There’s a whole lot to talk through in the newly released trailer for Darren Aronofsky’s psycho-horror fever dream mother!, but first things first: when will casting directors stop marring Jennifer Lawrence off to disproportionately older men? She was 17 years Christian Bale’s junior in American Hustle, 16 years younger than Silver Linings Playbook costar Bradley Cooper, and 14 years behind Joy’s Edgar Ramirez. Now, she trails newest romantic opposite Javier Bardem by a staggering 22 years. Is all of Hollywood under the impression that she’s Benjamin Buttoning, and secretly in her mid forties? We love to rag on Passengers (because it is not a good film, to be fair), but at least it gave Lawrence a boytoy slightly closer to her age range.

At any rate, this trailer’s a real doozy. It’s not just that the footage on display is horrifying in and of itself, though it definitely is — we see a light bulb dripping blood before it explodes, a wave of decay spreading over non-organic material in the house like an instant plague, lots of anguished screaming, and a dark secret buried beneath the drywall in the basement. But the really disturbing quality is in the way these images are arranged, coupled with staccato string stabs and quick, jarring edits. The creepy little burrowing sound of the violins harkens back to classic horror, too, alluding to the harpy-like strings on the Psycho score. Though the overall vibe leans closer to The Shining, and its emphasis on the violence of atmosphere over all else.

Even while chilling a wider audience, the trailer plays it close to the vest with details of plot. We know Lawrence and Bardem are happily married, the arrival of a mencing couple played by Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer disrupt their domestic bliss, and Bardem’s revealed to be more than he seems. Apart from that, it’s a mystery — and I can’t wait to find out more. mother! debuts at the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals before opening September 15. Check out the latest poster below.

mother-jennifer-lawrence-poster
loading...

More From WGBF-FM