Universal Pictures has blessed us with a second trailer for their new doll horror movie “M3gan” and it’s just as unhinged as the first. While producer Jame Wan’s “Annabelle” horror franchise relies on demonic possession to make the doll creepy. “M3gan” is a shiny 21st-century update that uses tech to fuel the doll’s killing spree.
The film centers around M3GAN (played by Amie Donald, voiced by Jenna Davis), a lifelike doll and a marvel of artificial intelligence. Designed by Gemma (Allison Williams) a brilliant toy-company roboticist, M3GAN, is programmed to be a child’s greatest companion and a parent’s greatest ally. She can listen, watch, and learn while she becomes a friend, teacher, playmate, and protector, for the child she is bonded with.
During the design process, Gemma suddenly becomes the caretaker for her orphaned 8-year-old niece, Cady (Violet McGraw). Gemma is not at all prepared to be a parent. So between this and pressure at work, she makes the only logical decision and pairs her prototype with Cady. Even specifying that M3GAN should guard Cady against physical and emotional pain. An instruction that, of course, has horrific consequences, like murder while doing TikTok dances.
Killer dolls are a well-worn horror staple that movies “M3gan” and the 2019 “Child’s Play” remake are bringing new life to. Due to their small stature and being made out of vulnerable materials like plastic, audiences have become a bit jaded about the idea. But dolls like M3GAN can now connect to any electronic device allowing them to use the internet to mane and kill. This now makes them an omnipresent force for terror and taps into our innate fear of new and invasive technology.
“M3gan” is directed by Gerard Johnstone with a screenplay by Akela Cooper. The screenplay itself was based on an idea by Cooper and James Wan. Jason Blum will also be producing under his Blumhouse Productions banner. Blumhouse and Wan’s Atomic Monster Productions collaborating on this film is kind of a proof of concept for their pending merger.
“M3gan” is set to hit theaters on January 6th, 2023. Check out the second trailer below:
