What happens when the scariest thing about space isn’t leaving Earth but coming back? That’s the unsettling premise at the heart of The Astronaut, a new sci-fi horror film whose first trailer just dropped.
The film stars Kate Mara as astronaut Sam Walker, who miraculously survives a crash landing in a damaged capsule pulled from the Atlantic Ocean. While her return sparks celebration, the relief is short-lived.
Sam is placed under quarantine by NASA, where General William Harris, played by Laurence Fishburne, oversees her recovery. But as the days pass, disturbing events unfold, hinting that something may have followed her home from space.
The official synopsis teases the film’s unnerving tension: “When astronaut Sam Walker (Kate Mara) crash lands back to Earth, she’s discovered alive in a punctured capsule off the Atlantic coast. General William Harris (Laurence Fishburne) places her in quarantine under strict NASA surveillance for rehabilitation and testing. But as disturbing events escalate, she begins to fear that something extraterrestrial has followed her home.”
The trailer mixes psychological thriller with extraterrestrial horror, forcing viewers to question whether Sam’s fears are real or a terrifying side effect of trauma. And as Fishburne’s authoritative general tightens security, the mystery deepens: is the danger inside Sam, outside her, or both?
The Astronaut marks the feature debut of writer-director Jess Varley, who looks to put a fresh spin on the “something’s not right” horror formula by rooting it in the unsettling aftermath of a NASA mission.
Set to release in theaters on October 17, The Astronaut reminds us once again that the unknown isn’t always light-years away.
Check out the trailer.
