Summary
- The outcome of Ryan’s fate may not be as definite as it seems, as Maya’s survival raises questions.
- The residents of Venus exhibit odd behavior, hinting at a possible conspiracy linked to The Strangers.
- Scarecrow’s eerie presence in the hospital with Maya might be more than just a physical threat, possibly a manifestation of trauma.
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Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Strangers: Chapter 1.The Strangers: Chapter 1 left horror fans with more questions than answers, giving its sequel some heavy lifting to do in terms of resolving lingering plot threads. A half-remake, half-soft sequel to the original horror duology consisting of The Strangers and The Strangers: Prey at Night, The Strangers: Chapter 1 promised audiences answers on the sleeper horror franchise’s mysterious masked slashers. However, by the end of The Strangers: Chapter 1, the series has only become more of a mystery.
Headed by the young optimistic couple of Madelaine Petsch’s Maya and Froy Gutierrez’s Ryan, the cast of The Strangers: Chapter 1 is thrust into horror after Maya and Ryan have to fend off murderous home invaders while staying in a rural Pacific Northwestern town. Similar in premise to the first film, The Strangers: Chapter 1 marks the start of a new trilogy, planting the seeds for many mysteries that should be revealed as the films progress. The Strangers: Chapter 2 would be wise to answer some of the most pressing questions sooner rather than later.
10 Did Ryan Really Die?
The circumstances of Ryan’s death could be a red herring
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With such a small cast of only two potential victims, each death shared between Ryan and Maya has true weight in The Strangers: Chapter 1. By the end of the film, Ryan suffers a grisly fate, being left to choke on his own blood after being tied to a chair and stabbed. It seems as though there’s no coming back from such a definitive death, but The Strangers: Chapter 1 already disproves this notion.
Right alongside Ryan, Maya is also grievously wounded in the same manner, saved by the last second by police intervention. Amazingly, Maya recovers from her wounds, and wakes up in a hospital some time later. If Maya could somehow return from the brink of death under such conditions, it is very possible that Ryan could’ve as well, going by the logic established within the film’s own world.
9 Are The Residents Of Venus Involved In A Conspiracy?
The odd behavior of the cult-like town seemed to point to a deeper connection
Other than The Strangers themselves, one of the most disturbing elements of The Strangers: Chapter 2 is the residents of the small town of Venus. Originally only meant to be a pit stop on the longer road to Portland, Oregon, Maya and Ryan are stranded in Venus after their car unexpectedly breaks down. The odd behavior of the residents there is one of the most notable additions to the lore of the series in the new The Strangers reboot.
Throughout the film, the citizens of Venus are noticeably cold to outsiders Maya and Ryan. They’re given mostly blank stares upon entering a small mom-and-pop diner, and are jarringly confronted point-blank by the vacant stares of some creepy evangelical children. Most alarmingly, an unknown individual, possibly one of the aforementioned kids, shows up at the doorstep of the Airbnb in the middle of the night unprompted, asking for “Tamara.” These puzzling actions could point to a greater conspiracy related to The Strangers in the town of Venus.
8 Is Scarecrow Planning On Killing Maya At The Hospital?
The burlap-headed slasher’s eerie presence can’t be good
By far the most intimidating and recognizable killer of The Strangers besides being the face of the series, the axe-wielding murderer known only as Scarecrow is perhaps the most terrifying member of the trio. Relentlessly pursuing Maya and Ryan, Scarecrow is incredibly strong and almost supernaturally stealthy, seeming to almost teleport into place as he stalks his victims from the shadows. Even after Maya escapes, Scarecrow doesn’t seem to be done with her.
The final shot of The Strangers: Chapter 1‘s post-credits sequence reveals that Scarecrow is in the hospital with Maya, silently watching her. It remains to be seen whether he’ll simply continue his chase with further attempts on her life, or is watching more patiently for a different purpose or better opportunity. After all, if the Strangers’ only goal was the simple deaths of Maya and Ryan, they could’ve done so much more quickly at multiple points throughout the film.
7 What Is The Motivation Behind The Strangers’ Choice Of Victims?
Were May and Ryan really just unlucky?
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The original horror film The Strangers was based off of real-life murders, made with a moral emphasizing the fact that life is fragile and easily taken away, full of chance and anarchy. This is best exemplified in the line one of the killers gives as an explanation for their actions, stating that they targeted the original victims simply “Because you were home.” The new sequel trilogy seems to instead hint at a deeper criterion behind the slasher’s selection of prey.
In The Strangers: Chapter 1, when faced with a similar question, the response is now changed to “Because you were here.” The small difference of one word has a big implication on the new version of the killers’ actions. The next movie will have to explain whether this was meant to signify that Maya and Ryan were targeted simply for coming to Venus, or if they had some different, more sinister reason for targeting them.
6 Is Scarecrow At The End Real?
…or is his presence simply the manifestation of trauma?
Scarecrow’s surprise presence at the hospital alongside Maya is one of the most terrifying images The Strangers: Chapter 2 could’ve chosen to end on, once again putting Maya’s life in danger while leaving audiences with a distinct sense of unease. It’s most likely that this scene can be taken at face value, with Scarecrow returning to finish the job. However, the masked murderer’s presence could very well be more metaphorical than literal.
It’s possible that Scarecrow’s presence was simply a visual reflection of Maya’s mind after surviving her close brush with death at the hands of The Strangers. After all, being able to successfully infiltrate a hospital would be outlandish even for Scarecrow’s aptitude for stealth. Scarecrow could instead be a hallucination, a visual representation of Maya’s trauma following the harrowing events of the film.
5 Who Was Involved In The Strangers’ Attack?
A genuinely good actor, or just another victim?
In both films, the killers of The Strangers and The Strangers: Chapter 1 never have their true identities revealed. The implication that the humble town of Venus gave some backing or legitimacy to The Strangers’ actions could open up a wider group of people as possibly being involved, however, with everyone Maya and Ryan interact with being a suspect of at least aiding in the murders. Among them, several notable candidates stand out as possible perpetrators.
Of the plainclothes citizens of Venus Maya and Ryan interact with, the older waitress at the diner is particularly hostile towards them. Upon learning that the young couple have been together for five years but are still yet to be married, she seems to get upset, possibly implying some religious undertones were motivating The Strangers’ attack. Additionally, the Airbnb they stayed at was recommended to them by the auto mechanic working on their car, and the young woman who drove them there would know the location, making both townsfolk prime suspects.
4 Who Are Witch Face And Ghost Skull?
The nicknames of two absent killers must get an explanation
One of the most potent mysteries regarding the release of The Strangers: Chapter 1 lies not in the film itself, but in the IMDb credits. The IMDb cast of The Strangers: Chapter 1 credits stunt doubles for characters that don’t seem to appear in the film, two killers going by the nicknames “Witch Face” and “Ghost Skull”. Yet neither character seems to make an appearance in the movie, with the three killers who do appear already being nicknamed Scarecrow, Dollface, and Pin-Up.
It’s likely that Witch Face and Ghost Skull are new Strangers that will appear in the upcoming The Strangers: Chapter 2. They may have been originally slated to appear in the first film to kickstart the new trilogy, but were cut from the final edit later in the film’s life, resulting in the discrepancy. Who Witch Face and Ghost Skull are and what their masks will look like makes for an exciting element for the sequel to reveal.
3 Would Maya And Ryan Have Lived If They Took The Church Flyers?
Are The Strangers’ motivations for killing religious?
The new trilogy of The Strangers movies seems to imply a deeper meaning behind the horrific acts of its antagonists in comparison to the original’s description of random, wanton violence. Many of the townsfolk of Venus behave suspiciously around their guests, immediately casting suspicion on them as being involved in the murders somehow. The two evangelical boys that Maya and Ryan encounter early on may be the most crucial element to the entire mystery.
Maya and Ryan politely decline the offer of a flyer for Venus’ local church, pitting themselves as the secular elitists against the religion of the small-town, salt-of-the-Earth venus residents. As this exchange takes place, a group of three is briefly shown sitting in a truck not unlike the one driven by The Strangers later on. As one of the boys even glances their way, it’s possible that the flyers were a sort of morality test that determines whether The Strangers of Venus go after any outsiders that find themselves there.
2 Did Maya And Ryan’s Car Break Down On Its Own?
Or were Ryan’s suspicions truly unfounded?
Again, The Strangers: Chapter 1 seems to be at odds with the element of random chance present in the first film, presenting the killers’ actions as being possibly far more calculated. Upon learning that their car broke down, Ryan voices his belief that the mechanics outside the diner surreptitiously disabled their vehicle while they weren’t looking, forcing them to book a last-minute stay overnight and pay them to fix the issue. It’s possible that Ryan was half right, with the motive behind the act of vandalism being far more disturbing than petty monetary reasons.
How the sequel explains this, if at all, will determine if the new trilogy of films is fundamentally altering the themes of the original. By having the irate townsfolk sabotage Maya and Ryan’s car, The Strangers: Chapter 1 risks ruining the premise of terrifying wanton violence by turning it into a carefully calibrated attack on a pre-chosen set of victims. The sequel will need to confirm or deny this to make the new franchise’s intentions clear.
1 Will Maya Survive The Next Strangers Film?
Or will her final girl status be a red herring?
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Just barely making it to the end credits of The Strangers: Chapter 1, Maya joins the exclusive ranks of slasher movie final girls. The final girl trope refers to the sole female survivor of many horror movies, including the start of the new The Strangers trilogy. However, it could be that the film’s producers are deliberately misleading audiences, and will subvert expectations by killing Maya off in The Strangers: Chapter 2.
Exactly what The Strangers trilogy will do with Maya will go a long way to informing the series’ goals. Killing her off would stay in the spirit of the original film, whereas having her live as a heroic figure or even become a Stranger herself would veer in another direction entirely. Either way, Maya will be critical to the sequels of The Strangers: Chapter 1, likely to remain a focal point for the series to subsist on.