M3GAN

Coming to you from Blumhouse productions (Halloween) and directed by James Wan (the Saw series), M3GAN is a new horror outing and a welcome attempt at novelty in a horror film landscape where sequels and reboots are often the norm.

The first half minute or so of the trailer is primarily expository, with a plaintive piano in the background slowly outlining a minor key tonality. We have our first suspenseful moment at 0:36 as we see M3GAN, an android, begin to speak for the first time. After a moment of adjustment, at 0:43 the trailer takes a lighter turn, using Taylor Swift’s “It’s Nice to Have a Friend” from her 2019 album Lover. Swift’s lyrics are edited to synch with what’s happening on screen (for example, with Swift singing “wanna hang out” as they do so).

The affirming tone abruptly shifts at 1:21, however: when the mother tries to turn the android off, caustic strings immediately take its place. At this point, one might reasonably be thinking that the Swift track was a total fake-out (a classic rug pull) and that this would be the last we will be hearing of it. However, the trailer has another surprise in store.

At 1:51, Swift’s voice unexpectedly returns in the middle of this horror arrangement, retaining only the rhythm and lyrics of the preceding track: “It’s nice to have a friend” she unnervingly sings in what has to be one of the most unexpected music licensing scenarios of the year. Indeed, looking at the comments on the above YouTube video, the unusual song choice—and its horror remix—is a highlight of the trailer. It even ends with one more iteration of the “nice to have a friend” line in Swift’s original voice. Visually, M3GAN deals pretty heavily in the concept of the uncanny valley. Arguably, the trailer does something similar with this Taylor Swift track. It’s a technique that’s well used in the genre, albeit what’s different here is that we aren’t just hearing children singing a nursery rhyme with a particularly unnerving arrangement. Rather, we have a well-known pop artist’s tune taking on this role—and with a lyrical theme that fits the plot rather well.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about this trailer is how it appears that at least some artists are more and more open to the idea of remixing and placing songs. Sometimes, for dramatic effect, songs are intentionally placed in entirely different contexts, completely outside the song’s original intent. Having “It’s Nice to Have a Friend” used here leads one to wonder what else might transpire as the practice of popular music in movie trailers continues to evolve.

M3GAN is due in theaters January 13th, 2023.

— Curtis Perry