The Strangers
In theatres from the 17th of May 2024 is The Strangers: Chapter 1, director Renny Harlin’s re-imagining of the original 2008 film directed by Bryan Bertino.
The film isn’t a full-on remake as it focuses on different characters. However, it’s believed that this first chapter will be similar to Bertino’s film, so be mindful of spoilers as you read the recap below.
The Strangers (2008) Story Recap
The film begins with a 911 call of a boy telling police that he and his friend have found two bodies lying in blood in a remote vacation home.
We then cut to two people, James Hoyt and Kristen McKay, who arrive at the home (James’s childhood summer house) after attending a wedding. There is tension between the two as Kristen turned down James’s marriage proposal at the wedding reception.
James rings his friend Mike and asks him to pick him up in the morning. He and Kristen then get intimate but before they begin a night of passion, they are interrupted by a knock at the door. They open it and are greeted by a young woman asking for Tamara.
When James and Kristen tell her she’s at the wrong house, the woman leaves. James goes to buy cigarettes, leaving Kristen alone. Moments later, the woman returns to the house and asks for Tamara again. Kristen dismisses the woman and then realizes her cell phone is missing.
Are James and Kristen safe?
No, James and Kristen are not safe! A night of terror is about to begin.
Kristen hears a noise from the back of the house and goes to investigate. She is disturbed to see a man at the window wearing a sack mask. She panics and heads up to the bedroom to hide.
When James returns home, she tells him what happened. He goes to his car to find his cell phone but discovers the phone battery is gone and the car has been ransacked. Nearby is the young woman who is now wearing a doll mask.
James and Kristen decide to leave – who can blame them? But as they try to escape in their car, a third stranger wearing a pin-up girl mask rear-ends them in a pick-up truck.
With the car now a write-off, the two have no choice but to head back into the house.
Do James and Kristen survive the night?
The couple find a shotgun so have a weapon to kill the strangers. However, it’s not the strangers who end up dead but Mike, who has arrived early to pick up James. When James mistakes Mike for one of the intruders, he shoots him.
James remembers there is an old radio transmitter in the barn so he heads outside to retrieve it. He runs into Pin-Up Girl and attempts to shoot her. He’s unsuccessful as Sackface intervenes and knocks him out cold.
When Kristen hears the gun shot she also runs to the barn. She finds the radio but when she tries to call for help, Pin-Up Girl appears and smashes the radio.
Kristen dashes back to the house where she is confronted by Dollface. Sackface also arrives and he knocks her out.
James and Kristen awaken and realize they have been tied to chairs in the living room. When Kristen demands to know why the strangers have attacked them, Dollface says “Because you were home.”
The strangers take turns slowly stabbing the captive couple and then leave. Outside, they meet two Mormon boys who are delivering religious tracts. After taking a tract, they get in their car and drive away.
The boys then head into the house and discover the bodies. A moment later, Kristen, who is the only one left alive in the house, wakes up and screams. The movie ends as the boy calls the police.
Read More: Is The Strangers: Chapter 1 a true story?
What do you think of The Strangers? Have we missed a crucial detail in this recap? Let us know in the comments below.