San Diego Comic-Con 2025 Goes Full Scare Mode with “The Strangers: Chapter 2”

Lock your doors, draw the curtains—and maybe skip that late-night hotel hallway stroll—because The Strangers are back and they’ve RSVP’d to San Diego Comic-Con 2025. On Thursday, July 24, from 4:15PM to 5:15PM in Ballroom 20, things are about to get uncomfortably quiet… and then screamingly loud.

The Strangers: Chapter 2 is slashing its way into SDCC with a bone-chilling panel featuring scream queen Madelaine Petsch (Riverdale), legendary director Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2, Exorcist: The Beginning), and producer Courtney Solomon (After). Expect sneak peeks, exclusive reveals, and just enough tension to make you eye the person sitting next to you suspiciously.

Believe it or not, the very first Strangers film also crashed SDCC—back in 2007. Bryan Bertino, Liv Tyler, and Scott Speedman teamed up for a teaser-trailer panel that haunted attendees long after viewing. Now, with trilogy ambitions locked in, the sequel series is back to steal the spotlight once more.

In this sequel, Maya (Petsch) survived the first brutal encounter, but The Strangers don’t like loose ends. With the same unhinged energy and creepy masks that made you check your backseat for weeks, they’re back to finish what they started. No one is safe. No one can be trusted. And if you thought Chapter 1 was intense, Chapter 2 is here to make you sleep with the lights on… again.

Harlin brings his action-horror A-game, while writers Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland inject just enough dread to keep you from ever vacationing in a remote cabin again. Alongside Petsch, the cast includes Gabriel Basso (The Night Agent) and Ema Horvath (What Lies Below), ensuring that even if Maya runs, she won’t be alone—but she might still be doomed.

The Strangers are creeping into theaters September 26, 2025. But if you want a terrifying taste early, Ballroom 20 is where the nightmare begins. Bring your friends, but maybe don’t split up. Just in case.