The trailer for Antebellum, a new horror movie starring Janelle Monáe, lasts just one minute, but it's still plenty intriguing, if entirely confounding. Very little is known about the mysterious new Lionsgate project at this point, except for its star, the fact it's produced by the people behind Get Out and Us, and that it seemingly takes place in two distinct timelines. Aside from that, well... see for yourself if you dare.
The name of the game here is atmosphere. There's a spooky little girl in a dress (this is a horror film, after all), a cryptic 911 emergency call voiceover, heavy breathing, and some kind of (metaphorical? metaphysical?) link between a modern-day horror story and the lives of enslaved workers during a dark period of American history. The film's logline reads simply thus: "Successful author Veronica Henley (Janelle Monáe) finds herself trapped in a horrifying reality and must uncover the mind-bending mystery before it’s too late." and that's it. What's the mind-bending mystery? We'll have to wait until spring 2020 to find out—though a poster might hold a clue, in its tag: "If it chooses you, nothing can save you." Spooky!
Joining Monáe in the film are Eric Lang, Jack Huston, Kiersey Clemons, and Gabourey Sidibe. Antebellum is written and directed by Gerard Bush & Christopher Renz in their feature debut, and will be released on April 24th of next year.
“I want to redefine what it means to be young, black, wild, and free in America.”
