The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power star Emma Horvath will be starring in the Renny Harlin remake of the 2008 horror film The Strangers. The original film, written and directed by Bryan Bertino, wasn’t particularly successful when it first appeared in cinemas but went on to become a sleeper hit, cementing itself as a cult horror classic that went on to spawn a sequel, The Strangers: Prey at Night, and now a remake just over a decade later.
Horvath, who can currently be seen as the Númenórean lady Eärien, daughter of Elendil in season one of Rings of Power, will be joining the cast of the upcoming horror which currently boasts Madelaine Petsch (Riverdale), Froy Gutierrez (Cruel Summers), and Gabriel Basso (Hillbilly Elegy).
The original horror film starred Liv Tyler (who also starred in The Lord of the Rings) and Scott Speedman, as a couple that was subject to a terrifying home invasion when they stay at James’ (Speedman) secluded childhood summer house. What should have been some quality alone time takes a turn for the sinister when someone comes knocking on their door.
Harlin’s remake is very similar but instead follows Petsch’s character as she drives cross-country with her longtime boyfriend (Gutierrez) to begin a new life in the Pacific Northwest. When their car breaks down in Oregon, they’re forced to spend the night in a secluded Airbnb, where they are terrorized from dusk till dawn by three masked strangers.
This adds another layer of horror for the audience as we shift locations from a childhood home, to an Airbnb, playing on our fear of staying in an unfamiliar location, a stranger’s house.
The Lionsgate remake is currently in production with filming having started in Slovakia. The film is intended to serve as the first in a trilogy.