Trailer For M. Night Shyamalan's Old Is Melting Minds

Few careers in Hollywood have fluctuated quite as much as that of director M. Night Shyamalan. His breakout film was "The Sixth Sense," which remains a hit with professional critics and casual viewers alike (via Rotten Tomatoes). Just a few years later, Shyamalan released "Signs," "The Village," "Lady in the Water" and "The Happening" one after another. Unfortunately, each of those ranks among the worst films of his career. While "The Village" is possibly the outlier of the bunch, it was accompanied by a deceptive marketing campaign that garnered Shyamalan negative press all the same. Ultimately, that run of films impacted some of the good will Shyamalan had earned from his work on "The Sixth Sense."

"Split," released in 2016, more or less revitalized Shyamalan's career. While it wasn't quite a hit to the degree that "The Sixth Sense" was (via Rotten Tomatoes), it was nevertheless well-received enough that Shyamalan began work on a sequel immediately its wake. This turned out to be "Glass," released in 2019. 

Since then, Shyamalan has produced a TV series for Apple TV+ and begun work on a new feature titled "Old." The latter work was first teased in September 2020, at which time the only available information about the film was its title, a poster, and the fact that it was based on a comic titled "Sandcastle." Then, in February 2021, a short teaser for the film aired during the Super Bowl. Finally, on May 27, a full trailer for "Old" debuted, giving audiences a proper taste of what's to come from Shyamalan, now well into the revitalization of his career.

The first full trailer for "Old" opens by introducing the family at its center, families being a recurring characteristic of Shyamalan films. They wind up at a remote-looking beach that family matriarch Kate (Vicky Krieps) offhandedly mentions she found online. Shortly into their beach getaway, as the family's young son Mark swims in the ocean, a creepy woman approaches him. He lets out a blood-curdling scream, and her body then washes up on the shore. Upon examination, the victim appears both to have died recently and to be mid-decomposition. Soon after that, both Mark and his sister Amanda suddenly appear teenaged, now portrayed by actors Alex Wolff and Thomasin McKenzie.

Based on the subsequent action showcased in the trailer, not only does the beach induce rapid aging, but it also appears to trap those who visit, with its apparent exits inducing a sort of blackout before their end. The final moments of the trailer introduce a supernatural element, showing a man quickly becoming overcome by a force inside his body that causes him to glow and convulse.

"This looks so freaking weird. I'm glad M. Night is just back to doing the weirdest stuff imaginable," one YouTube user wrote in the comments section of the trailer. Another admitted that "Old" is already freaking them out: "Looked myself into the mirror to see if I had got any wrinkles after watching the trailer. Excited for this one." And one user summed up the feelings of many by writing, "Just mind-blowing."

As long as the speed of aging remains unaltered in the real world, "Old" will be released on July 23.