A person who thinks they’re home alone starts to suspect there might be an unnatural presence lurking around: that’s a pretty classic horror movie setup. What makes The Astronaut extra eerie is that the main character is a NASA astronaut whose most recent voyage ended with a rough re-entry. And that presence just might be something extraterrestrial that hitched a ride to Earth.
Here’s the new trailer for The Astronaut, starring Kate Mara as the understandably freaked-out title character. Is it real or in her mind—and which scenario would actually be worse?
Here’s the official synopsis:
“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.”
While Mara is often seen in drama roles, she’s no stranger to genre; while she’d probably rather leave 2015’s Fantastic Four behind, she was also in the standout Black Mirror episode “Beyond the Sea” (coincidentally also about space-travel oddities), the overlooked android thriller Morgan, the first season of American Horror Story, and she does a voice on Invincible, to name a few credits.
The Astronaut is the debut feature from writer-director Jess Varley. It also stars Gabriel Luna (The Last of Us), Ivana Milicevic (The 100, Gotham), Macy Gray, and Scarlett Holmes, and it hits theaters October 17.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.