New Trailers! Hokum, Obsession, Power Ballad, They Will Kill You and In the Grey
🎥 Adam Scott checks into a creepy inn, Teens encounter deadly love, Paul Rudd & Nick Jonas feud over a hit song, Zazie Beetz battles a cult, and Cavill, Gyllenhaal & González chase stolen billions.
🎥 “Hokum” Full Trailer: Adam Scott Encounters Strange Supernatural Forces at a Creepy Irish Inn in Damian McCarthy’s Folklore-Soaked Horror Thriller — Arriving In Theaters May 1st
Playing the “everyman” isn’t as easy as you might think. One might want to believe that the everyman is simply a dull and boring character who blends into the background because they are so bland that they become almost invisible. But in reality, portraying someone so seemingly ordinary requires a careful balance of restraint and relatability. The true purpose of the everyman is to serve as the audience’s entry point. The actor must create a character that allows the audience to project themselves onto him or her.
And right now we can’t think of a better everyman actor than Adam Scott. Though he may have first made waves playing the occasional jerk or two in Judd Apatow comedies, after two seasons of the acclaimed hit Severance, Scott has proven he possesses the rare ability to make an ordinary man feel endlessly watchable. And while it may sound a little like a backhanded compliment, his actions and reactions are the opposite of showy or splashy; he often comes off as completely unforced. Scott is so natural and believable that he grounds even the strangest moments in something that feels unmistakably human. Which is to say, he might be perfectly cast in Irish filmmaker Damian McCarthy’s upcoming supernatural horror thriller Hokum.
Here, Scott plays an American novelist traveling to rural Ireland to scatter the ashes of his parents at the place where they once honeymooned. And let’s just say, some strange and unsettling things begin to happen—only enhanced by the way Scott reacts to the increasingly bizarre situation unfolding around him. Most people with enough common sense would probably say, “Okay, screw this… I’m going home right away.” But then again, we wouldn’t have much of a movie, would we? That’s why it’s important to have someone like Scott anchoring the story in grounded believability as things spiral further into the strange and supernatural.
With his previous horror features Oddity (2024) and Caveat (2020), writer-director Damian McCarthy has carved out a name for himself as a minimalist yet highly stylish filmmaker with a knack for slow-burning dread and an unbelievably eerie atmosphere—the kind of creeping unease that lingers days after the movie is over. And this one looks no different, perhaps even drawing inspiration from the folklore-driven British horror films of the 1970s. Much of the story appears to unfold inside an old-fashioned, profoundly creepy Irish inn where, if the walls could talk, they’d probably be screaming bloody murder. It’s a place where the legend of an ancient witch is said to haunt the nearby woods, though the inn’s staff might prove just as unsettling.
Hokum (just in case you were wondering) is an old-fashioned word for nonsense, foolishness, or something intended to deceive or mislead. Think hogwash or baloney. Keep that in mind when the film arrives in theaters May 1st via Neon, the same studio behind acclaimed hits like Longlegs, Anora, and Parasite... so they clearly have a taste for the strange, the stylish, and the slightly disconcerting.
🎥 “Obsession” Full Trailer: A Lonely Record Store Clerk Gets His Wish for Love… Only to See It Turn Deadly in Curry Barker’s Buzzed-About Horror Starring Michael Johnston & Inde Navarrette — Coming to Theaters May 15th
They say, be careful what you wish for, because you might just get it. They also say love hurts. In the case of Obsession, a new horror movie generating a surprising amount of buzz since premiering at TIFF last September, these aren’t just old sayings. They’re warnings.
After gaining worldwide attention through popular shorts released online—including the hour-long found-footage horror Milk & Serial, which went viral in 2024 and racked up more than 2 million views on YouTube—Curry Barker, a 24-year-old filmmaker and online sketch comedian, has quickly become one of the latest directors to emerge from the world of social media.
Obsession marks Barker’s breakout feature debut, which reportedly sparked a major bidding war before ultimately landing a $14 million deal with Focus Features. Barker himself also struck a deal with Blumhouse’s Jason Blum, who not only executive produces Obsession but has also secured the filmmaker’s next two film projects. It’s the kind of trajectory that suggests building an audience online might be just as valuable as a film school diploma when it comes to breaking into Hollywood.
In Obsession, which Barker wrote, directed, and edited himself, Michael Johnston (of MTV’s Teen Wolf) stars as Bear, a socially awkward employee at a local music store who has quietly carried feelings for his childhood friend and co-worker Nikki for years. Too afraid to confess his emotions... and even more afraid of rejection, Bear stumbles upon a strange novelty item called the “One Wish Willow,” an object rumored to grant a single desire when snapped in half. Desperate for a chance at love, he makes the wish he’s always wanted.
Suddenly Nikki (Inde Navarrette, of CW’s Superman & Lois) begins returning his feelings with overwhelming enthusiasm, seemingly giving Bear the relationship he always dreamed about. But the magic behind the wish soon reveals a darker side. Her affection intensifies to dangerous levels, and there’s no stopping her insatiable devotion. As Bear quickly discovers, getting exactly what you want isn’t always the dream you imagined; it can sometimes turn into a nightmare.
Also co-starring Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, and Andy Richter, Obsession is coming to theaters May 15th. Bring a friend... but maybe not the one who’s secretly obsessed with you.
🎥 “Power Ballad” Trailer: Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas Face Off Over a Hit Song in John Carney’s Music-Fueled Dramedy — Hitting Theaters June 5th
Filmmaker and musician John Carney, of Once and Sing Street fame, is back with yet another musical feature. Now, his “musicals” aren’t necessarily the song-and-dance spectacles of the Busby Berkeley variety. Carney is much more in the folksy tradition, where the music grows naturally out of everyday life. And because of his rock roots playing in the Dublin band The Frames back in the ’90s, Carney comes with a certain musical authenticity. Many of his films center on musicians in the business, more often than not struggling to find their footing in an industry that can be notoriously fickle and unforgiving.
Power Ballad, Carney’s latest song-driven dramedy, continues the filmmaker’s fascination with musicians navigating the unpredictable highs and lows of the industry. This time, it’s Paul Rudd at the center, playing a washed-up songwriter turned struggling wedding singer who discovers that a once-popular but now fading boy-band star (played by Nick Jonas; a very interesting casting choice here) has taken one of his songs and turned it into a comeback hit.
But here’s the thing: the song in question appears to be something they were both working on during a fluke encounter that turned into an impromptu late-night jam session. Which raises the question: who actually wrote the song in the first place? Or better yet, who deserves the sole credit for it when inspiration struck both of them in the same room?
Well, any music fan would know that there has been a long-standing debate over song credit, from Lennon–McCartney to Jagger–Richards. Sometimes a song comes from one person’s genius spark of imagination, and other times it’s the product of two minds working in unison. But the hard truth is that when a song becomes a massive hit, questions of authorship can suddenly become a lot more complicated. Like they say, success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan no one wants to claim.
Havana Rose Liu (Bottoms) co-stars as the charming girlfriend of Nick Jonas’s Danny Wilson, a pop star eager to climb back onto the charts. That’s when Danny unexpectedly crosses paths with Paul Rudd’s Rick, a once-promising songwriter/musician who shares one of his old original songs; one they end up reworking together during a late-night session, only for Danny to later release it without Rick’s permission. What follows is a messy and bitter tug-of-war over authorship... and the price of creating a hit song without giving credit where it’s due.
Co-starring Peter McDonald, Marcella Plunkett, and Jack Reynor, Power Ballad looks to strike the right chord when it arrives in theaters June 5th.
🎥 “They Will Kill You” New Trailer: Zazie Beetz Battles a Satanic Cult Inside a Deadly NYC High-Rise in This Wild Horror-Action-Comedy with Tom Felton, Heather Graham & Patricia Arquette — In Theaters March 27th
Sure, some apartment buildings have really bad management. But others have cults living in them... and looking for their next human sacrifice. That’s the bizarre yet awesomely twisted premise behind They Will Kill You, a horror-action-comedy that turns a seemingly normal housekeeping job into a blood-soaked fight for survival inside one very dangerous high-rise.
Zazie Beetz unleashes a whole new wild side as Asia Reaves, a newly hired cleaning lady who quickly discovers that keeping things tidy might be the least of her problems. Trying to rebuild her life after a troubled past and desperate for a fresh start, Asia takes a housekeeping job at the Virgil, a towering New York City apartment building that appears quiet, upscale, and completely ordinary.
But the Virgil is hiding something sinister behind its polished exterior.
Soon after arriving for her first day of work, Asia discovers the building is secretly controlled by a fanatical demonic cult. Hidden passageways, deadly traps, and devoted followers transform the high-rise into a labyrinth designed to capture and sacrifice unsuspecting victims. And Asia just happens to be next on the chopping block: a human sacrifice for Satan.
As the cult members close in, she’s forced to fight her way through the building floor by floor, using quick thinking, improvised weapons, and sheer determination to survive the night. What they don’t realize, however, is that they may have picked the wrong woman for the job. Not today, Satan. Not today.
Joining Beetz in the blood-spattering mayhem is a strong ensemble playing the building’s sinister residents, including Myha’la, Paterson Joseph, Tom Felton, Heather Graham, and Patricia Arquette.
Produced by brother-sister filmmaking duo Andy and Barbara Muschietti (of It and It Chapter Two fame) alongside Dan Kagan, the film marks the English-language feature debut of Russian filmmaker Kirill Sokolov, who previously made the equally twisted 2018 horror romp Why Don’t You Just Die!
They Will Kill You is slated to open in theaters March 27th. Tickets are now available for presale.
🎥 “In the Grey” Trailer: Henry Cavill, Jake Gyllenhaal & Eiza González Lead a Sharp-Tongued Team of Elite Operatives on a Mission to Recover Billions in Guy Ritchie’s Globe-Trotting Espionage Actioner — Hitting Theaters May 15th
In most duos, there’s the brains and then there’s the brawn. So which is which when you’ve got Jake Gyllenhaal pairing up with Henry Cavill? Is Jake the muscle, or is it Cavill? Well, it seems they might both be the brawn, as the real brains of this operation could be Eiza González—turning this duo into more of a trio you don’t want to mess with.
Filmmaker Guy Ritchie has rounded up an impressive trio (three actors he’s worked with before, mind you) to deliver another snarky action thriller where the one-line quips fly just as fast and loose as the action itself.
Following action films like Fountain of Youth, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Covenant, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Ritchie once again teams up with Cavill, Gyllenhaal, and González for the globe-trotting espionage actioner In the Grey. The trio plays a team of elite operatives sent to retrieve stolen billions from a ruthless dictator, only to find themselves navigating shifting political alliances and escalating violence when their mission spirals from a recovery operation into a brutal fight for survival.
Also co-starring Rosamund Pike and Kristofer Hivju, the film is written and directed by Ritchie, who just might be one of the busiest filmmakers working today, having just launched the Prime series Young Sherlock this month while also spearheading the Tom Hardy–led crime series MobLand last year, as well as recently adapting his gangster film The Gentlemen into a Netflix series—all while maintaining a prolific film career. It seems Ritchie is hitting his stride and showing no signs of pulling back on the reins just yet.
In the Grey storms into theaters May 15th.