The Strangers: Chapter 3 is coming soon and will deliver one of the "biggest face-downs in horror history"
That's according to star Madelaine Petsch.
More than a year after the first film was released, the second instalment in Renny Harlin's The Strangers trilogy has arrived in UK cinemas – with Riverdale's Madalaine Petsch once again starring as a terrified woman on the run from three mysterious masked killers.
All three films in the horror series – which is a reboot of the 2008 movie of the same name – were filmed back to back, and speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Petsch had some rather grand claims to make about how this middle outing sets the stage for the final chapter.
Encouraging fans to stay for an extra surprise in the credits, she explained: "The final scene in the film, pre credits, you are about to witness one of the biggest face downs in horror history between two big characters."
And she hopes fans won't have too long to wait to find out the result of that showdown.
"We're working on making sure [Chapter 3] is out as soon as possible," she said – adding that she hopes viewers are drawn to a "weird level of magnetism" at the end of the film.
'I hope people pick up on [it]," she said. "Like a sense of curiosity that I think people wouldn't expect to feel and see, but there is one."
Whereas the first film came close to being a straight remake of the aforementioned 2008 original, the sequel goes in some new directions – including giving audiences a closer look at the identity of the titular killers.
One character in particular appears in several flashbacks, but Petsch explained it was vital that none of the villains were given too much backstory.
“I think one of the most important things about the original IP is that they don't need a reason why," she said. "That's what makes them scary, if you give them a reason why they're no longer scary.
"So I think it was a really fine line, especially for our OG Strangers, fans, to make sure we find that line and we balance it really well, because we will never give you a reason. That's one thing I have to say about these films, we'll never give you a reason.
She added: "But we will peek at the curtain back into childhood... not even what makes them that way, just seeing earlier versions of them. And I think that's been a common misconception as people think we're showing you an origin story.
"But there is no origin story. They were born this way. This is just you get to see earlier versions of them. That's literally it."
The Strangers Chapter 2 is now showing in UK cinemas.
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
