Desperate Geologist, Deranged Voice: ‘The Occupant’ Trailer Blurs Survival and Sanity in Georgia’s Wilds

A Teaser That Eats Its Own Tail Ella Balinska just crash-landed into the “cursed isolation” subgenre—and Reddit is already dissecting every frame like it’s the Zapruder film. In ‘The Occupant,’ a grueling helicopter disaster strands her character—Abby, an engineering geologist with more baggage than a lost airline—somewhere remote enough to make “wilderness” sound cozy. She gropes through the Georgian taiga, trailed by guilt, hypothermia, and Rob Delaney’s disembodied radio banter. The SXSW London crowd survived the premiere; now, the rest of us get tossed only a teaser. Why This Twist Isn’t Just Psychological—It’s Deranged Here’s what puts ‘The Occupant’ in its own nihilistic swim lane: Abby’s heroism serves a gnarly twist of self-interest—she’s on a dangerous mining job, gambling for her sister’s cancer treatment. But the shocker? Her only companion isn’t frostbite or a bear. It’s John—a possibly imaginary voice, played with unsettling charm by Delaney—that rides the static of her walkie-talkie like a ghost in a broken modem. Think ‘Buried’ meets ‘Annihilation’—if Ryan Reynolds’ only lifeline was a gaslighting AI, or Natalie Portman spent the whole movie doubting if anyone outside the shimmer was real. But the real chilling detail? The trailer refuses to tip its hand. We’re left hanging between two realities: Abby dodging death in the wild, or Abby spiraling through psychological purgatory, talking to herself (or something far worse). The Abyss Stares Back—And Talks to You Here’s where Hugo Keijzer’s directorial debut knees the genre trope in the teeth. Most survival thrillers dump their lead into the elements and let nature play villain. But ‘The Occupant’ leans hard into existential dread: is Abby’s journey a ground war for survival, or a full-blown breakdown? The trailer toys with perception the way ‘The Ritual’ hijacked backwoods paranoia, but this time, the monster isn’t a forest god—it’s doubt. Is John just a coping mechanism flickering to life with every drop in Abby’s oxygen, or a real threat with an agenda? Even the trailer’s dialogue crackles with ambiguity: “I’m a survivor, just like you…” It’s a line that could be offered as hope—or as bait. One crew member at the SXSW screening reportedly muttered, “This is the kind of movie that’ll make you unplug your Alexa. Just in case.” Compare this to the likes of ‘Ad Astra’ or ‘Moon’—where unreliable radio voices test every ounce of protagonist sanity. But here, the stakes are more primal: Abby’s not just fighting for survival, she’s fighting not to disappear into her own mind. So—Genius or Garbage? There’s No Middle Ground Would you rather spend 90 minutes lost in the woods, or spend it wondering if you’re the only one who’s real? Genius or genre junk? Fire up the group chat—this one’s going to split the crowd. Would you risk the VOD rental, or just go stare at snow in the freezer for cheap thrills?

Liam Sterling June 9, 2025 Add a Comment

A Teaser That Eats Its Own Tail

Ella Balinska just crash-landed into the “cursed isolation” subgenre—and Reddit is already dissecting every frame like it's the Zapruder film. In ‘The Occupant,' a grueling helicopter disaster strands her character—Abby, an engineering geologist with more baggage than a lost airline—somewhere remote enough to make “wilderness” sound cozy. She gropes through the Georgian taiga, trailed by guilt, hypothermia, and Rob Delaney's disembodied radio banter. The SXSW London crowd survived the premiere; now, the rest of us get tossed only a teaser.

Contents

A Teaser That Eats Its Own Tail Why This Twist Isn’t Just Psychological—It’s Deranged The Abyss Stares Back—And Talks to You So—Genius or Garbage? There’s No Middle Ground

Why This Twist Isn't Just Psychological—It's Deranged

Here's what puts ‘The Occupant' in its own nihilistic swim lane: Abby's heroism serves a gnarly twist of self-interest—she's on a dangerous mining job, gambling for her sister's cancer treatment. But the shocker? Her only companion isn't frostbite or a bear. It's John—a possibly imaginary voice, played with unsettling charm by Delaney—that rides the static of her walkie-talkie like a ghost in a broken modem.

Think ‘Buried' meets ‘Annihilation'—if Ryan Reynolds' only lifeline was a gaslighting AI, or Natalie Portman spent the whole movie doubting if anyone outside the shimmer was real. But the real chilling detail? The trailer refuses to tip its hand. We're left hanging between two realities: Abby dodging death in the wild, or Abby spiraling through psychological purgatory, talking to herself (or something far worse).

The Abyss Stares Back—And Talks to You

Here's where Hugo Keijzer's directorial debut knees the genre trope in the teeth. Most survival thrillers dump their lead into the elements and let nature play villain. But ‘The Occupant' leans hard into existential dread: is Abby's journey a ground war for survival, or a full-blown breakdown? The trailer toys with perception the way ‘The Ritual' hijacked backwoods paranoia, but this time, the monster isn't a forest god—it's doubt. Is John just a coping mechanism flickering to life with every drop in Abby's oxygen, or a real threat with an agenda?

Even the trailer's dialogue crackles with ambiguity: “I'm a survivor, just like you…” It's a line that could be offered as hope—or as bait. One crew member at the SXSW screening reportedly muttered, “This is the kind of movie that'll make you unplug your Alexa. Just in case.”

Compare this to the likes of ‘Ad Astra' or ‘Moon'—where unreliable radio voices test every ounce of protagonist sanity. But here, the stakes are more primal: Abby's not just fighting for survival, she's fighting not to disappear into her own mind.

So—Genius or Garbage? There's No Middle Ground

Would you rather spend 90 minutes lost in the woods, or spend it wondering if you're the only one who's real? Genius or genre junk? Fire up the group chat—this one's going to split the crowd. Would you risk the VOD rental, or just go stare at snow in the freezer for cheap thrills?