The Strangers - Inspired by the Manson and Keddie Cabin Murders (2024)

The Strangers - Inspired by the Manson and Keddie Cabin Murders (1)

Inspired By A True Story December 4, 2023

August, 1969. Four people have been tasked with a mission: to murder strangers in the most gruesome fashion possible. The results of which haunted an entire nation for decades. In 2008, writer and director Bryan Bertino took this notion and crafted The Strangers, one of the most terrifying thrillers of this century, which answered the horrific question of why would you do this to us with a simple reply: because you were home.

Be careful out there, because The Strangers was inspired by a true story.

Listen to this episode of theInspired By A True Story podcast at any of the resources below or on your favorite podcast app to uncover the truth behind 2008’s The Strangers.

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2008’s The Strangers was written and directed by Bryan Bertino, and follows a young couple immediately following a wedding reception that led to a proposal gone bad. In other words, she said no. Scott Speedman stars as James Hoyt and Liv stars as Kristen McKay, and when they arrive home it’s very late at night, and strangers arrive at their door. What follows is a night of sheer terror as James and Kristen attempt to fend off three maniacs who happened to attack them, just because they were home.

In 2018’s The Strangers Prey at Night, a family of four stay at a remote mobile home park and are stalked by three strangers as well. That film starred Christina Hendricks and Martin Henderson and was written by Bryan Bertino and Ben Ketai, and directed by Johannes Roberts.

Welcome to Inspired By A True Story, a podcast where every two-weeks, our award-winning hosts and film critics discuss the genuine details that have inspired some of the most memorable true crime movies around. Each episode will break down the crime or crimes that inspired a specific film, and then discuss how factual that film is, versus how much is simply Hollywood magic.

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The Strangers - Inspired by the Manson and Keddie Cabin Murders (2)

The Strangers - Inspired by the Manson and Keddie Cabin Murders (3)

The Strangers - Inspired by the Manson and Keddie Cabin Murders (4)

The Strangers - Inspired by the Manson and Keddie Cabin Murders (5)

The Strangers - Inspired by the Manson and Keddie Cabin Murders (6)

The Strangers - Inspired by the Manson and Keddie Cabin Murders (2024)

FAQs

What was the inspiration for The Strangers? ›

Bryan Bertino Drew Inspiration From the Manson Murders When Making 'The Strangers' While the biggest draw of The Strangers is the titular Strangers, for Bryan Bertino his focus was on creating a horror story from the victim's perspective.

What inspired the strangers prey at night? ›

This actually is based on true events! The writer and director from the first movie, Bryan Bertino had an experience when he was younger when a stranger came to his house asking if a person who didn't live there was home.

What is The Strangers chapter 1 based on? ›

The Strangers: Chapter 1 is a "reimagining" and soft reboot of the 2008 film, The Strangers. Chapter 1 isn't a full-fledged remake because it changes enough about the original to be a new movie. It is heavily inspired by The Strangers (2008), though.

Was The Stranger based on a true story? ›

Netflix's Crime Thriller The Stranger Isn't a True Story - It's Based on a Bestselling Novel - IMDb. Netflix's latest crime thriller, The Stranger, is set for release on Jan. 30 and, in case you're wondering, no, it's not a true crime story.

What was the inspiration for the stranger? ›

The Stranger is a fictionalized account of the massive real-life manhunt for the killer of 13-year-old Daniel Morcombe, who was abducted on Queensland's Sunshine Coast in 2003 while on his way to buy Christmas presents for his family at a local shopping mall. He was later murdered.

What was stranger thing inspired by? ›

Several thematic and directorial elements were inspired by the works of Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, David Lynch, Stephen King, Wes Craven and H. P. Lovecraft. They also took inspiration from experiments conducted during the Cold War and conspiracy theories involving secret government programs.

Who were the killers in The Strangers? ›

The Strangers are the titular antagonists of The Strangers horror film series. The members consist of "Man in the Mask/The Scarecrow", "Dollface" and "Pin-Up Girl". The actors playing the trio are as follows: Man in Mask is played by Kip Weeks (original) and Damian Maffei (Prey at Nightl)

Who is under the mask in The Strangers? ›

Man in the Mask is the main antagonist of The Strangers and The Strangers: Prey at Night, appearing as the leader of the trio. He is portrayed by Kip Weeks and Damian Maffei.

Is The Strangers 2 a prequel? ›

Why are The Strangers so scary? ›

One of the scariest aspects to the movie is that the home invaders don't seem to have any motive: No backstory is given, and they display a coldblooded lack of emotion, empathy, or concern.

What true story was Stranger Things based on? ›

The Netflix TV series Stranger Things (2016) was inspired by the somewhat dubious Montauk Project, and at one time Montauk was used as its working title. The Montauk Experiment was featured on a season 8 episode of Discovery Channel's Mysteries of the Abandoned on October 23, 2003.

Who is Henry Teague in real life? ›

For starters, the name of Brett Peter Cowan's name has been changed in the film to Henry Teague, though it is later revealed in the film his original name was Peter Morley, possibly a nod to Brett Cowan's middle name.

What is the point of The Strangers movie? ›

The Strangers, follows a couple as they stay in a vacant vacation home after some relationship issues not realizing they will soon be fighting for their lives as three strangers are hunting them around the house to kill and terrorize. The film is pretty gruesome considering these were based on true events.

What are the motives of The Strangers? ›

The Killers Just Want To Hurt People

The Strangers: Chapter 1's killers are particularly frightening because of how mundane and random they are. The killers have no clear motivation beyond killing, and their lack of clear identities or motivation makes them even more frightening.

What is the main idea of The Strangers that came to town? ›

In his short story, The Strangers That Came to Town, Ambrose Flack is showing that true freedom is about being accepted. The Strangers That Came to Town's central theme is of freedom from the beginning, the middle, and the end of this compelling narrative.

What is the theme of the story The Strangers? ›

The theme of "The Strangers" is very straightforward: it is simply about our prejudices against people we do not know.

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