A viral Twitter thread has been made into a horror movie – and its first trailer is here

Viral Twitter thread Dear David, which saw Buzzfeed illustrator Adam Ellis document an alleged haunting in his New York apartment, has been made into a movie.

Ahead of its release in October, Lionsgate has just unveiled the flick's first trailer, which boasts way more supernatural scares than the "based on actual events" tease would lead you to believe. Watch above if you're feeling brave enough.

Directed by John McPhail, who grabbed genre fans' attentions with his festive zombie musical Anna and the Apocalypse back in 2017, Dear David gives the titular ghost, who Ellis described in his original tweets as having a caved-in head, a dark backstory. As Adam, in the movie, delves deeper into David's past, he finds himself the target of several malevolent entities. 

Augustus Prew, Andrea Bang, and Barbarian and Drag Me to Hell's Justin Long star. Mike Van Waes penned the script.

Since it landed online, the teaser has been getting mixed reviews, with some unsure about how much it's expanded the source material and others claiming that it looks like a Saturday Night Live skit. "I remember the thread and it was actually fairly creepy (pretty sure he admitted it was fake later) but this movie looks like too much action," one Twitter user said. "I miss [subtlety] in horror films."

Others were more keen, albeit in a cynical way. "Incredible twist that the film adaptation felt the need to keep him a Buzzfeed cartoonist and give Dear David the motivation of disliking his twitter presence," one joked

"Trailer for #DearDavid give me Annabelle, Unfriended and other horror films vibes to it. You know I'm there at theater seeing it," said a third. Here's hoping it'll surprise us...

Dear David releases in US cinemas on October 13. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming horror movies heading our way in 2023 and beyond.

Amy West

I am an Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.

Read more
It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This
New found footage horror movie is getting major attention from film buffs for the most unlikely reason – the filmmakers say it’ll never be released online
Bring Her Back
First teaser for follow-up horror from Talk to Me directors is just as unsettling as I thought it would be
The cast of Until Dawn
First Until Dawn trailer features gruesome kills and a time-twisting mystery inspired by the horror game
Ayo Edebiri in Opus
First trailer drops for The Bear star's new psychological horror movie with John Malkovich as a cult leader
ayo edebiri
New horror movie from the studio behind Midsommar and Heretic unveils its first look and plot details
The cast of the Until Dawn movie
Until Dawn movie gets new trailer, and it looks like a mixture of Cabin in the Woods and Happy Death Day
Latest in Horror Movies
The House of the Dead first look 'Test Subjects'
Resident Evil director offers update on his horror movie adaptation of Until Dawn-sounding video game from over 20 years ago: "It's going to be very, very scary"
Emily Blunt in A Quiet Place Part 2
A Quiet Place 3 is finally happening, but it'll be a while because John Krasinski is so busy: "It's hard to get him"
Theo James as Hal in Osgood Perkins' The Monkey
It might only be March, but Stephen King adaptation The Monkey is now the highest grossing horror movie of 2025
Train to Busan passengers
Train to Busan director is returning to the horror sub-genre with a new movie described as the culmination of his zombie universe
John Lithgow as Dave Crealy in The Rule of Jenny Pen
John Lithgow and Geoffrey Rush's twisted chiller is a much-needed shake-up to the horror genre, disrupting harmful elderly stereotypes embraced by the likes of X and The Shining
Kathryn Newton in Abigail
Marvel star joins former Scream directors for highly-anticipated upcoming horror sequel
Latest in News
Jack Quaid in Novocaine
The Boys star Jack Quaid's commitment to the bit is unmatched as his latest marketing stunt for upcoming action movie Novocaine goes viral
Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again had Disney Plus' biggest premiere of 2025, but its viewership is lower than Agatha All Along and The Acolyte
Beyond the Ice Palace 2
After 37 years, this Commodore 64 classic returns with a new Metroidvania sequel that gives serious old-school Castlevania vibes
The House of the Dead first look 'Test Subjects'
Resident Evil director offers update on his horror movie adaptation of Until Dawn-sounding video game from over 20 years ago: "It's going to be very, very scary"
True Detective
Matthew McConaughey still thinks his own season of True Detective is the best one: "It was one of the great events in TV"
Diego Luna in Andor season 2
Andor season 2 showrunner Tony Gilroy calls Cassian “Star Wars Jesus” ahead of the show’s return on Disney Plus