Horror movie with near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score gets a first trailer, and it looks like A24’s modern-day answer to Poltergeist

From the studio that brought us Talk to Me and Hereditary comes a new horror movie I Saw the TV Glow, and judging by the first trailer, it looks just as chilling as you’d expect.

In the trailer, we see a bunch of young people rediscover a long-lost canceled TV show, where each episode introduces a new monster to defeat. It soon becomes apparent that this is more than just a show and that what is being shown on screen is bleeding into real life.

At first glance, the film looks to be a modern-day take on the 1982 movie Poltergeist, which famously follows the horrors that come out of a possessed television set. But other than the aspect of haunted technology, I Saw the TV Glow reminds us of Netflix’s Fear Street as it mixes classic horror elements with themes of sexuality, gender, and identity.

The supernatural horror flick is written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun, known for the 2021 Sundance success We're All Going to the World's Fair. The official synopsis from A24 reads: "Teenager Owen is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV show — a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. In the pale glow of the television, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack."

Despite the trailer just being released, the film has already been shown at the 2024 Sundance Festival in Utah and has striped up rave reviews. I Saw the TV Glow currently stands at an impressive 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. GQ describes the flick as "An exquisitely surreal piece that defies easy genre categorization," with ScreenRant adding, "Jane Schoenbrun’s direction is a confident and ethereal experience."

I Saw the TV Glow stars Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves’ Justice Smith, Atypical’s Brigette Lundy-Paine, Ian Foreman, Helena Howard, and Danielle Deadwyler. The movie also hosts a few guest stars from popular musicians such as Caroline Polachek, Phoebe Bridgers, and Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst.

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I'm the Junior Social Media Editor here at GamesRadar+, handling all of Total Film's social platforms. However, I also write, covering all things film and TV for the site's entertainment section. I joined GamesRadar+ in 2023 and have been here ever since. I previously worked in communications after graduating with an MA in journalism. In my spare time, you can find me binging horror movies or getting lost in a cosy little game on my Switch.