think she was ready to jump on an opportunity that was different than what she was used to; it’s not running around and screaming. She is a cult leader, and she is quite funny in it. She just takes the comedy so well and seriously, and she does such an amazing job with it. She has a scene across from Rob Huebel, who is obviously a comedy master, and I feel like the two of them together were hilarious. It’s been fun to watch Barbara go from these iconic roles to a different kind of role at this point in her career. We’re super happy to be a part of that.
ED: And she loves the movie and has been so supportive. Every time she posts about it, I’m like, “I can’t believe this. This is amazing.”
BD: This is an accurate parody of the current socioeconomic situation in this country, as well as our obsession with online culture. It repeatedly asks the question, “What are you willing to do to make money,” in a world with wealth inequality and evil oligarchs. It’s fun, and it’s a horror movie, but it’s thought-provoking. What do you hope audiences take away from Grind, besides having a good time?
ED: I read every review and every Letterboxd review; Brea does not. So, I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen some reviews that say, “Good movie but doesn’t propose a solution.” I think we do propose a solution, which is that the power of unions and organizing is the only way that we will be able to fight back against oligarchs. I do think that is the message of the film. Organizing is the only way to defeat these villains. I do think we have a lot to say in the film. I’d want someone to say, “Man, I’ve never seen a horror anthology that had a political message before.” [laughs]
BG: I think the other thing is that what is currently happening is that we live in a world in which people kind of feel alone in this. They’re like, “Well, I’m doing bad, “or “I’m having trouble paying my rent.” We wanted to hang a lantern on the fact that this is happening to everyone, that wealth disparity is at an all-time high. We’re pointing out to people that you aren’t in this alone; you’re not the only person doing side hustles. Every filmmaker friend I have is working a side job of some sort at this point, and that is just in Los Angeles. Outside of this city, I think things are more dire. I think it was about infusing some politics into something that could make people realize that they aren’t alone and that there are ways of fighting back and fighting the system that has been set up against them.
ED: I think the tone of the movie, which is darkly comedic, also really matches the tone of life right now. Everything seems almost at a parody level as far as the disconnect between oligarchs and trying to make a living and reality. The absurdist nature of the film kind of captures the real tone of life.
BD: There are some cool creature effects and makeup effects in this movie. Can you talk a little bit about the practical effects and makeup?
ED: I think especially because of the message of the film, which is pushing back against the current hellscape we’re in, we wanted to use as many practical effects as possible. We used matte paintings, miniatures, and practical creature effects. I’m always afraid of the matte painting because we used the old school matte painter, but they do look a little AI. I heard someone make a noise behind me during one of the shots, and I was like, “I hope that noise wasn’t them using AI because that’s a matte painting.” [laughs] There’s also the fact that it’s pretty DIY. It’s a film that we financed ourselves and shot in our houses as much as possible. We wanted the whole thing to feel handmade and very tactile.
BG: We’re old school horror fans, so we love seeing practical effects. The practical stuff is really fun for us. It’s the stuff that we think is actually cool. [laughs] So, practical stuff made the most sense for us. We both grew up in the punk scene in the nineties, and I think it just kind of comes naturally to us to try to do things ourselves. And we both work on projects for big companies, with smaller companies, but always for other people, so trying to do something ourselves to see what that felt like was also part of the experiment of Grind.
ED: This was our chance to do everything we wanted our way.
Grind screens at the Chattanooga Film Festival on June 20.
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