Today brings with it a new trailer for The Cello and, along with it, a welcome horror reunion. The film stars Tobin Bell, who audiences will know best as Jigsaw, aka John Kramer, from the Saw franchise. This film brings him back together with director Darren Lynn Bousman, who directed four entries in the series, including Saw II, Saw III and Saw IV. And to top it all off, Oscar-winner Jeremy Irons is along for the ride as well. That’s quite the combination. Let’s roll the footage.
Admittedly, it’s a brief trailer that doesn’t dive too deeply into the story. It offers up more mystery and intrigue than anything else. As the title implies, there’s a cello at the center of this tale that seems to bring with it doom and gloom. Playing this cello brings consequences of the deadly variety. This is one of the horror films to have on your radar this winter, to be certain. The official synopsis reads as follows:
“Like many musicians, accomplished Saudi cellist Nasser (Samer Ismail) has aspirations for greatness, though he feels like he’s held back by the old, dilapidated instrument he’s forced to play. When Nasser is offered the chance to take possession of a gorgeous red cello by a mysterious shop owner (Tobin Bell), he finds new inspiration both for his playing and for his composing. What Nasser doesn’t realize is that this cello has a nefarious past. As he prepares for an important audition with a prominent philharmonic, that past shows itself in the form of an ancient conductor (Jeremy Irons) and the suffering and death of those close to him. Nasser must now decide if achieving his dreams is worth the horror that comes with playing such a perfect instrument.”
Bousman has stayed busy outside of the Saw franchise, directing films like The Devil’s Carnival, Repo! The Genetic Opera and Death of Me. Bell, meanwhile, continues to kill it as John Kramer despite the fact that the character died years ago in the canon of the films. He most recently returned in this year’s Saw X, which took place between the events of the first two movies and wound up becoming a big hit. Bell’s big year is poised to continue with a collaborator he’s had a lot of success with in the past.
The cast also includes Samer Ismail, Muhanad Al Hamdi, Elham Ali, Souad Abdullah, Mila Al Zahrani, Baraa Alem, Ghassan Massoud, Basheer Al Ghonam and Mohammed Altoyan. Turki Alalshikh penned the screenplay. Sultan Al Muheisen, Niko Ruokosuo and David Tish serve as executive producers, with Rahul Talwar and Philip Day on board as co-producers.
The Cello arrives in theaters on December 8.
