Madelaine Petsch has opened up about the moment of "genuine fear" she felt while filming her new horror movie The Strangers: Chapter 1.
The first part of director Renny Harlin’s planned trilogy – which itself is a remake of 2008’s The Strangers starring Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman – sees Petsch play Maya, whose night at a remote cabin with her partner Ryan (Froy Gutierrez) turns into a fight for survival when three masked strangers terrorise them.
Speaking exclusively to Digital Spy ahead of Chapter 1's release on May 17, Petsch – who also served as an executive producer on the films – recalled a particular scene from the first instalment that still "sticks" with her.
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"The nice thing of being a producer on these films is that I knew every single thing that was happening every day, so they couldn't trick me, but there are moments that still stick with me," she shared.
"The axe was real, that's not a CGI axe going through a door, that's really my face next to an axe through a door so that was genuine fear when it came through the door. I like to think everything in this film is genuine fear.
"Those Strangers never took their masks off when they were in the room with me. They allowed this sense of separation so when they were in the room, I knew I was meant to be in a heightened state already."
Related: Madelaine Petsch reveals new Strangers trilogy takes place over five days
Elsewhere during our chat, the Riverdale star discussed what it was like building a connection with her on-screen partner Froy Gutierrez, who she said "anybody could have chemistry with".
"He is just so charming, I can't speak highly enough of him, so it was very easy. We were also very lucky, I came about two weeks before we started shooting and he came a week before we started shooting, so we spent tons of time together," she said.
"It's really important to feel authentically connected, I think, to show on camera and we really spent time doing that. He's also just a very charming individual and very easy to get along with."
The Strangers: Chapter 1 is released in cinemas on May 17.
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Social Executive, Entertainment Portfolio After completing her joint honours degree in Journalism and English Literature at Cardiff University, Iona joined Digital Spy as a Content Production Intern in 2022, where she wrote across both news and features, specialising in TV and movies. Following her internship, Iona continued contributing to the site as a freelance reporter, becoming social executive for the Hearst UK entertainment portfolio in summer 2025. Iona now leads the DS social channels, covering red carpets with stars such as Paul Mescal, Austin Butler, and more.
Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
