Kevin Smith has released the first teaser trailer for his upcoming horror movie Red State. Premiering at next month's Sundance Film Festival, Red State is a huge departure for Smith as the flick is about “a group of misfits [who] encounter extreme fundamentalism in Middle America.â€Â The film stars Michael Parks, Michael Angarano, Kyle Gallner, John Goodman, Melissa Leo, Kevin Pollak, Anna Gunn, Stephen Root, and Smith’s Hit Somebody lead Nicholas Braun. Parks is said to play a Fred Phelps-type preacher who leads a family of followers.If you've been following the development of Red State, you know Smith had a really tough time getting the financing together due to the difficult subject matter. And after watching the trailer, I can see why. Red State looks nothing like his previous films and I'm definitely catching this at the first press screening at Sundance. While I loved Smith's first few films, I've been very disappointed with his recent output. And his attitude about critics hasn't helped his cause. Saying all that, I'd love for him to rebound with Red State. Judge the trailer for yourself after the jump.Here's the synopsis via Sundance:
Ever since Clerks (cowinner of the Filmmakers Trophy at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival), Kevin Smith has been known for his sharp, subversive, comedic writing. He shifts from comedy to horror with Red State and aptly demonstrates that good writing transcends genre.
Red State begins by following three horny high-school boys who come across an online ad from an older woman looking for a gang bang. Boys being boys, they hit the road to satisfy their libidinal urges. But what begins as a fantasy takes a dark turn as they come face-to-face with a terrifying "holy" force with a fatal agenda.
Instead of relying on archetypes and predictable formulas, Smith meticulously fashions all-too-real characters, utilizing exceptional performances (notably by Michael Parks) and an intelligent script. His realistic style gives the film an intimate feeling, heightening the terror to biblical proportions. Red State is a shocking new kind of horror film that aggressively confronts higher powers and extreme doctrines with a vengeance.
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