Madelaine Petsch Stands by ‘The Strangers’ Spinoff Needing Three Films to Feel Complete

The actress and producer looked back on her experience releasing the slasher series with IndieWire.

When Madelaine Petsch first watched “The Strangers” as a teenager, it rewired how she saw fear as much as safety. “It was one of the first films that made me genuinely unsettled and scared to be alone in my home,” the actress and producer told IndieWire, ahead of Lionsgate’s “The Strangers: Chapter 3” hitting theaters on February 6.

Bryan Bertino’s home-invasion nightmare from 2008 has that effect on a lot of people. That’s partly because its senseless violence, inspired by the Manson murders among other grisly homicides, feels all too plausible. “This was a real-life thing that could actually happen,” said Petsch, describing the eerie image of three violent strangers suddenly knocking at your door. “That wouldn’t leave me.”

Bertino refused to explain himself in the original script, ending the instant classic on a cliffhanger that’s stayed with Petsch. “I always wondered what happens after [Liv Tyler’s character] opens her eyes,” she said. “I liked that it was open to interpretation.”

In 2022, when Petsch was sent the idea for not one but three interconnected spinoff films — what would become the upcoming “The Strangers: Chapter 3” and its two predecessors, all directed by Renny Harlin — she was skeptical. “Immediately I was like, who is trying to remake this incredible film?” she said. The answer, as she sees it today, isn’t a remake at all.

Developed by producer Courtney Solomon as a means of re-anchoring the slasher franchise after had drifted between tones and timelines (Johannes Roberts‘ “The Strangers: Prey at Night” from 2018 was significantly different from Bertino’s earlier work), the “Strangers” trilogy starring Petsch was conceived as a single arc from the start. Rather than extending the mythology outward, “The Strangers Chapter 1” (2024) deliberately echoed the visual and narrative language of the 2008 original.

To Petsh, that wasn’t so much vamping ’til ready as it was a strategic act of restraint designed to make the audience earn what comes next. “They’re taking the first chapter and making a reiteration of that original film in order to make a jumping-off point into the story that they want to tell — what happens once your eyes open,” Petsch said. “I thought that was really daring and quite ballsy.”

That ambition extended beyond the script. The trilogy was shot largely back-to-back, giving Petsch the promise of three feature-length films and a complete psychological map for her character, Maya, before ever stepping foot on set. “As an artist, being able to create an arc over three films all at one time is such a blessing,” she said. “You don’t really get all the material up front like that very often.”

The original plan was to release “The Strangers” trilogy films in rapid succession (one every few months), effectively turning Maya’s ordeal into an endurance test for viewers, too. That schedule was ultimately stretched into a four-year process due to reshoots and shifting logistics, but the conceptual experiment held in Petsch’s view. Across three films, Maya isn’t just surviving a single inexplicable attack; she’s living with the aftermath of a nightmare that’s echoed in pop culture for nearly 20 years.

“She becomes no holds barred, and she also kind of becomes the antagonist and the protagonist,” Petsch said. “Which I find very interesting for this genre and this kind of trope.” That long-form design also highlights the difference between film and television — a distinction Petsch, famous for “Riverdale,” is eager to draw amid industry conversations that increasingly flatten the two forms.

“The only similarity is that you’re acting in both,” Petsch said, noting that she thinks film allows for an added layer of intention from the performer. “You get to make sure your choices make sense over time.”

Over the course of “The Strangers” production, the actress became deeply involved in the trilogy’s development as well — collaborating daily on rewrites, shot lists, and casting. She eventually stepped into a producer role, stressing the credit wasn’t transactional. “It wasn’t like I came onto the movie and said, ‘I’ll only do it if I get a producer credit,’” she said. “I was lucky enough to work with somebody who saw that I had the ability and wanted to give me a seat at the table.”

For Petsch, horror remains the genre that most often rewards that level of trust. “We take the most risks in this genre,” she said. “The most interesting characters kind of live in this genre for the most part.”

She’s already shooting another unannounced horror project, but as for whether “The Strangers” ever truly ends, Petsch thinks they’re unlikely to ever retire permanently. “These characters are innately creepy. They’re great antagonists. They’re great villains,” she said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if somebody else got inspired and wanted to make it again.”

From Lionsgate, “The Strangers: Chapter 3” is in theaters on Friday, February 6.