The Strangers Chapter 3 finally brings this godawful trilogy to a close. We suffered Chapter 1 back in May 2024…
Then after endless delays, Chapter 2 was pushed out the door last September, and now, Lionsgate are shitting out Chapter 3 in February 2026, in the expectation it’ll sweep the board at the Oscars… (ahem).
This one goes back in time a bit to “3 years ago” for reasons that didn’t even register, given how terrible the first two films were, but even this threequel seems to jump about in time a bit occasionally, unless I was hallucinating, but I’m sure I saw someone shoved through a mincer, then a bit later they were alive and then chopped up again. I had no fucking idea why.
And how did Rachel Shenton get pulled into this, and with a risible attempt at an American accept? Surely her Channel 5 dramas aren’t THEY bad? Well…
The Strangers Chapter 3 racks up the cliches such as when Maya’s (Madelaine Petsch) seen driving at speed, a car comes the other way, so our stupid heroine MUST go offroad and crash into a tree(!)
Personally, I’m just rather sick of serial killer films where they murder innocent people for absolutely no reason. it. It’s a grim situation when it happens, and it shows a lack of originality to put on the cinema screen. As well as the insanity of whoever greenlights them.
I expect Madelaine Petsch thought she had it made in getting signed to a Hollywood trilogy which would all go to the big screen, guaranteed… Well, we all make stupid decisions in life.
This film does attempt to give us some backstory as to how The Strangers started, but by this point, no-one gives a shit. They’ll tie people up after easily overpowering them, but how come in 2026, the victims are always the only Americans WITHOUT guns? I have zero sympathy for them.
Even when they do some murders, the action is mostly just off-camera. Why not go all-out and make this a gory 18-certificate if you’re going to make us sit here for 90 minutes plus adverts each time?
I understand after the first film’s poor reception – and given how the trilogy was originally filmed between September and November 2022, Chapter 2 underwent one week of reshoots, while Chapter 3 had three weeks of them. They completely wasted their fucking time.
In the ’90s, Renny Harlin brought in great action movies like Die Hard 2 and The Long Kiss Goodnight. What the fuck happened?
In fact, the studio even has plans for a four-and-a-half-hour screening of this shite! …albeit with an intermission. Lord of the Rings re-releases, TAKE NOTE!
NOTE: There are no mid- nor post-credits scenes.
The Strangers Chapter 3 is in cinemas now, and is so far only available to pre-order on Blu-ray, ahead of its release date TBA.
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 91 minutes
Release date: February 6th 2026
Studio: Lionsgate Movies
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 (ARRI Alexa Mini LF (Main Camera), ARRI Alexa Mini LF, Hawk class-X Anamorphic, Mini Hawk Hybrid Lenses, Zeiss Standard Speed, DJI Action Cam 2, RED Komodo)
Cinema: Odeon Trafford Centre
Rating: 0/10
Director: Renny Harlin
Producers: Alastair Burlingham, Mark Canton, Charlie Dombek, Christopher Milburn, Madelaine Petsch, Gary Raskin, Courtney Solomon
Screenplay: Alan R Cohen, Alan Freedland
Music: Justin Burnett, Òscar Senén
Cast:
Maya: Madelaine Petsch
Debbie: Rachel Shenton
Gregory: Gabriel Basso
Shelly / Pin-up Girl: Ema Horvath
Scarecrow: Matus Lajcak
Sheriff Rotter: Richard Brake
Dollface: Krystal Ellsworth
Claire: Hannah Galway
Young Scarecrow: Jake Cogman
Judge: Leo Petrus
Teenage Lumberjack: Canaan Davidson
Young Pin-up Girl: Nola Wallace
Carol: Janis Ahern
Deputy Walters: Pedro Leandro
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.