Before the best-selling game Dead Island arrived in stores a cinematic trailer was released online that played like a short film told in reverse. A young girl was seen on the ground at the beginning of the clip, and as the story progressed you learned the fate of her family and everyone else on the island through a beautifully rendered clip. Now, Hatchet 3 director BJ McDonnell has recreated that promo shot-for-shot with real actors, and the results are even more hauntingly gorgeous than the original.

Released online through Machinima on Friday, McDonnell’s take on Dead Island‘s iconic trailer is as spot-on as one could hope to make a cgi-to-life adaptation. Everything from the character design to the destructive bits of the scene have been painstakingly brought into reality with gruesome detail, and though the purpose of the clip is unknown we’re confident you’ll want to watch the video again and again. You can view the short below, as well as the original animated trailer.

There have been rumors that Dead Island would be adapted into a feature film since the months prior to the game’s original release, but actual progress on the project has been kept under tight wraps. Some are speculating this clip is McDonnell’s attempt to audition for the director’s seat on the adaptation, but again nothing can be confirmed at this time. Comment below and let us know your thoughts on the video.

Live-action teaser:

Original teaser:

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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