Kristen Stewart's New Film Makes Twins Creepy

Jessica and Elizabeth. Tia and Tamara. Mary-Kate and Ashley. If you're all about pop-culture, you'll know that twins are always and forever a wonderful thing. In the past, you might even have half-heartedly wished that one of your siblings were born at almost the same time as you so you could participate in all the fun, light-hearted hijinks that ensues when you have a twin — whether swapping dates or taking tests for each other. But now the new Kristen Stewart film Personal Shopper trailer is making being a twin seem the absolute creepiest and I don't know about you, but I'm thanking all relevant deities for my beautifully twin-free existence.

The film centers on a personal shopper (played by Kristen Stewart) working for a famous German supermodel/designer. She's an American in Paris, and Maureen's life is all sorts of glamorous — with one key exception. Her twin brother recently passed away, and following a creepy promise they made to each other that whoever passed away first would send signs from the afterlife, she's receiving lots of messages suggesting that her brother wants to stay in contact with her. Arggghhhhh. This is definitely the sort of situation where you think, hey, all those fun bonuses of being a twin — swapping wardrobes and playing pranks on your parents — are probably not worth it after all.

I guess part of the trickiness of the film is that the lead, Maureen, has psychic powers, which makes her so vulnerable to her twin's attempt to contact her. And wait, it gets creepier: her twin brother died of a heart condition that may still kill Maureen since it runs in the family. Not only is he haunting her supernaturally, but also emotionally, since his death could function as a glimpse of how she might also pass away.

I've got to admit that I've never really given the twin thing proper thought: I assumed it would simply present opportunities for mystery, subterfuge, and intense closeness. But this film is making me rethink all my overly Sweet Valley High-influenced twin-takes. Maybe having a double of yourself is the scariest thing of all — at least when viewed from Personal Shopper's lens, anyway.

Of course, there's an obvious precursor for the trope of twins-as-the-scariest-possible-thing: the Grady twins in The Shining. But, I'd argue these twins could be even creepier: because who could haunt you more effectively than the person who knew you best? So if you're a fan of being totally terrified, then you might want to pencil in its March 10 US release date to see Personal Shopper — it's sure to be intense psychological horror that will stay with you.

Images: Les Films du Losange; Giphy