The Enemy Is Ageing in This Teaser for M. Night Shyamalan’s Old
The Sixth Sense director's latest horror-thriller settles on a family who find they're prematurely ageing during a beach holiday
What if there was a beach that made you old? M. Night Shyamalan probably didn't pitch his latest film in those exact words, but it can't have been far off. After months of quiet speculation as to the enigmatic nature of Old, the director's forthcoming horror-thriller, a teaser trailer has arrived courtesy of yesterday's Super Bowl event. Though loosely based on the graphic novel Sandcastle, very little has been know about the plot. Until now.
So what is Old and why is it called Old? Going by this teaser, it takes place on a secluded beach where an extended family find themselves facing off against neither masked killers or giant crabs, but the ageing process itself. Isn't a holiday suppose to rejuvenate you, though? And what has this family done to deserve such treatment? In this thirty second clip, it's clear Shyamalan is making the most of the concept: a scene in which a pregnant woman's belly rapidly swells, coupled with lines like, “He was six years old this morning!”, promises a deliciously twisted yarn.
The premise is – true of much of Shyamalan's work – hokey as hell, but lest we forget that A-grade B-movies are what this filmmaker does best. And this one finds an impressive cast, including García Bernal, Eliza Scanlen, Thomasin McKenzie, Aaron Pierre, Alex Wolff, Vicky Krieps, Abbey Lee, Embeth Davidtz, and Rufus Sewell, most of whom we assume will be made prematurely old for our viewing pleasure.
Shyamalan's career took a bit of a nosedive following a series of undercooked blockbusters (Lady in the Water, The Last Airbender, After Earth), but he staged a comeback after reinventing himself as a purveyor of slick and self-aware B-movies (Split! The Visit! Glass!), produced on small budgets. Basically, we're totally on board for whatever high-grade schlock Shyamalan wants to serve us. Here's hoping this one can be seen in an actual theatre, surrounded by the screams of our fellow human beings. Now there's something that never gets old!
Old is currently scheduled for release in the US on 23 July, with a UK release date yet to be announced.
