Chilling Trailer for M3GAN Feels Like a Spiritual Sequel to Child’s Play

The Child’s Play franchise basically owns the killer doll story, but Universal Pictures’ M3GAN looks to put a special twist on the genre.

Watch the first trailer here:

Here’s the story description:

M3GAN is a marvel of artificial intelligence, a life-like doll programmed to be a child’s greatest companion and a parent’s greatest ally. Designed by brilliant toy-company roboticist Gemma (Get Out’s Allison Williams), M3GAN can listen and watch and learn as she becomes friend and teacher, playmate and protector, for the child she is bonded to.

When Gemma suddenly becomes the caretaker of her orphaned 8-year-old niece, Cady (Violet McGraw, The Haunting of Hill House), Gemma’s unsure and unprepared to be a parent. Under intense pressure at work, Gemma decides to pair her M3GAN prototype with Cady in an attempt to resolve both problems—a decision that will have unimaginable consequences.

While the Child’s Play shtick has always been about the adults not believing that the doll is a killer who wants to murder the child, M3GAN puts a twist on the story by having her be the insane protector of the child she’s bonded to.

It’s a fun subversion of a trope, and I really like how they brought the doll to life, with her having a realistic body, but her face and some of her other features are robotic.

With Annabelle producer James Wan helping bring this movie to life, I’m sure we’re in for the next generation of murderer doll horror.

M3GAN is set to come to cinemas on Jan. 13, 2023.