Madelaine Petsch is no stranger to fear—on screen, at least. The Riverdale star returns to the horror genre in Lionsgate’s The Strangers: Chapter 2, the newest entry into the reimagined franchise that has been keeping audiences afraid to answer their front doors for years. In a recent conversation with Deadline, Petsch opened up about stepping back into the role of Maya, the pressure of sustaining tension between takes, and why horror continues to thrive at the box office.
One of the most intriguing—and most challenging—aspects of this trilogy is that all three films were shot back-to-back, essentially as one long movie broken into chapters. Petsch explained how the unusual production schedule—which included filming each installment out of order—shaped her approach to the character and gave her a rare chance to develop Maya’s arc in real time.
Of course, shooting such emotionally and physically intense scenes doesn’t come without a cost. Petsch discussed how she prepared herself mentally before filming and admitted that leaving the fear behind once cameras stopped rolling wasn’t always easy. “I had one of the worst panic attacks of my life after shooting a really intense scene,” she revealed, underscoring the emotional toll of the work.
Petsch also shared her affection for horror classics, siting 1996’s Scream as one of her favorites. The experience of later working alongside Skeet Ulrich—who played Billy Loomis in that film—on the set of Riverdale was, as she put it, a surreal full-circle moment.
While careful not to spoil too much, Petsch offered a small tease of The Strangers: Chapter 3 and hinted that the terror is far from over. Watch the full video interview above to hear more from the star about her process, why she loves scary movies, and the future of the franchise.
The Strangers: Chapter 2 is now in theaters.