The horror movie "M3GAN" might not be coming out until 2023, but based on response to the trailer, released Oct. 11, people are ready to attend — or run away screaming.
"M3GAN" follows the story of eight-year-old Cady (Violet McGraw) girl who moves in with her aunt Gemma (Allison Williams) after her parents die.
Gemma, a toy roboticist, introduces her niece to a life-like doll she programmed at work to be a child’s greatest companion and a parent’s greatest ally. She sings, speaks, and dances, and her number one goal in life is to protect Cady from mental and physical harm.
But while M3GAN, a prototype for a Model 3 Generative Android, is just a doll, things quickly escalate as she becomes more than just a toy, but a deadly murderer.
"M3GAN" is produced by Jason Blum and James Wan, who also co-wrote "Annabelle," about another terrifying, sentient doll. It's directed by Gerard Johnstone and Akela Cooper wrote the screenplay. The movie hits theaters on Jan. 13., marking the return of Williams to the horror genre after her performance in "Get Out." The voice of M3GAN is played by Jenna Davis.
The trailer provides a glimpse into the warped friendship Cady and M3GAN form. They bond over games, dancing, and other normal child things. Gemma says that it's the happiest she'd seen Cady since her parent's died.
But after building a strong connection, one of Gemma’s co-workers raises concerns. “They could be building emotional connections that are too hard to untangle,” one of Gemma’s co-workers says ... which — surprise, surprise — is exactly what happens.
While sitting at the dinner table over pizza, Gemma tells Cady to eat the toppings, after she noticed she’d taken them off. “Research shows that if you force a child to eat vegetables, they’ll be less likely to choose those foods as adults,” M3GAN says, chiming in.
“Is that so?” Gemma replies passively. Frustrated, Gemma grabs M3GAN’s remote control and tells her to turn off. But M3GAN doesn’t turn off. “I thought we were having a conversation,” M3GAN turns her head creepily and stairs in Gemma's eyes.
After those dinnertime antics, the trailer gets more tense — and more bloody.
What's intrigued viewers most is a scene of M3GAN dancing, straight-faced, in a blood-strewn hallway. Since the trailer came out, users have taken to TikTok filming their own renditions of the dance.
Users also swapped in different songs to accompany M3GAN's dance. "Alien Superstar" from Beyoncé's new album "Renaissance" made an appearance in one tweet.
Actually, make that two takes from "Alien Superstar."
Another features a Taylor Swift song with the fitting title, "It's Nice to Have a Friend." about friendship, fittingly.
The hype is real, as this tweet riffing off Nicole Kidman's message that plays before movies at AMC Theatres shows.
Megan Thee Stallion tweeted that she would be "thee first" to see the movie. "Not being biased but I think they made this movie for me," she said.
Who knows? M3GAN could be the new reigning doll of horror cinema. Move over, Chucky and Annabelle.
