A Trippy Trailer for Richard Stanley’s Color Out of Space

One of my favorite H.P. Lovecraft stories is 1927’s The Colour Out of Space, in which a strange meteorite lands near a remote farm, emanating a strange, indescribable color, which poisons the surrounding countryside and drives people mad.

It’s been adapted into film several times, and has served as the inspiration for other films, like 2018’s Annihilation. This most recent adaptation is directed by Richard Stanley and stars Nicolas Cage as the unlucky farmer whose lands are affected by the otherworldly color. (I was reminded of another Cage film, 2018’s Mandy, due in large part to the trippy visuals and Cage’s inevitable — and bloody — descent into madness.)

Color Out of Space had its premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, where it was largely praised by critics for its visuals and faithfulness to the sensibility of Lovecraft’s original story. As one critic wrote, “Lovecraft is notoriously hard to adapt, but Stanley walks the fine line between horror and existential dread to create a successful adaptation.”

Color Out of Space will arrive in theaters on January 24, 2020.