Adam Ellis’ Legendary ‘Dear David’ Tale Gets Haunting First Trailer [Exclusive]

A new type of horror story is about to hit the big screen. Collider is thrilled to exclusively share the first trailer for Dear David, the adaptation of Adam Ellis‘ Twitter thread that took the world by storm in 2017. While it’s common for ghosts to appear in places that carry ancient history with them, this specter has adapted to the modern world, using current technology to torture its victim. Joel McPhail directed the upcoming project, with Augustus Prew playing the protagonist in a story that will make viewers think twice before accepting social media requests from unknown accounts.

Adam Ellis (played by Prew) is a BuzzFeed writer who spends his time illustrating the content he prepares for the website with his light-hearted creations. When a reader claims that his art is bad, Adam starts an online discussion with him, and everything would change when a strange account named “Dear David” begins to follow him after the fight. Ellis loses the ability to sleep at night when a rocking chair located in his room begins to move on its own, making the writer wonder if there’s anything else sitting right next to him, even if he can’t see it. His grip on reality is completely lost when he can’t tell the difference between what happens online, and what’s next to him.

McPhail’s filmography features a wide variety of different kinds of films, with his horror skills making a statement with the first trailer for Dear David. McPhail’s last theatrical release was in 2017 when Anna and the Zombies gave the world the zombie musical story we didn’t know we needed. By releasing Dear David in theaters and on digital platforms on the same day, Lionsgate is giving audiences the option to enjoy the scary story in their preferred format right out of the gate—and right in time for Halloween.

RELATED: ‘Dear David’: Adam Ellis’ Viral Twitter Ghost Story Set for Movie Adaptation

Augustus Prew’s Rise to Stardom

In the middle of dealing with a ghost that is intelligent enough to keep up with constant social media updates, Augustus Prew has worked on a couple of high-profile projects that could push his career to new heights. Last year, the actor was seen playing Médhor in the first season of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Prime Video‘s new adaptation of Middle Earth history takes place thousands of years before Peter Jackson‘s film trilogy, setting the stage for the war to come in the movies that defined the fantasy genre for a generation.

Dear David was written by Mike Van Waes and produced by Richard Alan Reid, Michael Philip, Jason Moring, Naysun Alae-Carew, and Charlotte Walsh. In addition to Prew, the film stars Andrea Bang, Rene Escobar Jr., Cameron Nicoll, and Justin Long.

You can check out the first trailer for Dear David below, before the R-rated horror premieres in theaters, on demand, and on digital platforms on October 13.

Check out the film’s synopsis below:

Shortly after comic artist Adam (Augustus Prew) responds to Internet trolls, he begins experiencing sleep paralysis — while an empty rocking chair moves in the corner of his apartment. As he chronicles increasingly malevolent occurrences in a series of tweets, Adam begins to believe he is being haunted by the ghost of a dead child named David. Encouraged by his boss to continue the “Dear David” thread, Adam starts to lose his grip on what is online…and what is real. Based on the viral Twitter thread by BuzzFeed comic artist Adam Ellis.