In 2008, psychological horror movie, The Strangers stalked its way into cinemas. The movie told the story of a couple who find themselves becoming the unwitting targets of three masked intruders, who suddenly arrive at their summer home during the early hours.
In the film, the intruders break into the property and terrorise the couple. When asked why they are doing this, one of the intruders simply says, “Because you were home”.
Although The Strangers opened to mixed reviews from the critics, horror fans liked the movie a lot and this was reflected at the box-office. Produced on a budget of $9 million, The Strangers went on to take $82.4 million, making it a sizeable hit.
Due to the popularity of The Strangers, a series of sequels soon followed, including a stand-alone sequel trilogy. But how many Strangers movies are there, and what is the correct viewing order?
For all the nerve-shredding details and more keep reading.
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The Strangers movies
The Strangers (2008)
As noted above, the first entry in The Strangers movie series arrived in 2008. The film focused on James Hoyt and Kristen McKay, and their night of terror at the hands of masked strangers, Dollface, Man in the Mask, and Pin-Up Girl.
In the movie, James and Kristen arrive at their remote property late at night, after attending a friend’s wedding. There is tension between the couple, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Shortly after 4 am, there is a knock at the door. When James opens the door, a young blonde woman is standing outside.
The woman asks if her friend is at the house. When James tells the woman she is at the wrong house, she leaves.
A shortwhile later, three masked strangers arrive at the house. They break inside and take great pleasure in frightening, terrorising, and assaulting James and Kristen.
The Strangers: Prey at Night (2018)
Although The Strangers was a hit with audiences, and plans were quickly put in place for a sequel to begin filming soon after the release of the movie, the project took longer than expected. The follow-up went through a troubled development, and didn’t make its debut until 2018 – ten years after the release of the first instalment.
This delayed sequel was titled The Strangers: Prey at Night, and picked up the story in real-time, a decade after the events of its predecessor. In this instalment, Dollface, Man in the Mask, and Pin-Up Girl terrorise a family who are vacationing at a remote trailer park.
The Strangers: Chapter 1 (2024)
Following the release of The Strangers: Prey at Night, The Strangers movie series went on hiatus. When it was revived, a decision was made to push forward in a slightly new direction with not one, but three new movies!
The films would form a new trio of tales, that would act as a stand-alone trilogy to the previous instalments. The first of these films would be The Strangers: Chapter 1.
In this movie, young couple Maya and Ryan travel across country to start a new life together. Along the way, their car breaks down in the town of Venus, Oregon, and this forces them to spend a night at an isolated Airbnb.
Shortly after arriving at the property, the couple are terrorised by three masked strangers.
The Strangers: Chapter 2 (2024)
The Strangers: Chapter 1 was the first part of the story, and ended with an ominous ‘To Be Continued’ notification, before the credits rolled. The Strangers: Chapter 2 picks up the tale, details what happens next and explores the horrors enacted by the masked strangers.
The Strangers: Chapter 3 (2024)
Devised as the final entry in the trilogy, The Strangers: Chapter 3 is a direct sequel to Chapters 1 and 2, which concludes the story.
The Strangers movies in order
Should you wish to watch The Strangers movies in production order, then simply follow this list:
- The Strangers (2008)
- The Strangers: Prey at Night (2018)
- The Strangers: Chapter 1 (2024)
- The Strangers: Chapter 2 (2024)
- The Strangers: Chapter 3 (2024)
Please note: While The Strangers movies are all loosely connected, technically the films can be viewed as two entities:
The original collection
- The Strangers (2008)
- The Strangers: Prey at Night (2018)
The trilogy
- The Strangers: Chapter 1 (2024)
- The Strangers: Chapter 2 (2024)
- The Strangers: Chapter 3 (2024)
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Who are the cast of The Strangers movies and are the movies the work of the same director?
Notable cast members in The Strangers movie series include Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, Gemma Ward, Laura Margolis, Kip Weeks, Glenn Howerton, Christina Hendricks, Martin Henderson, Bailee Madison, Lewis Pullman, Damian Maffei, Madelaine Petsch, Froy Gutierrez, Rachel Shenton, Gabriel Basso, and Ema Horvath.
In terms of the directors, The Strangers movie series is the work of the following:
- Bryan Bertino directed The Strangers
- Johannes Roberts directed The Strangers: Prey at Night
- Renny Harlin directed The Strangers: Chapter 1, The Strangers: Chapter 2, and The Strangers: Chapter 3
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And finally, The Strangers movies are supposedly ‘based on a true story’, but are they really based on a true story?
While The Strangers and The Strangers: Prey at Night were marketed as ‘based on a true story’, this term was used very loosely.
The first movie was written as an original idea by director Bryan Bertino, who took inspiration from a series of real-life burglaries which took place in his neighbourhood when he was young. Bertino then took additional inspiration from the infamous Manson Family killings, which helped shape the violent nature of his story.
Because both of these events did happen, the films could be said to have been inspired by something from the real world. But this doesn’t mean the events of the movie actually happened in the way they appear on screen.
In terms of the marketing of The Strangers, because the ‘based on a true story’ tagline seemed to work well for the film’s box-office success, it was reused again for the sequel.
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