Poor Things' First Trailer Shows Off Surrealism and a Bit of Body Horror

Image: 20th Century Studios

Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone reunite in Poor Things, an upcoming science-fiction film based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Alasdair Gray. With more than a little inspiration taken from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the film looks to be a spooky and surreal dive into the mind of a once-dead girl. The Lobster by Lanthimos was an incredibly weird film, and Poor Things looks to be a great successor to that strangeness.

Described as “a Victorian tale of love,” Poor Things will follow Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) who has been brought back to life by the “unorthodox” scientist, Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). As Bella explores the world around her, she decides to run away with Mark Ruffalo’s Duncan Wedderburn, who is a “slick and debauched lawyer.” They courney across continents, and Bella’s naivete comes up against modern mores.

Also in the cast are Ramy Youssef as Max McCandless, Jerrod Carmichael as Harry Astley, and Christopher Abbott as Sir Aubrey de la Pole Blessington. Stone is also producing Poor Things alongside Lanthimos.

Poor Things will release on September 8th.

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