By Crystal Justine
The year was 2024 when Lionsgate promoted a prequel trilogy to The Strangers franchise. Fans were hyped at the thought of finally learning more about the three mysterious masked killers and answering the question everyone has had since the original 2008 film: “Who the heck is Tamara?” Directed by Renny Harlin, The Strangers: Chapter 1 premiered in May 2024, The Strangers: Chapter 2 was released in September 2025, and the final film, The Strangers: Chapter 3, hit theaters recently February 6, 2026.
Now that the full set of films has been released, it is easy to say that The Strangers: Chapters 1–3 is the worst horror trilogy of all time for several reasons. The biggest downfall is that from the start this trilogy was marketed as a prequel when it simply is not. By the third film, the narrative suddenly shifted into being a “reimagining” set in an alternate timeline from the 2008 film. The prequel angle was already ruined in Chapter 1 alone, thanks to technology and details that clearly place these films well after 2008, making the entire premise feel sloppy and dishonest from the jump. The prequel tactic was to get butts in seats, and that marketing ploy worked—at least for the first film of three.
The Strangers: Chapter 1 is essentially a poorly executed remake of The Strangers (2008). A young couple travels to a small town filled with suspicious people, heads to a cabin in the woods, there is a knock at the door, and the rest plays out exactly as expected. The only real differences are worse acting and even dumber character decisions. Every choice the characters make seems to be the worst possible option, leading to moments that are outright ridiculous, such as pointing a gun at your girlfriend’s head but somehow not shooting the killer standing right in front of you a few scenes later.
The Strangers: Chapter 2 is a marathon to get through, and that is meant literally, as Madelaine Petsch spends almost the entire film running. The amount of cardio she endured might be the most impressive thing about this trilogy. While the second film teases a prequel vibe, it is just as bad as the first, if not worse. Once again, the movie is riddled with nonsensical decisions, lackluster kills, and a scene in the woods that is so absurd it is more likely to make you laugh than feel scared.
The final installment, The Strangers: Chapter 3, is easily the worst film in the entire franchise. People in my theater were falling asleep, and someone actually stood up and cheered when the credits rolled out of sheer relief. The film attempts to introduce twists, but everything is either painfully obvious or completely meaningless. It aims for emotional impact, but none of it lands. The pacing drags so badly that the runtime feels twice as long, leaving the audience clock-watching as they wait for it to end. The ending fails to provide any meaningful connection to the 2008 film, offering no satisfying prequel story whatsoever. While the ending will likely just piss fans off, there is at least comfort in knowing there are no more chapters left to suffer through.
As a trilogy, The Strangers: Chapters 1-3 fails across the board with weak storytelling, careless editing, poorly written characters, and dialogue that makes you feel bad for the actors who had to deliver it. There are a few redeeming qualities. Madelaine Petsch and Gabriel Basso are capable actors who deserved far better material. Petsch, in particular, was put through the wringer physically and emotionally across all three films. The sound design is another bright spot. While most of the scares did not work, the films at least sounded good in theaters.
Overall, this is not a trilogy worth recommending to anyone. If you are a fan of the franchise, stick to The Strangers (2008) and The Strangers: Prey at Night. Let this trilogy fade from your memory, because it is roughly five hours of your life you will never get back.
The smartest thing Lionsgate did with this trilogy was make money. Filming all three films simultaneously cut costs and allowed the studio to push them out quickly. The trilogy reportedly cost around $25–$30 million total. Chapter 1 made $48 million, Chapter 2 made $22 million, and Chapter 3, which just released, has made about $4.5 million so far. Each installment earned less than the last as audiences grew increasingly disappointed, but the studio still doubled its investment overall. The audience lost, but the studio won.
Will this model of filming an entire trilogy at once become a trend for other studios looking to cut costs and maximize profits? Possibly. Hopefully, if it does catch on, the quality of the films will be far better than what is easily one of, if not the worst horror trilogy ever made.
