The Strangers: Chapter 1 Ending and Mid Credits Scene Explained (2024)

Renny Harlin's new horror thriller, The Strangers: Chapter 1 arrived in theaters on May 17, and it is the first of a planned trilogy, and a reboot of the popular horror franchise that began in 2008, with The Strangers, followed by The Strangers: Prey At Night in 2018. The story sees a couple forced to stay in a remote cabin in the woods in a creepy small town, after their car breaks down while they eat at a local diner. They are then terrorized by three masked strangers who appear to have no motive other than to cause extreme pain and fear to the young couple.

The Strangers Chapter 1 stars Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez as the terrorized couple, and Matus Lajcak, Olivia Kreutzova, Latizia Fabbri as the new iteration of strangers attacking them. The new horror also stars Ryan Bown and Ben Cartwright. The movie comes courtesy of Lionsgate Films, with the world premiere taking place at Regal L.A. live on May 8, 2024.

What is The Strangers: Chapter 1 about?

Maya (Petsch) and Ryan (Gutierrez) are a loved-up couple on a road trip across the country, to start a new life in the Pacific Northwest. On their journey, they stop off for some food at a diner in a small town called Venus in Oregon, where they encounter some very unfriendly locals.

After finishing up their meal, they return to their car to find it not starting up properly. The mechanics nearby offer to fix the car, but tell them it won't be ready the same day, so they recommend a secluded AirBnb cabin in the woods, where Maya and Ryan can stay for the night.

The couple arrive at the cabin, and things are initially quite pleasant as they settle in, until they receive a weird knock at the door, and from that point onwards, the weirdness reaches fever pitch, as the couple find themselves being stalked by three crazed masked psychopaths known as Scarecrow, Dollface and Pin Up.

How does The Strangers: Chapter 1 end?

Maya and Ryan make their way out of the cabin after being chased by the masked intruders. Ryan has his shotgun, and when he sees a silhouette of a man approaching, he pulls the trigger and shoots the man dead. However, when the couple get closer, they realize the man Ryan killed was the cabin owner, Joe, who had arrived to attend to the fridge after Maya's request.

Maya and Jeff spot Joe's car and head towards it as a way of escaping the location. They get in and get the engine started, but one of the masked intruders has entered another car, and drives into Maya and Jeff repeatedly, until they are unable to move. Ryan tells Maya to run, while he is still trapped in the car. The masked intruder approaches the front of the car on foot, but Ryan shoots at him through the windscreen and manages to free his leg, and escapes.

Elsewhere, Maya is in the forest, and takes shelter in some brambles to disguise herself from the killers. She calls 911, but the reception is poor. She is tracked down by Pin Up Girl and knocked over the head. However, Jeff catches up to them, and points a gun at Pin up girl and tells her to drop her knife. Unfortunately, the scarecrow stranger catches up to them and hits Ryan over the head.

Maya and Jeff are now tied up in chairs back in the cabin, with The Strangers: Chapter 1's killers, Pin up girl, Dollface and Scarecrow surrounding them. Ryan proposes to Maya, and a teary Maya says yes, before Scarecrow stabs Ryan in the stomach and pushes his chair over, leaving him to bleed out on the floor and die. Maya asks them why they are doing this and the response is a variation on the original movie's iconic line 'Because you were home.'

Maya is then stabbed in the stomach and kicked to the floor to bleed out, but the strangers have to flee as they hear police sirens in the background. They make a getaway in their car as the police arrive. The ending of The Strangers: Chapter 1 sees Maya waking up in hospital, after surviving her brutal injuries.

The Strangers: Chapter One's post-credits scene, explained

The post-credits scene which returns to a distressed Maya in bed in the hospital, and the Scarecrow stranger is lying next to her. Renny Harlin has shot all three movies in his rebooted trilogy back to back, with Chapter 2 set to arrive later this year, and Chapter 3 coming along in 2025.