'Separation' Trailer: A Death In The Family Awakens Ghoulish Creatures

There's an entire sub-genre of horror films devoted to kids who become aware of creepy, malevolent forces before the adults around them realize what the hell is going on, and Separation seems to fit nicely into that sub-genre. In this creepy-looking horror film from director William Brent Bell (The Boy), a death in the family seems to awaken all kinds of malevolent forces. Watch the Separation trailer below.

The trailer for Separation seems to be running through a checklist of horror tropes. There's a kid whose childish games turn ominous. There's what appears to be a scary clown. There are twitchy, twisty monster-like characters who shove their faces directly into the camera for maximum scare effect. There's the one character who seems to only exist to deliver exposition regarding what exactly is going on here. We've seen all of this before, again and again. And yet I'd be lying if I said I wasn't digging the vibe here. While none of this may be particularly original, this is an effective little horror trailer, and it made me immediately want to check Separation out.

In Separation, "8-year-old Jenny (Violet McGraw) is constantly caught in the middle of the feuding between her lawyer mother Maggie (Mamie Gummer) and artist father Jeff (Rupert Friend). She leads a lonely but imaginative life, surrounded by puppets called 'Grisly Kin', which are based on the works of her father. When Maggie is tragically killed in a hit-and-run, Jeff and Jenny try to piece together a new life. But when Maggie's father (Brian Cox) sues for custody, and babysitter Samantha (Madeline Brewer) tries to be the new woman of the house, life in their Brooklyn townhome takes a dark turn. The puppets and frightening characters come to life and Jenny is the only person who can see them. When the motives of the ghoulish creatures become clear, the lives of everyone are put very much in jeopardy."

Separation comes from director William Brent Bell, who doesn't have the best record, if I'm being honest. He directed The Devil Inside, a film that kind of pissed off everyone because it didn't have an actual ending (instead the film ended with text on screen advising you to go to a website to learn more). He also helmed The Boy, which was a lot better than I expected to be, and Brahms: The Boy II, which was a lot worse. Still, this trailer has sold me on Separation, and I'm curious to check it out when it arrives on April 30.