The new film will reportedly follow a woman and her boyfriend as they drive cross-country to the Pacific Northwest to start a new life. When their car breaks down in Oregon, they stop at an Airbnb and end up tormented by three anonymous masked figures. In the first “Strangers” film, which starred Scott Speedman and Liv Tyler, the trio of near-silent killers targeted a couple whose relationship was unraveling after a failed proposal. That film took place at a rural summer home, while “The Strangers: Prey at Night,” a bloody and delightful sequel that shared little DNA with the original, saw the killers hunting down a family at a mobile home park.
“The Strangers” polarized audiences upon release thanks to its slow burn approach and frightening moments that felt less like jump scares and more like a deranged game of I Spy, but many consider the “true story”-inspired flick to be one of the most unnerving horror movies out there. For what it’s worth, it’s the only movie I know of that’s made multiple friends of mine scared to leave their homes. While I don’t think the original film is due for a straight remake, it sounds like this won’t be the same story, so I’m eager to see what Harlin, Petsch, and the rest of the team make of it.
My one fervent hope is that no matter how many “Strangers” movies we get, we aren’t given a backstory for the mask-wearing sadists who drive the films’ actions. After all, very few moments in horror are more frightening than their answer to Tyler’s fateful question, “Why are you doing this?” in the first film. “Because you were home,” they answer simply.
The remake of “The Strangers” does not yet have a release date.