Ten years ago, Bryan Bertino brought home invasion terror to the big screen with The Strangers, which introduced a trio of new horror icons in “The Man in the Mask,” “Dollface” and “Pin-Up Girl.” The masked killers are back in this year’s The Strangers: Prey at Night, but the original Strangers actors did not return to reprise the roles.
In Bertino’s The Strangers, “The Man in the Mask” was played by Kip Weeks, with Gemma Ward as “Dollface” and Laura Margolis as “Pin-Up Girl.” But who played the twisted trio in the new film? Let’s peel back those masks and meet the killers!
“MAN IN THE MASK” – Damian Maffei (@DamianMaffei)
If there’s a leader of the Strangers trio it’s undoubtedly the axe-toting “Man in the Mask,” who seems to have an affinity for ’80s love songs in Prey at Night. The sack-headed killer was played in the new film by Damian Maffei, who has been kicking around the indie horror scene for several years now. Maffei has appeared in feature films such as Ghost Lake, Closed for the Season and Christmas With the Dead, as well as the horror shorts Night of the Pumpkin and The House that Cried Blood.
Maffei will next be seen in this year’s Haunt, produced by Eli Roth.
“DOLLFACE” – Emma Bellomy (@EmmaBell24)
“Man in the Mask” is flanked by “Dollface” and “Pin-Up Girl,” and it’s the former who does much of the dirty work. The blonde-haired “Dollface,” in both films, has kick-started the terror, knocking at doors and asking for the mysterious “Tamara.” She’s also the character who delivered the chilling “because you were home” line in the first movie; “Dollface” delivers a similar line in Prey at Night, and is the only character who is unmasked.
In the new film, “Dollface” was played by Emma Bellomy, a newcomer to the acting world. Bellomy had a role in the mini-series “Before the Dark” back in 2013, and the only other credit on her resume is a two-episode stint in the upcoming series “Smoketown,” currently in post-production. Like the first film’s “Dollface,” Gemma Ward, Bellomy began her career in the entertainment industry as a model, discovered at the age of 13.
“Pin-Up Girl” – Lea Enslin
In Prey at Night, “Pin-Up Girl” doesn’t get all that much to do, appearing only in two brief scenes before, well, not showing up again. The masked character was played in the new film by Lea Enslin, an accomplished stuntman and, oddly enough, payroll accountant.
On the stunt front, Enslin was Carla Gugino’s double for Gerald’s Game, and she’s also done stunts for “Sleepy Hollow” and five different episodes of “The Walking Dead.” She began her career as an accountant for the entertainment industry with 2009’s The Blind Side, and she was the payroll account for “The Walking Dead” for a few years.
Proving her incredible versatility in the business, Enslin was the set dresser for the TV series “Manhunt: Unabomber.” She’ll next be seen in the short film BFF Girls.
