There’s a genre brewing in media recently. I like to call it “ smart home scares.” In it, a cast of characters lives out our own worst nightmares, that our tech will turn against us. Or worse, that someone else will use our tech against us. And that seems like what’s in the cards for HBO Max’s new show The Girl Before. The series actually already aired on BBC. But it will arrive on HBO Max in February. The Girl Before‘s trailer spins a story of suspense and scares.
The official description for the series shares:
The Girl Before tells the story of Jane (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), who gets the chance to move into a beautiful, ultra-minimalist house designed by an enigmatic architect (David Oyelowo). There’s just one catch: the occupants must abide by his list of exacting rules. Jane starts to feel the house changing her in unexpected ways, but when she makes the shocking discovery about her predecessor, Emma (Jessica Plummer), she’s forced to confront unnerving similarities. As the two women’s timelines interweave, Jane begins to question if her fate will be the same as the girl before…
Now, we know what you may be asking. Why on earth would you live in a house where someone else dictates your behavior? And the whole house practically spies on you? Well, to that we say, good point. But rent prices are wild out there. And, we hate to break it to you, but your whole house practically spies on you already. But, still, it does seem a little suspicious.
But, at least at first, it feels like the house is on Jane’s team. In fact, she seems quite enamored with it. And with the architect behind it. Of course, that can’t last. The house and the man both seem to have some deep secrets. But how deep and how scary we don’t yet know.
In the meanwhile, we’ll feel grateful our windows and stoves aren’t smart. Sometimes, it’s best to be a little foolish. HBO Max’s The Girl Before releases all four of its episodes on February 10.
