The Censor trailer is here to remind us that horror movies are bad for our mental health

The Censor trailer is here to remind us that horror movies are bad for our mental health
Censor Screenshot: Magnolia Pictures

Between the Satanic panic and the rise of video nasties, the 1980s were a boon for anti-horror movie sentiments. As a result, horror movies seemingly became even more depraved, sadistic, and violent. Unsurprisingly, this period, when many of today’s most prominent horror directors came of age, has become the setting du jour for science fiction and horror movies inspired by David Cronenberg, Dario Argento, and John Carpenter. And that’s precisely the kind of vibe that the trailer for Censor is going for.

Directed by Prano Bailey-Bond, in her first feature, Censor follows a meticulous film censor named Enid (Niamh Algar) who’s grip on reality loosens when her missing sister is declared dead. Unable to discern her childhood memories from a new film she’s watching for work, Enid breaks down in what appears to be a frenzy of violence and gore.

The trailer recalls many of the aforementioned directors’ work, particularly Cronenberg’s Videodrome and the red-tinged Giallo photography of Argento’s Suspiria (the music in the trailer even sounds like Goblin). There’s a lot of this type of thing going around right now, from the work of Panos Cosmatos to the more family-friendly world of Stranger Things. Though, this falls squarely in the latter. Obviously, if that’s your thing, you’re going to want to soak up every ounce of blood this trailer has to offer. If not, you might want to cover your eyes because this thing is creepy.

Censor tears its way into theaters on June 11 and video-on-demand on June 18.

 
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