In Just 1 Day, The Sequel Dubbed ‘The Worst Horror of 2025’ Becomes an Instant Streaming Hit

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Horror movies are increasingly popular, and many independent studios are producing compelling films across various subgenres like slasher, supernatural, and psychological thrillers. While 2025 saw some noteworthy horror releases, the year as a whole didn’t achieve blockbuster success.

A year after the release of The Strangers: Chapter 1, the second film in the new trilogy arrived. Both movies are part of The Strangers series, which began in 2008 with a film directed by Bryan Bertino and starring Liv Tyler. Despite receiving poor reviews, The Strangers – Chapter 2 has quickly become popular on the streaming service Starz, according to FlixPatrol.

The latest horror movie in the series launched on a streaming service on January 24th and quickly rose to the number one spot in the U.S. charts by January 26th. The first film, The Strangers: Chapter 1, also entered the Top 10, landing at number nine.

Directed by Renny Harlin and written by Alan R. Cohen, The Strangers: Chapter 1 stars Madelaine Petsch (known from Riverdale) as Maya. The film centers on a couple whose road trip takes a terrifying turn when they encounter three masked psychopaths.

Chapter 2 of The Strangers features the return of Bailee Petsch as Maya and director Johannes Harlin. This time, the Strangers are even more violent and determined than before.

The new movie’s story centers around Maya, who unexpectedly survives an encounter with a terrifying home invasion trio. Now, The Strangers are back to finish the job, and Maya finds herself in a desperate fight for survival, with no safe place to hide and no one she can rely on. They’ll eliminate anyone who tries to protect her, relentlessly driven by a mysterious and disturbing goal.

Critics didn’t like The Strangers: Chapter 1, giving it a low 21% rating and a ‘rotten’ label. Audiences weren’t much more impressed, with a 45% approval score.

The second movie received even more negative reviews than the first, scoring a very low 15%. Many considered it the worst horror film of 2025, and Medium criticized it for being unnecessarily slow and lacking a compelling story.

Despite the film’s overall reception, Madelaine Petsch, known for her role in Riverdale, was widely praised for her acting. Amelia Emberwing of Daily Dead noted that Petsch’s strong performance was the film’s best feature, making viewers somewhat invested even with the movie’s other flaws.

The Strangers Franchise Continues

As a big fan of horror, I’ve been following this slasher series closely. It’s amazing to me that both films have done so well at the box office, even though critics weren’t kind! The first one made almost $48.2 million on an $8.5 million budget, and the second one brought in $22 million with a comparable budget. Because of that success, I’m thrilled to hear they’re already planning another sequel!

With the release of The Strangers – Chapter 3 on streaming, fans can revisit the first two movies just in time for the new installment. Actress Madison Petsch returns, saying this is a dream role, and this film will conclude the Strangers series.

Gabriel Basso, Ema Horvath, and Richard Brake are back to star in the next installment of The Night Agent, and Renny Harlin is directing.

You can now watch The Strangers: Chapter 2 on Starz. The Strangers: Chapter 3 will be released in movie theaters on February 6th.

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2026-01-26 21:09