The Strangers: Chapter 1 2024

Maya and her boyfriend, Ryan, set off on a cross-country journey to celebrate their fifth anniversary, with plans for Maya to secure a job in Portland, Oregon. Their travels take an unexpected turn when they find themselves lost and stop in the quaint town of Venus, where they dine at a local diner. However, their experience quickly turns sour as the locals begin to disturb them, tensions mounting further when their car unexpectedly breaks down.

The town’s mechanic, Rudy, offers to fix their vehicle the next morning, leaving the couple to spend the night in an Airbnb. Their unease escalates when a mysterious girl inquires about someone named Tamara, met with confusion by Maya and Ryan. Later, Ryan heads back into town on a motorcycle to retrieve an inhaler he left behind, while Maya remains alone at the rental, unaware of the lurking dangers.

While she plays the piano and afterward takes a shower, a chilling presence watches her—the Scarecrow stalks silently in the shadows. When the power suddenly goes out, Maya’s panic intensifies with the sudden appearance of Dollface, prompting her to hide. Fortunately, Ryan returns just in time to comfort her, dismissing her fears as mere tricks. Their moment of respite is shattered when they notice blood dripping from a dead chicken hanging above—a sign of the looming horror.

Without warning, the Scarecrow bursts through the front door, forcing them to flee outside only to have their escape thwarted when he blows up their motorcycle. In desperation, they rush back inside to gather weapons for their defense. As they navigate a crawl space to evade capture, Maya injures her hand on a nail. Ryan finds a shotgun and bravely rescues her from another attack, but a tragic mishap occurs when he mistakenly shoots the Airbnb’s owner, believing him to be an assailant.

Seizing the keys, they attempt to escape in the owner’s car only to be violently T-boned by the Scarecrow. In the chaos, Maya escapes into the woods while Ryan is immobilized, his leg trapped. Once again, fate turns cruel when Maya’s attempt to call 911 fails due to poor service, leading her to uncover a corpse amidst the darkness. As she delves further into the ominous woods, she encounters Dollface and is rendered unconscious.

Meanwhile, Ryan searches frantically for Maya and confronts the Pin-Up Girl, holding her at gunpoint for answers. However, their confrontation takes a dark turn when the Scarecrow ambushes him, knocking him out cold. Regaining consciousness, both find themselves restrained in chairs within the house of horrors. In a desperate moment, Ryan proposes to Maya, and she joyfully accepts, though their joy is short-lived.

Tragedy strikes as Ryan is fatally stabbed; his chair topples, causing him to choke on his own blood. Amid screams and chaos, Maya cries for the motive behind their torment, to which the Pin-Up Girl coldly replies, “because you’re here.” As the chilling scene unfolds, Maya too is stabbed and thrown aside, leaving their fates hanging in the balance. As police sirens wail in the distance, the perpetrators flee the scene.

Maya eventually awakens in a hospital bed, fighting for her life, only to discover the horror that lies beside her: the Scarecrow, a sinister reminder of the night she barely survived.