The First Trailer For ‘The Girl On The Train’ Is Channeling Some Serious ‘Gone Girl’ Vibes

Paula Hawkins’ best-selling 2015 novel The Girl on the Train is a suspenseful tale of obsession and violence told from the perspective of three women. There’s Rachel, who is divorced and struggling with alcoholism. Anna, Rachel’s husband’s new wife. And Megan, Rachel’s nanny who’s dealing with issues of her own. When you throw the mystery of Megan’s murder into the mix and realise none of these narrators are exactly trustworthy, it’s not hard to see why the story was so widely compared to Gone Girl.

Now, the first trailer to the filmic adaption starring Emily Blunt, Haley Bennett and Justin Theroux, has really strengthened that comparison. Chilling lingering glances? Yes. Icy colour palette? Definitely. Disturbing shots of nature and industrial plots that kind of suggest dead bodies are hidden everywhere? Yeppo. A poppy soundtrack that will weirdly haunt you all day? Oh god. Fuel for the creeping thought that everyone in your life might be a secret murderer. AHHHHHHHHHH.

There’s an argument to be had that this label of “the new Gone Girl” isn’t entirely warranted. Laura Miller of Salon picks that apart quite well here stating Gillian Flynn’s novel has an added dimension of social satire and overall character depth that The Girl on the Train lacks. It’ll be interesting to see if that’s a criticism which carries across to the film. There’s already been one major change in the fact the story’s been moved from London to New York.

Either way, we’ll have to wait awhile to see. The film premieres in the US in October and doesn’t yet have an Australian release date. Maybe you can spend that time deciding which of these is scarier:

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FYI Paula Hawkins is also visiting Australia next month. Please direct your questions/love to her at the Sydney Writers Festival and this Melbourne event from The  Wheeler Centre.