Madelaine Petsch says Strangers chapters were meant as three acts of one story

Gamesradar reports Madelaine Petsch, star of the new Strangers trilogy, has responded to complaints that Chapters 1 and 2 felt unfinished and said she hopes Chapter 3 will give horror fans the answers they are looking for.

Petsch told SFX Magazine that the first two films were deliberately incomplete because "it's act one, act two, and act three of a giant story," adding, "Because it's not!" The trilogy, directed by Renny Harlin, was shot as one flowing story across three feature-length films; Chapter 1 hit screens in 2024 as a fairly straight reboot of the 2008 original, while the second installment, released in 2025, followed the final girl after the attack and pushed her deeper into the Strangers' world. Fans complained the films ended on cliffhangers, and Petsch acknowledged that such endings "feel a little less satisfying, in the way that audiences are used to being satisfied," but said she expects Chapter 3 to leave viewers thinking, "Okay, I got the satisfaction I'm looking for…' Hopefully!"

The Strangers – Chapter 3 will finally see Maya face the Strangers one last time; with the killers unmasked and Pin Up Girl dead, it appears the Strangers want Maya to become one of them, and "we will have to wait and see which path she chooses." The film also stars Gabriel Basso and Ema Horvath and hits cinemas on February 6.

Key Topics

Culture, Madelaine Petsch, Renny Harlin, The Strangers, Gabriel Basso, Ema Horvath