Apple TV’s Cape Fear Reboot Looks Way Scarier Than We Expected
Well, it’s not called Cape Calm.
Apple TV is taking a big bet with its next series. Cape Fear isn’t just a remake; it’s not just a remake of a remake, it’s a remake of a Martin Scorsese remake of a classic thriller. The pressure is on, but with Scorsese and Steven Spielberg among the producers and a cast full of movie stars, if any show can do it justice, this can.
But the latest trailer for the series proves it’s doing more than just adapting a classic story for television: it’s enhancing the movies’ secret weapon, horror storytelling. Check out the new trailer for Cape Fear below.
Cape Fear stars Javier Bardem as newly-released criminal Max Cady and Amy Adams and Patrick Wilson as Anna and Tom Bowden, the two criminal defense attorneys (and married couple) who let Cady down. Now, he’s out to get revenge, and nothing will stop him from doing whatever he can, including going after the Bowden children.
“Let me ask you a question,” Max asks. “What is your worst fear?” Much as the title suggests, this trailer really highlights the fear element, painting Max Cady not as a maniacal figure with an axe to grind but as a horror movie villain who serves a reminder of the wrongdoing of the other characters. He’s not laughing while smoking a cigar in a movie theater, he’s way too busy saying ominous things over an unsettling score.
No members of the Bowden family are off-limits in Max Cady’s quest for revenge.
This trailer in particular highlights just how terrifying this story can be, complete with Dutch angles, dolly zooms, and the classic “close-up shot of an eye.” There’s even a jumpscare involving Natalie Bowden, Anna and Tom’s daughter, as she opens a cooler at the bottom of a swimming pool. As for what’s inside — we’ll have to wait until the series come out to figure out for sure, but it’s unlikely it’s refreshing cool drinks.
Cape Fear is usually considered more of a revenge story, so seeing this series take such a different tone is an interesting — but welcome — change. It’s a timeless story, so any remake really has to justify its inclusion, and this emphasis on horror is exactly what it needed.
Cape Fear premieres on Apple TV on June 5.
