A24 Films has released the first trailer and poster forThe Killing of a Sacred Deer, which reunitesThe Lobsterstar Colin Farrell with director Yorgos Lanthimos in what looks to be one of the most bizarre cinematic experiences of the year. Fans of Yorgos Lanthimos' films such asDogtooth,AlpsandThe Lobsterhave come to expect the unexpected from his work, andThe Killing of a Sacred Deerseems to follow this tradition. While we don’t exactly get to see this title deer in the trailer, we do get a glimpse at a family in turmoil.
Dr. Steven Murphy (Colin Farrell) is a renowned cardiovascular surgeon presiding over a spotless household with his ophthalmologist wife Anna (Nicole Kidman) and their two exemplary children, 12-year-old Bob (Sunny Suljian) and 14-year-old Kim (Raffey Cassidy). Lurking at the margins of his idyllic suburban existence is Martin (Barry Keoghan), a fatherless teen who Steven has covertly taken under his wing. As Martin begins insinuating himself into the family’s life in ever-more unsettling displays, the full scope of his intent becomes menacingly clear when he confronts Steven with a long- forgotten transgression that will shatter the Murphy family’s domestic bliss.
Lanthimos has crafted a sensational thriller brimming with unsettling humor and creeping dread, steeped in Greek tragedy, existential horror, Hitchcockian psychodrama, and riveting suspense. Darting confidently between genres to subvert our expectations at every turn,The Killing of a Sacred Deerfirmly cements Lanthimos in the pantheon of world-class auteurs and marks him as a cinematic provocateur without precedent. The trailer debuted onA24 Films YouTube, along with the new poster, which you can check out below.
Yorgos Lanthimos directsThe Killing of a Sacred Deerfrom a script that he co-wrote with longtime collaborator Efthymis Filippou, who co-wroteDogtooth,Alps, andThe Lobsterwith the director, along with the critically-acclaimedChevalierand the upcomingPity. The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, where it won Best Screenplay (in a tie with Lynne Ramsay’sYou Were Never Really Here) and was nominated for the Palm D’Or, which was ultimately won byThe Square. It has also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and last weekend at Fantastic Fest, with the film still to be screened at several more festivals including Stiges and the London Film Festival before hitting theaters.
A24 Film has set an October 20 release date forThe Killing of a Sacred Deer, which will likely be a limited release. It still arrives on themost crowded weekend of the year, going up against Warner Bros.‘Geostorm, Sony’sOnly the Brave, Lionsgate’sBoo 2! A Madea Halloween, Universal’sThe Snowmanand Pure Flix’sSame Kind of Different as Me. While we wait for more onThe Killing of a Sacred Deer, take a look at the new trailer and poster for this unusual film below.
