Norman Reedus will always be known for his role as Daryl Dixon in The Walking Dead universe, but in recent years, he’s taken on other roles that have expanded his stardom to new levels. Last year, Reedus teamed up with Ana de Armas for the first John Wick spin-off movie, Ballerina, which bombed at the box office before going on to become one of the most-watched movies of 2025 and 2026 on streaming. Reedus also did some serious motion capture work through his collaboration with Hideo Kojima on both Death Stranding movies, but now that Kojima is moving on to work on Physint, it seems unlikely that another Death Stranding game is in the works. Reedus will also star opposite James Marsden in a new Apple TV spy thriller, Disavowed, which will likely be released sometime in 2027.
Long before Reedus suits up in the new Apple TV spy thriller, though, he’s been tapped to star in a new horror movie coming to theaters in less than two months. We’re talking, of course, about Pendulum, which will be released in theaters on January 1, 2027. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Phoebe Dynevor, Anna Deavere Smith, Jena Malone, and Jacki Weaver will also star in the film, which was written and directed by Mark Heyman. If Heyman’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he worked with Darren Aronofsky as the writer on Black Swan. This afternoon, Collider is happy to partner with Vertical Entertainment to exclusively preview the first official trailer for Pendulum before it opens on New Year’s Day. Pendulum is rated R and clocks in with a runtime of 109 minutes, and for those who are interested in what exactly inspired the film, a full quote from writer/director Mark Heyman reads as follows:
“PENDULUM grew out of my upbringing in and around various spiritual groups and gurus that my parents explored in the ’70s and ’80s. The film was inspired by one of their stranger encounters, and much of it is true. Having experienced that world from the inside, I wanted to capture how people get drawn into these cultish groups—and the danger of surrendering yourself completely to the unknown. Like those gurus, the film blurs the line between the physical and supernatural realms. Only instead of trying to heal you, it’s going to freak you out.”
“PENDULUM grew out of my upbringing in and around various spiritual groups and gurus that my parents explored in the ’70s and ’80s. The film was inspired by one of their stranger encounters, and much of it is true. Having experienced that world from the inside, I wanted to capture how people get drawn into these cultish groups—and the danger of surrendering yourself completely to the unknown. Like those gurus, the film blurs the line between the physical and supernatural realms. Only instead of trying to heal you, it’s going to freak you out.”
Your instincts, your strengths, and your particular way of thinking under pressure point to one villain you actually have a fighting chance against. Everyone else — good luck.
Jason is relentless, but he is also predictable — and that is the gap you would exploit.
- He moves in straight lines toward his target. He doesn’t strategise, doesn’t adapt, doesn’t outsmart. He simply pursues.
- Your ability to keep moving, use the environment, and resist the panic that freezes most victims gives you a genuine edge.
- The Crystal Lake survivors were always the ones who stopped running in circles and started thinking about terrain, water, and distance.
- You think like that. Which means Jason, for all his indestructibility, would face someone who simply refused to be where he expected.
Michael watches before he moves. He is patient, methodical, and almost impossible to detect — until it’s too late for anyone who isn’t paying close enough attention.
- But you are paying attention. You notice the shape in the window, the car parked slightly wrong, the silence where there should be sound.
- Michael’s power lies in the invisibility of ordinary suburbia — the fact that nothing ever looks wrong until it already is.
- Your spatial awareness and instinct to map every room, every exit, and every shadow before you need them is precisely the quality Laurie Strode had.
- You are not a victim waiting to happen. You are someone who already suspects something is wrong — and acts on it.
Freddy wins by getting inside your head — using your own fears, your own memories, your own subconscious as weapons against you. That strategy requires a target who can be destabilised.
- You are harder to destabilise than most. You’ve faced uncomfortable truths about yourself and you haven’t looked away.
- The survivors on Elm Street were always the ones who understood what was happening and chose to face it rather than flee from it.
- Freddy’s greatest weakness is that his power evaporates in the presence of someone who refuses to give him the fear he feeds on.
- Your psychological resilience — the ability to stay grounded when reality itself becomes unreliable — is exactly the quality that keeps you alive here.
Pennywise is ancient, shapeshifting, and feeds on terror — but it has one critical vulnerability: it cannot function against someone who genuinely stops being afraid of it.
- The Losers Club didn’t survive because they were braver than everyone else. They survived because they faced their fears together, and faced them honestly.
- You ask the questions others avoid. You look directly at what frightens you rather than turning away.
- That directness — the refusal to let fear fester in the dark — is Pennywise’s worst nightmare.
- It chose the wrong target when it chose you. You are exactly the kind of person whose fear tastes like nothing at all.
Chucky’s greatest advantage is that nobody takes him seriously until it’s already too late. He exploits the gap between how something looks and what it actually is.
- You don’t have that gap. You take threats seriously regardless of how they present — and you never make the mistake of underestimating something because of its size or appearance.
- Chucky relies on surprise, on the delay between recognition and response. You close that delay faster than almost anyone.
- Your instinct to treat every unfamiliar thing with appropriate scepticism — rather than dismissing it because it seems absurd — is the exact quality that keeps you breathing.
- Against Chucky, not laughing is already winning. You are very good at not laughing.
What Is ‘Pendulum’ About?
Pendulum was something of a Black Swan reunion for writer/director Mark Heyman, who had producer Darren Aronofsky to lean on for guidance during the production of the film. Heyman also produces the film along with Jacob Jaffke, Élan Klein Jaffke, Dave Caplan, Ari Handel, Elizabeth Gesas, and Will Greenfield. Vertical has released an official synopsis to go along with the release of the new trailer, which reads as follows: “In Mark Heyman’s feature film directorial debut, married couple Patrick (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Abigail (Phoebe Dynevor) journey to a new-age retreat in New Mexico, drawn by the possibility of healing after a traumatic event. Patrick is willing to do anything to help his wife, but becomes distrustful of the retreat’s enigmatic leader (Jacki Weaver) even as Abigail falls under her spell. As paranoia builds, the couple must determine if the group’s spiritual practices offer genuine healing – or mask a terrifying truth that threatens to consume them both.”
Check out the new trailer for Pendulum and stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of the film.
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