The trailer for M3GAN, the Blumhouse horror movie coming to theaters in January 2023, has gotten people talking. Allison Williams plays Gemma, a robotist who creates what she believes to be a fantastic toy that looks lifelike and will help children feel like they have a good, supportive and caring friend. Gemma begins taking care of her niece Katie (Violet McGraw), whose parents pass away, and Gemma thinks that giving Katie this doll could be the answer to helping her grieve and heal.
While the plot sounds suitably creepy, it's the trailer that really stands out, especially the scene when the doll does a strange TikTok-esque dance. M3GAN could perfectly combine horror with a campy tone and it looks like this will be one of the most original and fun horror films being released in recent years.
The upcoming Blumhouse horror film M3GAN has many elements that make for a solid horror story: an object with supernatural powers who is a killing machine, a young kid dealing with grief, and a woman doing her best to help a child move on from a terrible ordeal. The movie looks like it will be emotional and powerful but also scary, which is true of many popular Blumhouse horror movies. What makes M3GAN stand out, however, is how truly campy it looks. The film seems to lean into its tone, which is definitely the right move.
The killer doll M3GAN reminds horror fans of the creepy doll Chucky from the Child's Play franchise, so it makes sense that M3GAN and Chucky fought on Twitter. This is an apt comparison not only because both dolls murder people and create terrifying situations but because of the campy, light tone of the Child's Play movies. Of course it's legitimately scary to watch the doll kill people without a second thought throughout the entire franchise, but Chucky also makes jokes and is strangely delightful to watch. From the trailer, it seems that M3GAN will do the same thing, which spells success for the film.
M3GAN plays into the Creepy Doll trope by becoming a companion for Katie and a seemingly innocent part of the family. She is there while Katie misses her parents and tries to find a way to move on. But as is always true of this horror trope, the doll becomes responsible for sinister happenings that can't be explained any other way.
Horror fans can't stop talking about the weird dance that M3GAN does in the trailer as she moves her limbs around in a truly unhinged and wild way. This dance suggests that horror fans can look forward to a fantastic, funny and unique story that will please Chucky fans but also find its own place in the genre. Although some Blumhouse horror movies fall flat, others are creative and impossible to forget about. M3GAN seems like it will fall into the latter category and stand out among 2023 releases.
The definition of "camp" or "campy" suggests that a story is able to laugh itself and doesn't take itself too seriously. In an interview with BBC, Dame Zandra Rhodes, a designer, said “it really means something that’s over the top in its concept, that wouldn’t go unnoticed and [that has] a sense of humour about it; but it’s not mainstream, and it’s joyous and out of the ordinary..."
This definition describes many horror comedies and some slashers, too, most notably the Child's Play franchise. When Chucky kills people, he laughs hysterically and seems happier than ever. This is in contrast to many serious slasher villains who are plotting revenge. M3GAN looks like she kills in the same way, as she has a subtle smirk on her face that suggests that she's always thinking something terrifying.
While M3GAN could be just one film, it also seems like the killer doll could lead to a slasher franchise and at least a few movies. It would be fun to see the doll becoming part of different families' lives and causing chaos, just like Chucky has been doing. Since M3GAN is so campy and light-hearted, she seems to have staying power in the horror genre. If the movie took itself seriously, it would be easy to laugh at and not in a good way. M3GAN's perfect face and pretty dress aren't as scary as Annabelle from The Conjuring universe, so the decision to make the tone silly, wild and chaotic seems like the right one.
While many horror films are really terrifying and there's a time and place for that, it can also be enjoyable when a story is goofy and knows that audiences are there to have a good time. M3GAN is likely going to be a memorable early 2023 horror release thanks to its intriguing tone.