The Following Preview: Poetry Of A Killer Promo Introduces Kevin Bacon And James Purefoy

Kevin Williamson, the man behind Scream, The Vampire Diaries and, uh, Dawson's Creek, has a new show coming to Fox called The Following. Kevin Bacon stars in the thriller making a midseason debut as former FBI agent and current alcoholic, Ryan Hardy, brought back into the crime investigation fold when his biggest catch, Joe Carroll, a literature professor slash serial killer played by the excellent James Purefoy, escapes from prison.

But that's just the beginning. Soon after, the only girl to survive his spree, Maggie Grace as Sarah Fuller, is kidnapped by what appears to be a web of like-minded psychopaths working with the brilliant and sadistic Carroll. Take a look at this "Poetry Of A Killer" promo that introduces The Following which, from what I've heard so far, is apparently one of the most gruesome and chilling new series of recent years. Vintage Williamson. No, not Dawson's Creek. Just watch.

The spot does a great job of introducing the two leads, Bacon's Hardy and Purefoy's Carroll, as well as the rest of the FBI team investigating the break-out and ensuing crimes but there is still a lot missing from the preview. It's great to hear the set-up from the horses mouth, meaning Williamson, but I still recommend checking out the first trailer Fox released for the new series to get the complete picture including the fact that Hardy also had a relationship with Carroll's ex-wife and son. Yep. Complicated. What do you think about the new thriller about a sadistic murderer, his cult of serial killers and the troubled agent back to stop them?

The Following premieres midseason on Fox (Monday nights in 2013) and you can catch an early screening of the pilot at this year's Comic-Con.