Banished to an unwelcoming forest, siblings Hansel and Gretel stumble upon a remote cottage, only to discover its sole occupant is a witch hellbent on devouring them. It’s a story everybody already knows—at least, we thought we did. With his latest horror movie Gretel & Hansel, director Oz Perkins elevates the already dark fairy tale to truly terrifying heights.
Coming to theaters January 31, 2020, the release of Gretel & Hansel will jumpstart a promising year in horror. The film brings together a formidable cast, including Sophia Lillis as Gretel, who you may recognize from It and It: Chapter Two, as well as Alice Krige, who’s no stranger to horror herself, having starred in Ghost Story, Sleepwalkers, and Silent Hill. Oz Perkins—the son of Psycho star Anthony Perkins and the mind behind the critically acclaimed horror movies The Blackcoat’s Daughter and I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House—co-wrote and directed the movie.
Though we have to wait a few more weeks to see it in its entirety, the official trailer for Gretel & Hansel reveals tantalizing details about the upcoming film. Lost in a vast forest and growing increasingly hungry, teenager Gretel and her young brother Hansel are offered food by a mysterious old woman. Unnervingly, she plucks a hair from Hansel’s head and sniffs it with relish. Later, in the trailer’s most harrowing scene, the witch pulls what appears to be a braid of human hair out of her mouth.
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Are the horrific images that Gretel sees real, or premonitions of what is to come? And what will become of her vulnerable young brother? The trailer leaves a lot of unanswered questions, but luckily, you won’t have to wait long to find out. Watch the skin-crawling official trailer below to hold you over until Gretel & Hansel hits theaters on January 31. Sweet dreams.
Featured still from "Gretel & Hansel" (2020) via Orion Pictures
