Infinity Pool Trailer: Brandon Cronenberg Is Back With A New Nightmare

2022 has truly been the year of rich people having a bad time on an island. From "Glass Onion" to "The Menu" to "Triangle of Sadness," the lesson that the wealthy should take away from this year is to stick to the mainland for their luxury getaways. (Alternatively, they could give away all their money and live a life of humble asceticism.) But in case they need a reminder of the dangers of island living, Brandon Cronenberg is offering up his own contribution to the genre in dark sci-fi thriller "Infinity Pool."

As the newly-released trailer outlines, "Infinity Pool" stars Alexander Skarsgård as James, a writer who wrote a successful book six years ago, and has since become the trophy husband to his wealthy wife, Em (Cleopatra Coleman). The couple go away to a luxury tropical resort, where they meet Gabi (Mia Goth, who recently starred in Ti West's "X" and "Pearl"), a mega-fan of James' writing who ushers them into the strange delights that the resort has to offer. After James and Em get into an "I Know What You Did Last Summer"-style car accident, they learn that any crimes on the island carry a death sentence ... but for a price, you can create a body double to be executed in your place.

It looks like the kind of mind-bending combination of body horror and psychological terror we've come to expect from Cronenberg, the director of "Antiviral" and "Possessor," and definitely a chip off the old block. Check out the trailer for "Infinity Pool" below.

If there's one reason to be a bit underwhelmed by this first look at "Infinity Pool," it's the fact that it's treading on very well-trod ground. The "rich people get comeuppance for their privilege and hedonism (island setting optional)" story has become a staple of cinema, with the last decade bringing notable entries like "High-Rise," "Ready Or Not," and "You're Next." But it's such a strong basic premise that some movies also get kind of lazy with it, and don't engage much in social commentary beyond "rich people bad."

Still, "Infinity Pool" does look like it has the potential to be a worthy addition, particularly honing in on the topic of the wealthy being able to buy their way out of the justice system. And after "Possessor," a lot of horror fans have been eagerly awaiting Cronenberg's next contribution to the genre. The movie was originally rated NC-17, but has since been trimmed down to an R rating for "graphic violence, disturbing material, strong sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use, and some language." Sounds like we're in for quite a vacation!

"Infinity Pool" arrives in theaters on January 27, 2023.