The first teaser trailer for Nicolas Winding Refn’s Her Private Hell has been officially released. Starring Companion actor Sophie Thatcher and May December’s Charles Melton, the film is Refn’s first feature since 2016’s The Neon Demon.
The film’s synopsis reads, “When a mysterious mist engulfs a futuristic metropolis, unleashing a deadly and elusive entity, a troubled young woman searches for her father. Her quest collides with an American GI on a harrowing odyssey to rescue his daughter from hell.”
Check out the Her Private Hell trailer below (watch more trailers):
What happens in the Her Private Hell teaser trailer?
The teaser trailer remains largely shrouded in mystery, revealing little about the plot. What can be gleaned is that Thatcher is playing Elle, one of the many actresses traversing across a moonlit city, searching for her father. According to a previous synopsis, the film follows multiple storylines, including one where “actresses are gathering at a posh hotel where they’re set to make a Barbarella-like movie”. Adding tension to the plot, a killer called the “Leather Man” is out at large, targeting women.
The teaser trailer also reveals the remaining cast, including Kristine Froseth, Havana Rose Liu, Diego Calva, Dougray Scott, Shioli Kutsuna, Aoi Yamada, and Hidetoshi Nishijima.
Her Private Hell is directed and produced by Refn, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Esti Giordani. It is executive-produced by Lene Børglum, Christina Erritzøe, Takuma Takasaki, and Kimberly Willming. The creative team consists of composer Pino Donaggio, production designer Gitte Malling, art director Thomas Karlsen, and more.
Neon will distribute the upcoming film, which has already debuted at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. In an interview with Deadline, Refn revealed that part of the film’s inspiration came from his near-death experience three years ago due to heart valve regurgitation.
“Well, in my situation, I can’t point to a specific inspiration because it’s many things, but I think I can narrow it down to an experience,” said Refn.
“Three years ago, I died, and I was dead for 20 minutes. When you’re told that you’re maybe going to die within two weeks, a lot of things go through your mind: You’re afraid, angry, frustrated, sad, you lash out. But then, I realized that I’d been given a gift, that if I could come back, I was going to be given a second chance. Most people don’t get that. And I was going to be young enough to live for at least another 25 years. When I did come back alive, thank god, I was like, I had to start all over again with everything, but this time, I had 30 years of knowledge. You completely have to start over again with everything; moving your legs, arms, stuff like that. And I saw that I wanted to make movies again, the same way I’d wanted to make movies when I was young, but I also had a very specific mantra, which was: I will make things that come to me instinctively.”
“So, the film became many things for me. You can say there’s everything from horror, to sci-fi, to melodrama, to musical, to camp, to kitsch, to action, to color, and yet, you can’t put your finger on it. That’s a wonderful experience.”
Her Private Hell releases in theaters on July 24, 2026.
