Dollface, the machete-wielding singer of the trio but how did she come to join forces with Shelly (Pin-Up Girl) and Gregory (Scarecrow)? We know that Shelly and Gregory found each other in grade school when their eyes met on the playground, eventually killing their classmate, Tamara, together, which bonded them for life. But where does Dollface fit into the equation? Was she another classmate that came upon their secret and discovered her true calling? Is she a victim of The Strangers forced to play along?
We know that we’re set to get more flashbacks of Young Shelly and Gregory as well as Teenage Shelly and Gregory, but nowhere have we seen any cast listed as “Young Dollface” or “Teenage Dollface”, so will we be getting flashbacks to how Dollface joined the group? Will it be mentioned briefly to Maya? Or is her identity set to be kept a secret (to those who didn’t see the leak) even after the credits roll on the final chapter?
If you also pay close attention to Chapter 2, in the scene following Maya’s boar attack, Pin-Up Girl is walking through the woods to find her, eventually finding the site where she was attacked. But they actually used two different shots. For the shots of her walking, you can see Pin-Up Girl wearing a darker blue denim jacket, and then the shot of her looking at the site her usual black denim jacket. That’s because the scenes with the blue jacket were from the Jeff Morrel attack, as seen in the Behind the Scenes.
So the fact that they used the footage there indicates it wasn’t needed for that scene anymore so they edited it in somewhere where it could be used. Rest assured, if the Jeff Morrel narrative has been cut, I’ll find a way to eventually learn what his story was.
The two mysterious strangers listed in the end credits of Chapter 1. Despite many people’s apprehension at the start, it seems a lot of fans are now in fact disappointed at the possibility of the new strangers being cut from the movie. Now, I suppose it’s fine for me to say that I’ve seen Ghostskull and Witchface after they were briefly leaked on Instagram and then quickly deleted. If I can somehow get that photo again I’d like to share it after the trilogy is done if I’m able to.
Ghostskull and Witchface were set to appear as the cliffhanger ending of Chapter 2, showing up at the crash site when Pin-Up Girl was killed. Other leaks from 2024 also show Ghostskull from behind speaking to a captive Maya, which now seems to have been replaced with scenes with Scarecrow based on the trailer. I’m guessing they may have been cut in the reshoots due to the reaction of fans who spotted their names in the credits. As disappointing as it is, it’s probably for the best as trying to fit them into the last 1.5 of the trilogy whilst concluding the rest of the story probably would’ve been too much.
Hopefully one day we can find out what the story behind Ghostskull and Witchface were. And I definitely have my theories on who were under those masks which I will share one day.
Debbie and Howard, the elusive sister and brother-in-law of Maya. In Chapter 1 they were off in Greece celebrating Howard’s birthday. In Chapter 2, they were doing whatever they could to try and get to Portland to help Maya, their flight being delayed in Heathrow. They eventually sent a private EMT to bring Maya to Portland to meet them, however he didn’t last long before being killed by Pin-Up Girl.
Based on the trailer, it looks like we might finally meet Debbie and Howard in the flesh, with a quick clip of Howard being attacked in an RV shown toward the end of the trailer. What their happenings in Venus are, we don’t yet know. But I have a feeling one of them won’t be making it out alive.
Was Maya and Ryan’s car truly sabotaged? Or were they just the unfortunate victims of genuine car troubles? Sure, as suspicious as most of the Venus locals seem to be, as far as we know not all of them are going around wielding knives, so they wouldn’t have any reason to want to trap them in this town. If we listen to the trailer, Deputy Walters notes that the Strangers never kill their own.
Although Shelly could have just as easily called up one of her companions to sabotage the car whilst Maya and Ryan were eating lunch. I do believe we are set to get more scenes filmed in the town square based on some promotional photos. I guess we’ll find out soon.
It’s safe to say that the townsfolk of Venus are way more suspicious than anyone needs to be. But to what extent are they involved? It’s clear that some, or all, of them are aware of the murders going on in town. So why do they turn a blind eye? Are they protecting the masked trio for some reason? Or are they just choosing to believe nothing is happening and keep up the picture perfect image they’re trying to portray
It’s been previously stated that Chapter 3 is supposed to end of a cliffhanger (unless the reshoots change that). So it begs the question: will Maya escape Venus or is she set to become a part of the dangerous cycle the town is stuck in. We’ve seen two sides to Maya in this chapter: the mask wielding Stranger and the shotgun wielding survivor. Which side of her is set to win? Of course, an ending where Maya gets stuck in Venus as the newest Stranger would be a fun change for the franchise, but a happy ending would be the more traditional route. Of course they could always kill her.
Only one way we’re going to know the answers to these questions: watch The Strangers: Chapter 3 on February 6th.
