The first trailer for upcoming horror flick Come Play was released last night, so we thought we would break it down a little and give you our First Thoughts.
“Azhy Robertson (Marriage Story) stars as Oliver, a lonely young boy who feels different from everyone else. Desperate for a friend, he seeks solace and refuge in his ever-present cell phone and tablet. When a mysterious creature uses Oliver’s devices against him to break into our world, Oliver’s parents (Gillian Jacobs and John Gallagher Jr.) must fight to save their son from the monster beyond the screen.”
There is a lot to like in this trailer and with a great cast and it feels fresh (even if it was adapted from the filmmakers short film). There are some beautiful shots in the trailer that show the isolation of characters. Unless the trailer is tricking us, there also doesn’t look like there will be much if any gore, which can be a positive, as some films recently have resorted to going overboard with the gore to get a reaction. Here, Come Play is playing up the scares a bit more, thus appealing for some younger audiences.
The use of screens here is also quite new and it is interesting to see ways that filmmakers creativeness is being utilised with the increase in technology that our protagonists have available to them. A usual trope is to set films in an era where such technology didn’t exist to escape the tech. But here we are jumping in with two feet with these devices.
The only downside to the trailer is that it is pretty clear it shows us where the finale is set up and rune just too long. As with most modern trailers it shows just a little too much, as audiences would have been sold on a shortened version of this trailer. It is a shame, but from the looks of it we are not seeing all of the scares from the film. We all know some film trailers that show practically every scare and death making seeing the film a mute point.
We also see a little too much of Larry, especially his face. This is one of those occasions where seeing less is more, especially in the first trailer. Overall Come Play looks like it will be a great watch for audiences and we are looking forward to it.
Will you play with Larry on October 31st?