Upcoming horror movie amps up its marketing by having crazed killers pop up all over the nation

The Strangers: Chapter 1
(Image credit: Lionsgate)

Horror movie marketing has certainly improved over the past few years, but new franchise The Strangers has taken it to the next level by bringing the film's villains into the real world. 

The Strangers has been pulling out all the stops in order to promote the movie as the killer trio, known as Pinup Girl, Dollface, and the Man in the Mask, have been showing up unannounced all across the US scaring citizens. 

Alleged sightings of the three have been documented all over the internet. One person posted a video to TikTok showing the Strangers chasing their roommate into the house, another took to the neighborhood social site Next Door reporting a suspicious sighting of three masked individuals. So far they have been spotted in New York City, Seattle, Austin, Las Vegas, Coachella Music Festival, Stagecoach Music Festival, and Los Angeles. See more sightings below.  

The Strangers' official social media pages have also been getting in on the fun, reporting on their own mischievous activities. The trio documented their trip to the Big Apple writing, "New York City is full of strangers… We're right behind you," and even took a trip to Vegas. See more of The Strangers’ ventures below.

This isn't the first time the movie’s marketing has sent shivers up our spines as earlier this year the masked murderers started randomly appearing on Ring Doorbell cameras to promote the flick.

Based on Bryan Bertino’s The Strangers 2008 starring Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman, the upcoming horror trilogy brings new life to the classic home invasion story, starting with the first installment: The Strangers: Chapter 1. The movie follows a young couple on a cross-country road trip when their car breaks down in Oregon, forcing them to spend the night in a secluded Airbnb where they are terrorized by three masked strangers.

But Chapter 1, starring Riverdale’s Madeline Petch and  Froy Gutierrez, is just the beginning as the story will continue later this year with Chapters 2 and 3. The trilogy is directed by Deep Blue Sea’s Renny Harlin and written by Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland.

The Strangers: Chapter 1 hits theaters on May 17, 2024. For more, check out our list of the best horror movies, or keep up to date with upcoming horror movies heading your way this year. 

Editorial Associate, GamesRadar+

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for SFX and Total Film online. I have a Bachelors Degree in Media Production and Journalism and a Masters in Fashion Journalism from UAL. In the past I have written for local UK and US newspaper outlets such as the Portland Tribune and York Mix and worked in communications, before focusing on film and entertainment writing. I am a HUGE horror fan and in 2022 I created my very own single issue feminist horror magazine.