The official trailer for the all-in-one filmmaking teamAaron MoorheadandJustin Benson’s fifth feature filmSomething in the Dirthas just dropped. Likethe teaser that came before it, this two-minute fever dream of a clip suggests this duo has yet again managed to create something that blurs the lines of an indie art film and a creeping science fiction horror.
From the producers ofPiggyand the upcoming action filmHavoc, starringTom Hardy, XYZ Films presentsSomething in the Dirt, the latest film from writer-director-producers Moorhead and Benson. The premise, which the two described as a “stoner comedy” with “an obsessive rabbit hole-ish dark mystery” intheir interview with Collider, follows new neighbors Levi (Benson) and John (Moorhead) as they begin digging into mysterious phenomena taking place within the walls of one of their Hollywood Hills apartments. Fueled by their ambition to capture proof of the supernatural for profit, Levi and John may find themselves in over their heads with these bizarre discoveries.
The trailer is a reel of poignant visuals cut into a surreal two minutes that somehow gives only just enough of the plot away. Set against the dusty, smoky skies of Los Angeles, the trailer still manages to give the story a weighted feeling of isolation as Levi and John agree to work together to snag visual proof of the inexplicable happenings they’ve witnessed. Between sinister cuts of the truly mundane, like a line of water meters and dirt beneath a house, it’s implied that something is very wrong as they explain a tablet they’ve discovered appears to map out the city. Sharp close-ups of dilated eyes, mathematical equations and symbols all flash against a backdrop of muted sunsets and the rundown apartment where they first discover there may be gateways to other dimensions surrounding LA. The scale of what these two have unearthed isn’t ever disclosed, but asBeethoven’s “Symphony No. 9” bellows we see fire, blood, fireworks and more.
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From the minds that created fantastical horrors likeSpring,The Endlessand, most recently,Synchronic, Moorhead and Benson seem to have created another cinematic anomaly. The duo both serve as co-writers, directors, stars and editors of this most recent project, one that is a far-cry from the two mega-polished Disney+ series they helped create. After their work on the MCU’sMoon Knight, the two collaborators returned to their roots withSomething in the Dirt, venturing into pseudo-science and inter-dimensional occurrences. Up next for the two auteurs is their next foray into Marvel’s Cinematic Universe with both set to helm episodes ofLokiSeason 2. We expect those episodes to be just as trippy as their previous work!
Joining Moorhead and Benson on the cast areSarah Adina Smithas Dr. Rita Miller, directorWanjiru M. Njendu,Vinny Curranwho reunites with the duo from their 2014 filmSpring, andThe Black Phone,Doctor StrangeandSinisterwriterC. Robert Cargillcredited as the Radio Host.
Something in the Dirthits theaters on November 4. Check out the trailer below:
