If you have seen the bonkers trailer for M3GAN, Blumhouse’s latest production, you already know we are in for a killer doll, the likes of which we have never seen. The titular evil AI dances her way onto screens and into our lives in less than a month, and many cannot wait for this upcoming horror movie to hit theaters. Annabelle and Chucky, eat your hearts out. Well, the director, Gerard Johnstone, is not about to let the magic that went into bringing the newest horror icon to the big screen out of the box. As a matter of fact, the filmmaker has a surprising response when asked how the doll was created.
While talking with Total Film via CBR, Gerard Johnstone caught up with our sister site Total Film and revealed (via CBR) that neither he nor anyone involved with the film could speak on how exactly they brought the doll to life for the silver screen. Whether she was portrayed by a living actor, an animatronic, CGI, or a mix of all three techniques, Johnstone wouldn’t reveal. All the director would confirm for sure was that it was a “multi-tiered approach.” (That doesn't sound ominous at all.)
This is an exciting approach for Blumhouse and the movie makers to take regarding the sinister character, though. The second trailer, which just recently dropped reveals the spine-tingling M3GAN -- who sits squarely in the uncanny valley -- in action. I think the director and his team keeping the secret of how they brought the malevolent character to life so close to their chests only makes the character more unknowable and far scarier. It’s a brilliant choice that will either consciously or unconsciously make moviegoers more uncomfortable when they finally are able to watch the movie. Check out the trailer below:
The flick centers on a roboticist (played by Get Out’s Allison Williams) at a toy company that uses artificial intelligence to develop the life-like doll that the film is name after . The high-tech toy is programmed to bond with her niece (played by The Haunting of Hill House’s Violet McGraw) as well as to protect the girl. But, the doll takes things a bit too seriously, and her overprotective nature results in all kinds of horror movie bloodshed.
Based on early reactions for M3GAN, it may be one of the best horror movies in recent years. Well, if not one of the best, at the very least, it will be one of the most fun because producer Jason Blum -- whose production company Blumhouse teamed with James Wan for the horror flick -- promised a movie that embraces elements of black comedy.
Will the mystery surrounding how the filmmakers brought M3GAN to life make the movie-going experience a bit more unsettling for audiences? I suppose we won’t know until viewers get to see the doll in glorious action for themselves. The film slashes her way into cinemas on January 6, 2023. To plot out all your movie-going plans, check out CinemaBlend's list of upcoming movie releases.
