Chucky may be currently terrorizing the airwaves, but another distressing toy is making her presence known: the high-tech robot creation poised to trigger all your uncanny valley fears in M3GAN. The movie’s coming in January from producers James Wan (The Conjuring) and Blumhouse (Halloween), but you can get your recurring nightmares started with today’s trailer.
What if Small Wonder’s disobedient android was the whole show instead of just a special guest star? Except with sinister dance movies and violent Westworld vibes? That’s what M3GAN looks like.
Here’s the synopsis while your heart rate returns to normal: “She’s more than just a toy. She’s part of the family. M3GAN is a marvel of artificial intelligence, a life-like doll programmed to be a child’s greatest companion and a parent’s greatest ally. Designed by brilliant toy-company roboticist Gemma (Get Out’s Allison Williams), M3GAN can listen and watch and learn as she becomes friend and teacher, playmate and protector, for the child she is bonded to. When Gemma suddenly becomes the caretaker of her orphaned 8-year-old niece, Cady (Violet McGraw, The Haunting of Hill House), Gemma’s unsure and unprepared to be a parent. Under intense pressure at work, Gemma decides to pair her M3GAN prototype with Cady in an attempt to resolve both problems — a decision that will have unimaginable consequences.”
Mistakes were made! M3GAN is directed by Gerard Johnstone (Housebound); the screenplay is by Akela Cooper (who wrote Malignant and therefore is a proven commodity when it comes to “stories that make you go aw hell no!”) based on a story by Cooper and Wan (who knows a thing or two about creepy dolls… have you met Annabelle?). It hits theatres January 13.
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