How The Strangers Compares to OG Horror Film: Similarities, Differences

Followers of The Strangers will expertise some deja vu whereas watching the brand new trilogy — however that doesn’t imply the upcoming film straight mirrors the unique.

The 2008 house invasion horror movie starred Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman as a pair staying in an remoted house that get attacked by three masked criminals. The screenplay was impressed by the notorious Manson household Tate murders from 1969 and a sequence of break-ins that occurred at director and author Bryan Bertino‘s house when he was a toddler.

A sequel was launched in 2018 starring Bailee Madison, Lewis Pullman, Christina Hendricks, Martin Henderson and Damian Maffei. The brand new trilogy is a sequence of standalone movies, with The Strangers: Chapter 1 following the same premise to the OG movie earlier than increasing within the subsequent two installments.

Director Renny Harlin‘s tackle the franchise can be anticipated to be in the identical continuity because the 2008’s The Strangers and 2018’s The Strangers: Prey at Night time, whereas performing as a prequel to the unique movie.

Harlin beforehand stated he prioritized not leaving “unanswered questions” along with his model of the trilogy.

“At first of the [original] film, you discover that Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman are preventing, you by no means discover out what they’re preventing about,” he instructed Leisure Weekly in October 2023. “We are able to reply questions right here. We spent a whole lot of our time high-quality tuning the way to reply these questions for authentic followers, the way to make it possible for there are a whole lot of items of homage to the unique followers and that they’re excited and really feel like they’re alongside for a similar experience that they’ve cherished without end whereas making it extra trendy, making it longer, and answering questions.”

Preserve scrolling for a full breakdown of the similarities — and variations — in The Strangers: Chapter 1 in comparison with The Strangers:

Similarity: Boys With Pamphlets

Within the authentic film, two younger boys distributing Mormon spiritual pamphlets discovered Kristen (Tyler) and James (Speedman) the morning after their assault. The boys really interacted with Dollface, Man within the Masks and Pin-Up Woman as they drove away from the house. As soon as they stumbled upon Kristen — who presumably survived — and James, one of many children known as the police.

The 2024 model centered round Maya (Madelaine Petsch) and Ryan (Froy Gutierrez) additionally featured the boys however in a smaller position. After the couple’s automotive broke down in the course of a small city, they needed to depart the automobile at a restore store, which is the place they obtained supplied pamphlets. Ryan later returned to city to seize dinner — and was as soon as once more given the spiritual paper by an individual working the meals truck.

Distinction: The Dynamic Between the Main Couple

The Strangers: Chapter 1 picked up with Maya and Ryan touring cross nation whereas planning their future collectively. The pair later mentioned the thought of marriage when Maya talked about she was able to take the following step with Ryan. All through the film, Maya and Ryan’s bond solely grew stronger as they fought to remain alive and collectively.

In the meantime, the 2008 model launched viewers to Kristen and James as they have been driving house from a marriage. Context clues confirmed that James was planning to suggest till Kristen turned him down. Their relationship was at a crossroads once they returned to the home the place the masked strangers would subsequently assault them.

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Similarity: Is Tamara House?

There’s something so chilling concerning the iconic line from The Strangers, ‘Is Tamara house?’ That query allowed the assailants to determine whether or not anybody was house earlier than they commenced their assaults. That setup remained the identical in each variations.

Distinction: The House The place It All Occurs

James and Kristen have been at his remoted childhood summer season house whereas Maya and Ryan have been extra indifferent from their location. After their automotive was taken in for repairs, the suspicious locals took Maya and Ryan to a cabin within the woods that served as an AirBnB for a resident who wasn’t round.

Similarity: The Sequence of Occasions That Remoted the Lady 

Within the 2008 model, James left to go purchase cigarettes for Kristen, which is when the spooky lady got here again to ask about Tamara once more. Kristen began to appreciate there was another person within the house along with her proper earlier than James returned — and all hell broke unfastened.

The identical setup was launched in The Strangers: Chapter 1 when Ryan left to get his inhaler and a few meals. Maya began to develop uneasy however by the point Ryan obtained again he reassured her it was all high-quality — till it wasn’t.

Distinction: Enhancing the Story

The Strangers: Chapter 1 appeared to do much more world constructing as viewers realized about Ryan and Maya earlier than their assaults began. Their relationship drove the story extra whereas The Strangers relied on much less backstory for Kristen and James.

Similarity: By chance Killing the Mistaken Particular person

It wouldn’t be a horror film if the principle characters didn’t smash their likelihood at survival. In The Strangers, James requested a pal to choose him up within the morning after his proposal didn’t work out. James anticipated the pal to return the next day, which is why he didn’t understand when he was capturing on the masked villains that he might really homicide somebody he knew.

In The Strangers: Chapter 1, Maya known as a repairman who really got here within the knick of time as they have been being terrorized. Ryan, nonetheless, didn’t know that assist was coming when he shot and killed the repairman whereas pondering he was one of many masked individuals.

Distinction: Extra Communication 

The Strangers allowed the characters — and Us — to be taught extra concerning the murderers committing these horrific crimes. There was extra communication throughout the board, which nonetheless managed to depart an aura. The Strangers: Chapter 1 held again a bit extra when it got here to the interactions as soon as the assaults started.

In each variations, the {couples} ended up separated whereas looking for methods to flee. The Strangers: Chapter 1 launched an fascinating story line with Ryan — who has bronchial asthma. Whereas being chased into the woods, Ryan made himself a makeshift inhaler from a water bottle. The scary half was him making an attempt to make use of it with out being overheard.

Distinction: The Morning Assault 

The Strangers largely passed off at night time however after Kristen and James have been knocked out, they awoke within the morning. That’s when their kidnappers in the end took turns stabbing them to loss of life. That didn’t stay the identical in The Strangers: Chapter 1 the place Maya and Ryan have been attacked at night time. (Spoiler alert: Maya was seen within the hospital after the actual fact additionally at night time.)

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Kristen appeared to outlive the assaults when the final leap scare in The Strangers was her waking up the boys analyzing their our bodies. The individuals who attacked them have been lengthy passed by then. As for The Strangers: Chapter 1, the assailants have been interrupted by the sound of the police arriving on the home. Maya and Ryan have been left for lifeless however the final scene confirmed Maya waking up within the hospital.

Distinction: The Unmasking 

The 2008 movie took an fascinating method by exhibiting the murderers taking off their masks earlier than attacking Kristen and James — however not exhibiting us their faces. This slot in nicely with the remainder of the film, which loved teasing questions with out precise solutions.

The Strangers: Chapter 1 didn’t trace on the identities of the masked killers. However that would seemingly be as a result of there’s two extra movies deliberate the place they might discover — and unmask — the strangers got here to be.