Nicolas Cage Is Crazier Than Ever as He Tries to Kill Kids in 'Mom and Dad' Trailer

The horror-comedy film also stars Selma Blair as his wife, but make no mistake, these are not the heroes of the story. At best, they are victims. In reality, they and every other adult are the villains. The conceit of the film is that something comes over the parents of an idyllic small community one day and they decide they should really probably kill their kids.

Cage went for broke in this performance, if this trailer is any indication, screaming and flailing while wielding a chainsaw or a sledgehammer. At one point he can be seen destroying a pool table with the hammer while joyfully bellowing out "The Hokey Pokey." It's just one in a series of surreal vignettes that entice and confuse at the same time.

The actor is clearly having a blast; there is no subtlety in his performance. The people we are ingrained to trust the very most turn against us. The idea haunted audiences when Jack Nicholson lost it in "The Shining," and that's a subdued performance compared to what Cage brings to "Mom and Dad."

We see other scenes of horror in the trailer as well, like the "hungry" mob that shows up at school to pick up their unsuspecting children -- you know, so they can try to kill them -- and the children running and hiding, but it looks like the majority of the action takes place within the house where Blair coos to her children as Cage fumes behind her just waiting to get his hands on them.

IndieWire described Cage as being in "full on nutzoid mode," while Movie Nation called the film "a B-movie with Nicolas Cage the way we like him, uncaged and unhinged." Many critics who saw "Mom and Dad" felt it has what it takes to become a cult classic like "The Stepford Wives" and "Heathers."

We'll find out for ourselves when the madcap insanity explodes on audiences as "Mom and Dad" hits theaters Jan. 19, 2018.