Netflix has released the official trailer for the murder mystery The Pale Blue Eye. The film, which premieres on Netflix on January 6, 2023, follows Christian Bale as Detective Landor, a retired detective who is pulled back in by a violent murder at New York's West Point military academy in 1830. There he teams up with a young cadet named Edgar Allan Poe (Harry Melling) to solve the case.
Netflix released the full official trailer for The Pale Blue Eye. The trailer opens with a glimpse at the interaction between Poe and Detective Landor before going back to the beginning when the detective is called to the academy. Then, viewers are brought into the details of the crime the detective is here to investigate: a cadet who seemingly hanged himself had his heart carved out of his chest in a grisly scene reminiscent of one of Poe's future works. Check out the trailer below:
Is The Pale Blue Eye Based On A True Story?
Poe is the real-life author of many stories about murder, from more horror-inflected short stories including "The Tell-Tale Heart" to seminal works of detective fiction like "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." However, the film, which was helmed by Antlers director Scott Cooper, isn't directly based on a real-life experience of Poe's. Rather, it's adapted from a 2003 historical fiction novel by Louis Bayard.
However, the basic premise of the novel The Pale Blue Eye is accurate as far as its details about where Poe was in his life at the time depicted in the film. In 1830, the author really was enrolled at West Point, where he would remain until July of that year. He had already published two books at that point, though neither were quite as murderous as his future works, so Bayard was also correct in surmising that his more chilling tales like "The Fall of the House of Usher" could have been inspired somewhat by his experiences around this time, though there was no such murder investigation.
Everything Revealed In The Pale Blue Eye Trailer
The new trailer for The Pale Blue Eye reveals even more compelling details about the central murder mystery, including the way it directly affects Poe and makes him think about death and how human beings are haunted by the memories of those they have lost. However, in addition to the fact that more murders are being committed over the course of the film, it also reveals a book written in an ancient text that may or may not have to do with the search for immortality. While the trailer initially looks like a typical period murder mystery like Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, it may eventually reveal itself to be supernaturally charged, which would provide a thrilling undercurrent to the proceedings.
Source: Netflix