'Flashback' Trailer: Dylan O'Brien Goes On A Strange Trip

In the trailer for Flashback, Dylan O'Brien is a bored office worker who suddenly starts having creepy visions of a girl (Maika Monroe) who vanished when he was still in high school. Is the disappearance related to a mysterious drug? Is O'Brien's character suffering from some sort of strange drug trip? Is this trailer maybe too vague for its own good? You can see for yourself below!

Once upon a time this movie was called The Education of Fredrick Fitzell. Now it's called Flashback, which is a rather generic title, all things considered. This thriller plays around with time and perception and sends Dylan O'Brien down the rabbit hole as he attempts to solve a mystery. In the film, O'Brien is Fredrick Fitzell, who is "living his best life – until he starts having horrific visions of Cindy (Maika Monroe, It Follows), a girl who vanished in high school. After reaching out to old friends with whom he used to take a mystery drug called Mercury, Fredrick realizes the only way to stop the visions lies deep within his own memories, so he embarks on a terrifying mental odyssey to learn the truth."

The cast also includes Hannah Gross (Joker), Emory Cohen (Brooklyn), and Keir Gilchrist (It Follows). Christopher MacBride writes and directs. MacBride also helmed the pretty darn good and pretty underseen found footage flick The Conspiracy – I urge you to seek that one out; it's currently streaming for free in the U.S. on Tubi.

So what exactly is going on here in Flashback? Is O'Brien's character experiencing drug flashbacks? Is time travel involved? Why is he being haunted by Maika Monroe? I suppose you'll need to watch the movie to find these answers.

Flashback wrapped in 2018 but is only arriving now, which is not exactly a great sign. And I have to say that this trailer is just way too vague and frustrating for my liking. Don't get me wrong – trailers should not give the entire movie away, and I'm all for playing things close to the vest. But the vagueness here borders on obtuseness, and I'd sure like a better hook to draw me in. But hey, maybe the end result will be a pleasant surprise. And I'm sure O'Brien's fans will want to check this one out, vague trailer or not.Flashback arrives in select theaters and on VOD on June 4 before coming to Blu-ray, DVD, and digital on June 8, 2021.