Spooky children are a horror staple. From The Orphan‘s titular character to the sinister twins from The Shining, their sinister faces haunt even those who’ve never seen the films. The upcoming Shudder film The Twin adds to the ever-growing pantheon of terrifying movie children. The film, which stars Teresa Palmer and Steven Cree, follows a family seeking a fresh start after one of their young children dies in a car accident. However, their move to start anew does not go as planned. Someone, or something, has taken told of their surviving son. And the trailer is simply wild.
It has the creepy music, some classic Scandinavian folk horror cult nonsense thrown in for good measure, and a whole lot of screaming. It also boasts a very important element: a child who can flip from adorable to terrifying in the blink of an eye. Speaking of which, I have to say, I think this kid killed his brother. Is he a psychopath a la Kevin Khatchadourian? Or possessed by some sort of malevolent force—maybe his late brother’s? A little bit of both? Either way, we’re pretty intrigued.
Here’s a little more about The Twin:
Following the aftermath of a tragic accident that claimed the life of one of their twins, Rachel (Teresa Palmer) and husband Anthony (Steven Cree) relocate to the other side of the world with their surviving son in the hopes of building a new life. What begins as a time of healing in the quiet Scandinavian countryside soon takes an ominous turn when Rachel begins to unravel the torturous truth about her son and confronts the malicious forces attempting to take a hold of him.
Taneli Mustonen, whose previous horror forays include Lake Bodom, directs. He wrote the film with Aleksi Hyvärinen, who also co-wrote Lake Bodom.
The Twin premieres on Shudder on May 6. It also debuts in US and Canadian theaters on the same day.
