Lizzie, first-time director Craig Macneill’s retelling of the 1892 Lizzie Borden murders, premiered at Sundance in January this year. Now, it has its first trailer, and it looks as creepy as you might expect.
The 1948 ballet, Fall River Legend, kicked off a trend for retelling the infamous (and unsolved) axe-murder case; ever since, it has been the frequent subject of films, plays, TV shows, and even operas. Superfans can even spend a night in the real “murder room” at the morbidly-named Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast.
But Macneill’s enlisting of the 90s’ favourite face Chloë Sevigny as Lizzie herself, and Kristen Stewart as her rumoured clandestine lover, pretty much guarantees that this will be a stand-out iteration. Even in the trailer, Sevigny’s dead stares are chilling.
The actress is particularly well-equipped to play the (potentially) murderous daughter, too. She has stayed in the aforementioned bed and breakfast on three separate occasions, she revealed to Vice in an interview earlier this year.
“There was some communicating with [Lizzie Borden's father, Andrew Jennings]. It was terrifying,” she says. “The first night, I was there with an ex-boyfriend who's a pretty practical guy, and he got really terrified in the middle of the night. He felt a presence pushing down on him.” Spooky.
Lizzie is set to release in the US on September 14, and in the UK on November 18. Watch the trailer below.