Fox Searchlight have released the first trailer for Guillermo del Toro’s “other-worldly fairy tale”, The Shape of Water.

Set in 1963, Elisa (Sally Hawkins) is a mute janitor, working alongside co-worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer) at a secretive government laboratory. Elisa’s life is changed when she discovers a classified experiment, a sensitive and intelligent creature.

The trailer has a Bioshock vibe as well as referencing Creature From The Black Lagoon and del Toro’s own Hellboy (Abe Sapien?).

Co written by Vanessa Taylor, the film also stars Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Michael Stuhlbarg and Doug Jones. The Shape of Water is set to open in the US on 8 December 2017 and in the UK on 16 February 2018.