Writer-director Bryan Bertino's 2008 home invasion movie The Strangers features a clutch of truly terrifying moments. These include the point when a masked character appears out of the shadows to observe an oblivious Liv Tyler, and the climactic revelation as to why Tyler's character and her Scott Speedman-played boyfriend have been targeted by the film's trip of killers. ("Because you were home.")

Both of those horror highlights are referenced in the just-released trailer for The Strangers: Chapter 1 (out May 17), the first film in a trilogy of movies inspired by the 2008 original.

The Strangers: Chapter 1 stars Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez as a couple who stop at a remote vacation rental in the woods during a road trip and become the prey of a mysterious gang of masked strangers who attack without warning or reason.

John Armour/Lionsgate

This new trilogy was directed by Cliffhanger and Deep Blue Sea director Renny Harlin, who last year told EW that overseeing the Slovakia-shot production was "the challenge of a lifetime."

"On a Monday morning, I could be shooting the second chapter, and Monday afternoon I could be shooting the first chapter, and Tuesday morning I could be shooting the third chapter," he said. "It was incredibly demanding for the actors, for the continuity in terms of the makeup and wardrobe, and for my director of photography, because we wanted to create a visual language that develops so that the movies get bigger, more epic as we go [on]. It just kept all of our juices pumping all the time."

The Strangers: Chapter 1 costars Gabriel Basso and Ema Horvath. The film will be released in theaters this May 17.

Watch the trailer for The Strangers: Chapter 1 below.

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