'Level 16' Trailer: You Probably Shouldn't Attend Dystopian Boarding Schools

Has there ever been a movie about a nice all-girls boarding school? Any time a story is set in one of these institutions, things go terribly wrong. Someone dies, or goes crazy, or there's some sort of gothic melodrama. Moral of the story: you shouldn't check into an all-girls boarding school. And you really shouldn't check into the school featured in the Level 16 trailer, which looks dark, foreboding and possibly deadly.

What is Level 16? According to a character in this trailer, it's not like other levels. Whatever that means. According to the logline, Level 16 " is a dystopian thriller about a group of teen girls who are trapped in a mysterious and cruel boarding school that hides a dark secret." And here's a longer synopsis that might clear some things up:

Sixteen-year-old Vivien is trapped in The Vestalis Academy, a prison-like boarding school, keeping to herself and sticking her neck out for no one. Until she is reunited with Sophia – the former friend who betrayed her. Together the girls embark on a dangerous search to uncover the horrifying truth behind their imprisonment. Soon running for their lives, the girls must save themselves or die trying.

This looks plenty stylish, and the trailer is vague enough to not give too much away. That said, Level 16 played at last year's Fantastic Fest, where it was met with a somewhat mixed reaction. Make of that what you will.

Level 16 is said to wed "of-the-moment concerns (think The Handmaid's Tale) to throwback aesthetics (think Joss Whedon's criminally under-appreciated Dollhouse by way of Argento employing a desaturated palette)", and "a sinister allegory that packs a wicked feminist punch." That certainly sounds interesting. This trailer is just a little too vague for my tastes. I'm all for not giving away spoilers, but you need to give me a little more than this, Level 16.

Written and directed by Danishka Esterhazy, Level 16 stars Katie Douglas (Compulsion, TV's Mary Kills People), Celina Martin (Nickelodeon's The Other Kingdom, CW's iZombie), Sara Canning (Netflix's A Series of Unfortunate Events, War for the Planet of the Apes), Peter Outerbridge (NBC's Taken, Syfy's 12 Monkeys, BBC's Orphan Black), Alexis Whelan (Lucky 7),  andAmalia Williamson (TV's Northern Rescue).

You can look for Level 16 in theaters and on VOD on March 1, 2019. Here are the theaters where it will play:

New York City – Nitehawk in Brooklyn

Yonkers, NY – Alamo Drafthouse Yonkers

Los Angeles – Laemmle Music Hall

Houston, TX – Alamo Drafthouse LaCenterra

Austin, TX – Alamo Drafthouse Mueller

Kansas City, MO – Screenland

Colombus, OH – Gateway

Phoenix, AZ – FilmBar