The Shape Of Water Red Band Trailer Revealed

Don't let the name fool you: The Shape of Water isn't some stuffy British period piece.

Fox Searchlight released a slightly NSFW red band trailer for Guillermo del Toro's upcoming romantic fantasy, and it reveals more of the humor, violence, and overall tone of the Cold War parable. The flick, which won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, is expected to be an Oscar contender, but it also looks like it'll be a lot of fun.

Much like Del Toro's 2006 movie Pan's Labyrinth, the movie is a fantasy based in real-life history. Set in America in 1963, it centers on a high-security government laboratory that houses a mysterious aquatic creature played by Del Toro regular Doug Jones (Abe Sapien in the Hellboy movies). Elsa (Sally Hawkins), a mute woman who cleans at the facility, discovers the creature and forms a bond with it, which changes her life forever. Michael Shannon (Man of Steel) and Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures) co-star.

The movie is a passion project for Del Toro, who gave up his salary to make it. "The way I see money at 52, my kids are adults basically, I dress like s***, I drive a four-year-old car, I have all the rubber monsters that I need," he said. "You don't make these movies to buy a ranch in Santa Fe; you make these movies to tell a story. It's not that I came out flat on this movie; I invested. And I invested in a story that I think of as an antidote to the times we're living in. Everything is so sordid and horrible right now, but this movie is not shy about talking about love and beauty and the good things in life."

The Shape of Water will arrive in theaters Dec. 8. Meanwhile, take a look at more movies we can't wait to see later this year.