On February 17, 2017, 20th Century Fox will release Gore Verbinski’s A Cure For Wellness, which sounds a bit like a non-violent Hostel. Dane DeHaan stars as an employee who has been sent to rescue his boss from a European “wellness spa,” while Mia Goth would play a patient at the facility.
Much like the film’s first teaser, this new international trailer (hailing out of South Korea) carries no real dialogue, but we see that Verbinski, who directed The Ring and Pirates of the Caribbean, is as visceral as ever. It’s also hella shocking, giving nods to classic cinema, but most notably Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange and Eyes Wide Shut. There appears to be heavy cult influences in A Cure For Wellness, while also channeling the shock value of many of David Cronenberg’s earlier works such as Shivers, Rabid, The Brood and even eXistenZ.
As I stated before, the footage is nothing short of stunning, and even looks a bit inspired by the years Verbinski spent attempting to adapt the “BioShock” videogame; there’s a quasi-steampunk atmosphere that reminds me of some seminal films of the 90s (Dark City anyone?), while also bringing a modern grit to the aesthetics. Even with a synopsis, there so much mystery surrounding what we see in the A Cure For Wellness trailer that it has instantaneously became my most anticipated film of 2017. If you can’t wait, I suggest renting Lucile Hadzihalilovic’s Lovecraftian Evolution immediately.
Here’s what we know so far:
An ambitious young executive is sent to retrieve his company’s CEO from an idyllic but mysterious “wellness center” at a remote location in the Swiss Alps. He soon suspects that the spa’s miraculous treatments are not what they seem. When he begins to unravel its terrifying secrets, his sanity is tested, as he finds himself diagnosed with the same curious illness that keeps all the guests here longing for the cure.
Oh, and here’s a brand new motion poster to go along with some grabs from the trailer:
