Hulu's Grimcutty trailer tries its hand at a sort of Slenderman

Where have all the good horror movie creatures gone? For every unique foe (Nope’s Jean Jacket and Malignant’s Gabriel come to mind), it feels like every creepy creature these days is either kind of like a succubus or kind of like Slenderman. With October approaching, however, streamers like Hulu are gearing up to satiate voracious Halloween appetites with new nightmare fuel, like the upcoming teen scream Grimcutty.

Firmly set in the era of the screenager, Grimcutty follows a group of scrappy small-town kids who are tasked with stopping a Slenderman-style internet devil from gaining sentience and form. Unfortunately, by the time the trailer kicks off, it’s clearly a little late for that—Grimcutty is already on the outskirts of everyone’s life, lurking in corners and rattling door knobs.

Grimcutty also becomes manifest through the disturbed actions of those it possesses. The first victim is a little boy who stabs his mother with a kitchen knife; household knives will become a weapon of choice for most of the characters as Grimcutty sows tension between even the most steadfast families and friends.

Per a release, Grimcutty is a successor in both aesthetic and theme from director John William Ross’ short film Gregory, which was featured in 20th Century Fox’s short film collection Bite Size Halloween. Grimcutty is the first in a series of nine slated Hulu films that will expand on different shorts in the compilation. The film stars Veep’s Usman Ally, Search Party’s Kayden Koshalev, Sleepy Hollow’s Shannyn Sossamon, and SEAL Team’s Alona Tal, as well as newcomers Callan Farris and Sara Wolfkind.

The actual big bad in Grimcutty, however, is a bit confusing: even the characters themselves admit they don’t recognize its face. The viewer catches glimpses of the monstrous internet meme, naturally, through stray phone screens and the background shadows in a Zoom camera.

A final look at the end of the clip presents a monster that’s part Babadook, part Insane Clown Posse, and part Cheshire Cat—creepy, campy, and strange. The problem with a Sinister-looking villainous demon is that, contrary to the fear it attempts to instill in your heart, it looks kind of hilarious when these strange beings attempt to terrorize by standing around in the shadows.

Grimcutty will be available to stream on Hulu October 10.