Are you in a comfortable seated position? Perhaps lying in your bed or sitting outside, taking in the golden rays of the sun? Perfect. Pop in your headphones and allow the soothing Australian accent of Chris Hemsworth to lull you to a place of perfect relaxa--- err, panic. In a promo video for his recently released Netflix feature, Spiderhead, Hemsworth steps back into his mad scientist character, Dr. Steve Abnesti, to take viewers on a dark and dismal meditative journey.
Donning an all black outfit, just like his character, Hemsworth beckons audiences to take a deep breath and center themselves for a little guided mindfulness exercise. Just as you’re starting to relax, with the stress leaving your body, and following Hemsworth’s instructions of sinking your roots into the ground like a tree - things take a turn for the panic-inducing. It’s probably never a great meditation exercise when the leader tells you that “you’re trapped” and “can’t move,” both ideas that will really ruin the melting away of your stress.
As the quest for temporary enlightenment continues on, it’s revealed that the other trees in the forest are watching you and that they’re “crawling up” your body. Nope, nope, nope. Check, please! As the terrifying session drones on, we see scenes from Spiderhead with Miles Teller’s character, Jeff, deep into his work with Abnesti. Sweat pours down Jeff’s face, and after all this, it’s no shock as to why! The clip ends with fear taking over our lives, and now we’ll have something extra to talk to our therapists about this week.
Directed by Joseph Kosinski, Spiderhead dropped on Netflix just last week and has become an immediate hit. The sci-fi thriller flick is based on a short story written by George Saunders titled Escape from Spiderhead and was adapted by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (Deadpool). The story centers around a behavioral program run at the titular high-security, hidden prison. At the helm of it all is Dr. Steve Abnesti, a psychiatric doctor who pushes the envelope on what’s morally acceptable when dealing with inmates. Through constant mind-altering substances, Abnesti pushes those in lock down to face all aspects of themselves in hopes of changing their “problematic” behavior. Along with Hemsworth and Teller, the production also stars Jurnee Smollett, Tess Haubrich, and BeBe Bettencourt.
Head to Netflix now to see what the new film’s hype is all about and keep scrolling to take a mental break with Hemsworth. Just be prepared to pull yourself out of it.