It seems it is the season of psychological horror. After seeing the unnerving footage for Darren Aronofsky’s upcoming film mother!, Yorgos Lanthimos has laid his cards down in the first trailer for The Killing of a Sacred Deer.
Lanthimos became an indie household name last year after the release of his film The Lobster, a dystopian tale set in a world where everyone must find a mate or else be turned into an animal of their choice for the rest of their lives. Lanthimos is continuing with the animal theme for his latest project, but has left the meaning of it a mystery thus far.
The Killing of a Sacred Deer follows a teenager who is adopted into the wing of a prominent surgeon. As the teen’s actions grow sinister, though, the surgeon is forced to do the unexpected, and the teen’s dysfunctional family is affected in the process. The synopsis doesn’t give away much, which likely means that this film has a variety of twists and turns from the very beginning.
In apt fashion, the accompanying first trailer is infinitely eerie in what it decides to show audiences and what it leaves out. We see bodies collapsing like dead weight onto the floor; we see people panicking in a paralytic state; and we hear a young girl sing Ellie Goulding’s “Burn” throughout the entire footage. The song, originally meant as a dance tune, takes on a whole new meaning in this trailer, and likely foreshadows disturbing events to come. Based on these scenes, it is unclear who or what are the sinister forces at hand in the film.
The film features Lanthimos’ The Lobster star Colin Farrell as well as appearances by Nicole Kidman, Dunkirk‘s Barry Keoghan, and Alicia Silverstone. The Killing of a Sacred Deer will hit theaters on November 3. Check out the trailer below.