Trailer for Jeremy Saulnier’s Hold the Dark is intense and strange

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

With his films MURDER PARTY, BLUE RUIN, and GREEN ROOM, Jeremy Saulnier has firmly established himself as one of my favorite modern filmmakers, so I'm hyped to know that his new film HOLD THE DARK will be reaching Netflix in just over a month. In anticipation of the psychological thriller's streaming debut, a trailer has arrived online to increase my hype level even further, as this film looks like it's going to be quite an intense and strange ride.

Based on a novel of the same name by William Giraldi, HOLD THE DARK was written by Saulnier's frequent collaborator Macon Blair (who wrote and directed the awesome I DON'T FEEL AT HOME IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE). The synopsis: 

Retired naturalist and wolf expert Russell Core journeys to the edge of civilization in northern Alaska at the pleading of Medora Slone, a young mother whose son was killed by a pack of wolves. As Core attempts to help Medora track down the wolves who took her son, a strange and dangerous relationship develops between the two lonely souls. But when Medora's husband Vernon returns home from the Iraq War, the news of his child's death ignites a violent chain of events. As local cop, Donald Marium, races to stop Vernon’s vengeful rampage, Core is forced on a perilous odyssey into the heart of darkness.

Jeffrey Wright stars as the wolf expert, with Riley Keough as the young mother and Alexander Skarsgård as her vengeful husband. Also in the cast are James Badge Dale and Julian Black Antelope.

Produced by Russell Ackerman, John Schoenfelder, Eva Maria Daniels, Neil Kopp, and Anish Savjani, HOLD THE DARK will be released through the Netflix streaming service on September 28th.

Check out the trailer below, and if you'd like to read Giraldi's novel you can pick up a copy on Amazon.