“While other kids watched cartoons and family adventures, my mother, a film buff, introduced me to the works of Hitchcock at a very young age,’ says director Renny Harlin, whose The Strangers ― Chapter 1, marks the chilling first entry of this upcoming horror feature-film series.
“What has always been the draw for me is the opportunity to explore the shadowy side of life, to go to
weird and forbidden places and shock the audience with something unexpected,” says Harlin, who directed The Strangers ― Chapter 1, based on the psychological horror film The Strangers written by Bryan Bertino, from a story by Bertino and screenplay by Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland,
“We all have our own fears and phobias, formulated by our earliest experiences out in the world ― the darkness lurking outside our windows, the sense of being vulnerable to the environment and not being in control of the outcome of a threatening situation. Throughout the history of literature and movies, sexuality has also been an inseparable ingredient of these frightening fantasies and nightmares. Finally, it boils down to the survival of the fittest, to defeating death and overcoming our worst terrors.”
After their car breaks down in an eerie small town, a young couple (Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez) are 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.
Director’s Statement
While other kids watched cartoons and family adventures, my mother, a film buff, introduced me to the works of Hitchcock at a very young age. I was also a voracious reader, and immersed myself in the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Jules Verne. The dark mystery tales that turned into elaborate nightmares in my vivid imagination were the fuel of my creativity.
I wrote my own stories of horror and the macabre, turning them into self-drawn comic books, radio plays,
and home movies to the shrieks and terror of the neighborhood kids.
When I realized, at the age of 12, that I could take everything I loved about twisted stories and dark
characters and turn them into an art form and entertainment through filmmaking, I knew that I had to
become a movie director.
I was extremely fortunate to fulfill my greatest dream in life.
In my career, I’ve made different types of horror films and thrillers, smaller and larger in scale, even
experimenting with humor.
What has always been the draw for me is the opportunity to explore the shadowy side of life, to go to
weird and forbidden places and shock the audience with something unexpected. We all have our own fears and phobias, formulated by our earliest experiences out in the world ― the darkness lurking outside our windows, the sense of being vulnerable to the environment and not being in control of the outcome of a threatening situation. Throughout the history of literature and movies, sexuality has also been an
inseparable ingredient of these frightening fantasies and nightmares. Finally, it boils down to the survival
of the fittest, to defeating death and overcoming our worst terrors.
The demise of movies as a theatrical experience has been predicted decade after decade since the
invention of TV in the 1940s. In today’s entertainment landscape, the challenge of attracting audiences to
movie theaters may be bigger than ever. The thousands of movies offered through streaming services
every night have raised the bar for an average moviegoer to gather their friends or family, get in the car,
park, buy the tickets, spend money on the drinks and snacks, and feel the effort is worthwhile compared to staying home on the couch, surfing through the offerings.
But whatever may be the future of theatrical distribution, I believe that the strongest case of the theatrical experience can be made with horror films.
I believe that people have been drawn to dark and terrifying films now for over 100 years because of the
simple reason that we all want to feel something when we consume entertainment. And we all seek the
therapeutic experience of facing our worst, darkest, most secret terrors in the safe environment of a movie theater. We can scream, cry, hide our eyes or even laugh at the uncontrollable and life-threatening scenes that unfold in front of us. In a movie theater, it is all a communal experience. We are together with our family, friends, or strangers, confessing our deepest fears on the altar of the silver screen, and nothing bad can happen to us. Afterwards, we can walk out unharmed, debate our experience, share opinions, laugh about it, and feel the release. Like waking up from a nightmare and knowing that everything is all right.
There are a few classic horror films that have stayed with me through the years. Starting with Psycho and
Rosemary’s Baby, continuing with Don’t Look Now, The Shining, and Alien, some films rewrite the rule
book and surprise you with a new approach that entertains you beyond your expectations.
When I saw Bryan Bertino’s original The Strangers over 15 years ago, I had no idea what to expect. The
movie took me by surprise by eliminating any kind of a backstory or reasoning behind the terrifying
home-invasion concept. This was everyone’s worst nightmare scenario realized. Liv Tyler and Scott
Speedman in their roles were the victims of the brutal killers just because they happened to be home that
night. An act of completely random violence and senseless terror.
This film has stayed in my mind as one of my favorite horror films. So simple, yet so terrifying.
When I was sent the screenplay for The Strangers, I was elated and intimidated at the same time. What could I do with this classic to give the original fans the same thrill I originally shared with them and simultaneously offer them ― and the new generation of filmgoers ― something fresh and surprising? My first clue came when I opened the file for the script and instead of the usual 95 pages, the screenplay was 278 pages long.
This was not an ordinary horror film. This was not a remake, nor a prequel or sequel, of the original. This
was an incredible opportunity to do something completely groundbreaking.
This was one huge horror saga, divided into three chapters. The producers wanted to focus on what
happened basically the next day, as the original 2008 film ended. So, we started with Chapter 1, which is
really like act one of a normal movie. We didn’t want to remake what we all thought was a great film, while the essence of the story had to be based on similar circumstances in order to build the logical story arc of the entire journey. We made several changes and customized Chapter 1 to serve our greater, three-chapter story.
Our three The Strangers chapters take the audience on an unexpected journey to the minds of the
perpetrators of senseless violent crimes and their victims.
We looked long and hard for our scream queen. When we spoke with Madelaine Petsch (“Riverdale”), it
quickly became clear that she didn’t only possess the talent to convincingly portray our leading lady, but
that her intelligence, strength, vulnerability, and stamina were ingredients that we couldn’t make the
movie without. She became our partner in crime, and she never once wavered throughout the grueling
task of what in essence wasthree movies shot simultaneously. Her commitment shines front and center in
our three-chapter saga. Froy Gutierrez(“Teen Wolf,” “Cruel Summer”) was another lucky find for us. A young and exceptional actor with a passion for his craft.
The chemistry of Madelaine and Froy is the engine of The Strangers – Chapter 1, and the chapters that
follow.
Casting The Strangers themselves was just as important as the selection of the rest of the cast. These are
not robotic, masked madmen or madwomen. These are complex characters whose every move,
expression, and act reflects the deeper threads and themes of the three movies. I’m proud to say that we
found actors who will keep surprising the audience with their characters throughout the entire journey
into increasing darkness and dread.
RENNY HARLIN (DIRECTOR)
Renny Harlin has established himself globally as a filmmaker with the ability to identify and develop a wide range of material. His credits span multiple genres and include action-oriented blockbusters, horror films, comedies, and critically acclaimed dramas including A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, Die Hard 2: Die Harder and Deep Blue Sea. Harlin also directed and produced Cliffhanger, which established him as one of Hollywood’s premiere action directors, followed by The Long Kiss Goodnight spearheading the genre of female-driven action movies. In 2007, Harlin directed the dramatic thriller Cleaner. In 1991, Harlin made his producing debut with the critically lauded Rambling Rose, and went on to produce Speechless.
At the end of 2011, Harlin wanted to expand his production company, Midnight Sun Productions, which
started development within the television landscape. Over the next two years, Harlin went on to direct four episodes of “Burn Notice,” including a season finale and mid-season finale; an episode of “White Collar”; and the season finale of “Covert Affairs,” all for the USA Network. Harlin also directed three back-toback episodes of the USA Network’s hit action-thriller “Graceland,” which aired in the summer of 2013.
After over two decades of success in Hollywood, Harlin embarked on a career producing and directing films in China. Harlin and global superstar Jackie Chan teamed up for Skiptrace, which was a box office megahit and led to Harlin working on The Legend of the Ancient Sword for Alibaba Pictures, and the action-thriller Bodies at Rest. An additional credit during this time was The Misfits. After returning from China, Harlin directed The Bricklayer. In 2023, Harlin directed Refuge for Millennium Media and Vertical Entertainment, debuting in April 2024, and The Strangers – Chapter 1 with Madelaine Petsch (for Lionsgate). Also upcoming is Deep Water, which is being released by Bob Yari’s Wonderhill Pictures later in 2024.
Harlin says he’s finally found everything he was looking for in life, loves making movies back in the
Hollywood mainstream, and currently resides in Miami, Florida.
ALAN R. COHEN & ALAN FREEDLAND (CO-WRITERS)
Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland are Primetime Emmy Award-winning writers, producers, and showrunners working in both television and movies. In TV, they have written and produced shows
including “King of the Hill,” “American Dad!,” “Impastor,” and Amazon’s comedy series “Betas.” They also co-created and were showrunners for the Comedy Central cult hit “Kid Notorious.”
Currently, they are co-creators and showrunners of the animated series “The Freak Brothers” for Tubi. Cohen and Freedland co-wrote the Todd Phillips-directed movie Due Date which grossed over $200 million worldwide. They have written feature scripts for all the major studios, most recently the upcoming The Strangers horror trilogy. Cohen is a George Washington University graduate who hailsfrom Pittsburgh. Freedland is a University of Michigan man originally from Detroit.
