Few things are more horrifying than the thought of spending your days locked up in prison, but how would you react to being on the other side of the bars in a position of power? An infamous experiment from the early 1970’s is getting the cinematic treatment once again in Kyle Patrick Alvarez’s The Stanford Prison Experiment, opening in theaters via IFC Films on July 17th. We have a new still and a few more details to share.

The film stars Billy Crudup, Ezra Miller, Tye Sheridan, Olivia Thirlby, Michael Anganaro, Logan Miller, Thomas Mann, Keir Gilchrist, Johnny Simmons, Moises Arias, Jack Kilmer, Chris Sheffield, Ki Hong Lee, and James Frechville.

Synopsis:

It is the summer of 1971. Dr. Philip Zimbardo launches a study on the psychology of imprisonment. Twenty-four male undergraduates are randomly assigned to be either a guard or a prisoner. Set in a simulated jail, the project unfolds. The participants rapidly embody their roles—the guards become power-hungry and sadistic, while the prisoners, subject to degradation, strategize as underdogs. It soon becomes clear that, as Zimbardo and team monitor the escalation of action through surveillance cameras, they are not fully aware of how they, too, have become part of the experiment.

Based on the real-life research of Dr. Zimbardo (who was a consultant on the film), THE STANFORD PRISON EXPERIMENT is a dramatic period piece that remains relevant over 40 years later. Along with an impressive cast, including Billy Crudup as Zimbardo, director Kyle Patrick Alvarez (C.O.G., 2013 Sundance Film Festival) and writer Tim Talbott deliver an intense, visceral film about the role of power that plays to both chilling and exhilarating effect.