Asylums, creepy children and... superheroes? The New Mutants trailer is horror X-Men

Take a dash of American Horror Story, a smattering of Stranger Things alumni and Game of Thrones’ Maisie Williams, plus a pinch of superhero mutant-y goodness and what do you get? The perfect blend of horror and heroes: The New Mutants. The first trailer is out now and, trust me, you won’t quite be prepared for this.

Serving as a pseudo X-Men spinoff, The New Mutants sees a group of young mutants trapped in a secret hospital and fighting to escape. The trailer has all of the tropes you’d expect: nefarious nurses, a creepy children’s choir covering an ‘80s classic, and plenty of evil experiments.

I don’t know about you, but The New Mutants wasn’t really on my radar – merely a spot in the distance – and now I’m all-in. A superhero horror movie is a rare thing, and it looks like it’s going to be one done right. It’s great to see Arya Stark and Jonathan Byers together too – how’s that for a crossover?

There’s a lot going on in the trailer. We’re introduced to the five ‘New Mutants’, Wolfsbane, Sunspot, Magik, Cannonball and Mirage. Other than having the weirdest names ever (get a new agent, guys), it looks as if they’ll be fighting for their lives and, from there, who knows? It’s certainly promising to be a brave start to what could be a burgeoning spin-off franchise. It’s definitely a cool risk that Fox are taking, so kudos to them.

It’s not clear yet whether the movie will be going full-on horror. The trailer definitely hints at it, but, even with the popularity of the R-Rated Deadpool, it remains to be seen whether the final release will be as bone-chilling as the trailer...

Image: 20th Century Fox

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.