The New ‘Alias Grace’ Trailer Has Strong ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Vibes

The next Margaret Atwood trailer has arrived

by Ben Barna

In case you haven’t heard, Margaret Atwood is very on trend right now, and Netflix wants you to know that the next potential Atwood-born sensation belongs to them. After months of teasing us with short clips, Netflix finally released the full trailer for its six-part series Alias Grace, the second adaptation of the Canadian author’s work to hit screens this year (you might have heard of the other tale...). The series follows Grace Marks, an Irish woman who immigrates to Canada and finds herself working as a maid for a wealthy family. After her employer and his housekeeper (played by Anna Paquin) are found murdered, Parks and the stable hand (Kerr Logan) are accused of the crime.

When the trailer opens, Marks tells us that she’s been in prison for 15 years, meaning that Alias Grace will at least partly employ flashbacks. The series, which is based on a true story, seems to center on whether or not Marks is innocent and if she does, as she claims in the trailer, suffer from amnesia. Even if this wasn’t another Atwood adaptation, the Handmaid’s Tale vibes here are strong, from the long flowing period garb and 19th-century headwear to the abuse at the hands of the protagonist's superiors. All six episodes of Alias Grace were directed by Mary Harron (American Psycho) and written by Canadian national treasure Sarah Polley. Check it out on Netflix when it drops on November 3.