‘The Astronaut’ Trailer Crash Lands With Kate Mara, But Might Not Stick The Landing

The Astronaut trailer is here, and it’s one of those trailers that has you leaning forward, squinting a little, and going: “Okay… is this going to be scary, or just silly?” Starring Kate Mara as Captain Sam Walker, a NASA pilot who crash lands back on Earth, where it all seems normal at first. Then she’s placed under house arrest in her too-perfect-for-actual-life safe house (courtesy of her CIA dad, Laurence Fishburne), and things get weird. I mean, really weird. Bruises spreading like a bad ink stain, nosebleeds, migraines, and my favorite part of the trailer, the levitation of an egg. Yes, a literal egg… hovering there like it’s auditioning for most dramatic breakfast. Depending on how the film pulls this off, that scene is either going to be amazing or the cheesiest thing we see all year. Honestly, I kind of hope it’s both.

It also has all the creepy things us horror fans love to hate. We’re talking swarms of bugs gathering outside the glass walls, strange smears across the floor, and a vague giant footprint stomping around at night. It’s in part haunted house, part body horror, part family drama (because of course Sam’s separated from her husband, Gabriel Luna, and her adorable daughter, Scarlett Holmes, while she’s losing her mind.)

All of which means I’m already gearing up for my personal favorite horror movie fear, which is drawn-out pacing. One-location horror movies can work brilliantly when they want to, but the last thing I want is a feature film where the main character just broods in a sterile glass house with no clear idea of what to do next. I worry The Astronaut might take too long setting its mood and not enough time answering its questions (or worse, throw a massive twist in the last ten minutes and then run out the credits). Nothing wrecks a good premise like a rushed ending.

So yeah, I’m into it. I’m also not into it. But that’s part of the fun, right? Trailers like this get us all set up for either a hidden gem or a guilty-pleasure stream, and The Astronaut feels like it could land on either side of that coin. Cheesy? Maybe. Creepy? Hopefully. Are we streaming it October 17? Oh, absolutely. Egg tricks and all. Watch the trailer, here.