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The Strangers – Chapter 3

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The Strangers – Chapter 3
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRenny Harlin
Written by
  • Alan R. Cohen
  • Alan Freedland
Based onCharacters
by Bryan Bertino[1]
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJosé David Montero
Edited byKate Hickey
Music by
Production
company
Fifth Element Productions
Distributed byLionsgate
Release dates
  • January 15, 2026 (2026-01-15) (Los Angeles)
  • February 6, 2026 (2026-02-06) (United States)
Running time
91 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1.3 million[3]

The Strangers – Chapter 3 is a 2026 American horror film directed by Renny Harlin. It serves as the fifth film in The Strangers film series, and the final installment of a new trilogy following Chapter 1 (2024) and Chapter 2 (2025). The film stars Madelaine Petsch, Gabriel Basso, Ema Horvath, and Richard Brake.

The Strangers – Chapter 3 premiered in Los Angeles on January 15, 2026, and was released in the United States by Lionsgate on February 6. Similar to its predecessors, the film received generally negative reviews from critics.

Plot

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In 2021, a woman named Claire stops in the town of Venus, Oregon and meets resident Shelly Barnes when checking into the Venus Hotel. That night, a woman knocks on her door and asks if Tamara is home. When Claire turns her away, Shelly (Pin-Up Girl), Scarecrow (Gregory Rotter), and Dollface kidnap Claire and kill her in an underground lair.

In the present day, following the death of Shelly, Maya seeks refuge in a local church and is ambushed by Gregory who comes to the church to mourn Shelly. Maya is then apprehended by Sheriff Rotter but steals his police car as she begins to suspect he has ulterior motives. However, she crashes the car and is kidnapped by Gregory and Dollface. A series of flashbacks reveal that Gregory is Sheriff Rotter's son and following an incident where Gregory murdered his classmate, Tamara. Sheriff Rotter, whose reputation kept Gregory from incarceration, agreed to cover up Gregory and Shelley's murders so long as they did not murder any Venus townsfolk.

Gregory and Dollface take Maya to the sawmill where they dispose of Shelly's body in a wood chipper and then hold Maya hostage in their underground hideout where Gregory brands Maya with the smiley face tattoo and forces her to wear Shelly's old mask as he kisses Maya. Additional flashbacks reveal that Gregory and Shelly met Dollface as teenagers when she was passing through Venus. When Dollface's boyfriend made a pass at Shelly, they followed them to the motel to kill them but Dollface had already killed him and then joined forces with Gregory and Shelly. Back in the present day, Maya's sister, Debbie, and her husband, Howard, arrive in Venus from Portland after Maya's EMT never picked her up and brought her to Portland. They begin to suspect Sheriff Rotter's intentions after being tipped off by Carol's Diner waitress, Annie, and follow him with their bodyguard, Marcus. Sheriff Rotter later kills his deputy, Tommy Walters, after he realizes Rotter has been aiding the Strangers in their crimes.

Meanwhile, Gregory ties Maya up and forces her into the truck where he and Dollface take her to scope out a new victim. They spot a couple at a local gas station and follow them back to the Venus Motel where they train Maya to act as Pin-Up Girl and ask if Tamara is home. When the couple refuse to open the door, Gregory breaks it open and ties the couple to chairs. When Maya refuses to choose one of the couple to kill, he murders the male but whilst distracted, Maya ambushes Dollface and stabs her with her machete before smashing her skull open and killing her. Gregory then forces Maya's hand and kills the woman using Dollface's machete. He then forces Maya back in the truck and is alerted by Sheriff Rotter that Debbie and Howard are tailing him and he is leading them to the sawmill.

Debbie and Howard seek refuge in an abandoned trailer whilst Marcus is killed by Sheriff Rotter at the sawmill. Gregory arrives at the trailer site and taunts Debbie and Howard before flipping the trailer with his truck. He breaks into the trailer and kills Howard with his axe and then forces Debbie outside and kills her as Maya watches on whilst tied up in the truck. Gregory then grabs Dollface's body and loads it into Sheriff Rotter's car before untying Maya and leaving her with the truck and a knife. Maya puts Debbie's dead body into the truck and drives out of Venus but, realizing Gregory's murders will continue, turns back and arrives at his underground hideout.

Maya enters the hideout with a shotgun previously taken from Ryan that was kept in the truck and finds Sheriff Rotter before shooting him dead. She then enters Gregory's shrine where Gregory unmasks himself and the two bond over having everything they cared for taken away by each other. Maya then reveals she will not kill Gregory and that she's in love with him. As the two embrace, Maya stabs Gregory with the knife he left her with, revealing her attraction was a ploy to get him to lower his guard. She then grabs his axe and finishes him off and departs the lair with his mask.

Cast

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  • Madelaine Petsch as Maya Lucas, the only survivor of the Strangers
  • Gabriel Basso as Gregory, a Venus local and one of the masked strangers (Scarecrow) who is targeting Maya
    • Jake Cogman as young Gregory
    • Kyle Breitkopf as teenage Gregory
  • Ema Horvath as Shelly Barnes, a waitress at Carol's Diner and one of the masked strangers (Pin-Up Girl) who was killed by Maya
    • Nola Wallace as young Shelly Barnes
    • Finn Cofell as teenage Shelly Barnes
  • Ella Bruccoleri as Jasmine, a Venus local and one of the masked strangers (Dollface) who is targeting Maya.
    • Stephanie Aubertin as teenage Dollface
  • Richard Brake as Sheriff Rotter, the town sheriff and Gregory's father
  • Rachel Shenton as Debbie Lucas, Maya's sister who comes to Venus from Portland to track down Maya
  • George Young as Howard, Debbie's husband and Maya's brother-in-law who comes to Venus from Portland to track down Maya
  • Miles Yekinni as Marcus, Debbie and Howard's chauffeur and bodyguard who assists them in their search of Maya

Production

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Further information: The Strangers: Chapter 1 § Production

Principal photography on all three films commenced in September 2022 in Bratislava, Slovakia[4] and wrapped in November 2022.[5][6] Following the release of The Strangers: Chapter 1, The Strangers – Chapter 2 and The Strangers – Chapter 3 underwent a month of additional photography to rework the film with audience feedback from the first film in mind.[7] Three weeks of the reshoots were devoted to Chapter 3.[8]

Release

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The Strangers – Chapter 3 had its world premiere at Los Angeles on January 15, 2026,[9] and was released in the United States on February 6, 2026.[10]

Reception

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Box office

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The Strangers – Chapter 3 grossed $1.3 million in the United States and Canada.[3]

Critical response

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 18% of 33 critics' reviews are positive.[11] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 24 out of 100, based on eight critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.[12] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "D" on an A+ to F scale, the lowest of the franchise.[13]

Future

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Petsch stated that all three chapters were going to be edited together with an intermission in the middle; a theatrical release was planned.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "The Strangers: Chapter 3". Writers Guild of America West. April 5, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  2. ^ "The Strangers: Chapter 3 (15)". British Board of Film Classification. January 6, 2026. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  3. ^ a b "The Strangers: Chapter 3 - Box Office and Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  4. ^ Grobar, Matt (September 13, 2022). "'The Strangers' Remake In Works At Lionsgate From Director Renny Harlin; Madelaine Petsch, Froy Gutierrez & Gabriel Basso Set For First Title In New Trilogy". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 13, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  5. ^ Grobar, Matt (November 1, 2022). "'The Strangers': Rachel Shenton Boards Lionsgate's Horror Remake". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 16, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  6. ^ Hamman, Cody (November 2, 2022). "The Strangers remake trilogy has wrapped filming, Rachel Shenton is in the cast". JoBlo. Archived from the original on July 16, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  7. ^ Gearan, Hannah (July 25, 2025). "'The Strangers' 2 & 3 Underwent 20+ Days Of "Enhancement Shoots" To Address Fans' Feedback". ScreenRant. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  8. ^ The Strangers: Chapter 2’ Director Renny Harlin Says Fan-Driven Additional Photography Retooled Upcoming ‘Chapter 3
  9. ^ "Madelaine Petsch Attends the Premiere of 'The Strangers: Chapter 3'". BeautifulBallad. January 16, 2026. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
  10. ^ DiVicenzo, Alex (November 26, 2025). "'The Strangers: Chapter 3' Teaser – See How the Trilogy Ends in February". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
  11. ^ "The Strangers – Chapter 3". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  12. ^ "The Strangers: Chapter 3". Metacritic. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  13. ^ "Home". CinemaScore. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  14. ^ Madeline Petsch February 2026 CinemaBlend interview video clip
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