‘Pendulum’ Wants You to “Surrender Completely” to Its Hypnotic, Blood-Red New Poster

The marketing for Pendulum has been pretty tremendous so far, and Vertical’s new poster continues to sell a psychological nightmare that looks like a hell of a way to kick off the new year.

Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception), the film opens nationwide on January 1, 2027, with a new piece of art asking us to “Surrender completely.”

A crystal swings from a chain in front of a woman’s upturned face, its movement captured in a blur against the black background. The whole thing is drenched in blood red. We’re seeing a lot of that color in horror posters lately, but it works here, and I love it. It’s an incredibly striking image that gives the title a physical presence while suggesting just how vulnerable someone might become under its spell.

It also ties perfectly into the teaser trailer, which practically tries to hypnotize the audience into the nightmare this couple is about to experience.

The whole campaign calls to mind Sound of My Voice, the incredible indie cult thriller from Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij. That movie thrusts viewers into a cult and starts working on persuading the audience to believe, too. That’s the feeling I’m getting from marketing, and this poster’s invitation to surrender fits it perfectly.