After debuting it exclusively in theatres over the weekend, Fox Searchlight has finally released the first trailer for Guillermo del Toro’s next film online. Unsurprisingly, it looks very Guillermo del Toro-y! The Shape of Water is described as “an other-worldly fairy tale set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1963″ and it revolves around a deaf government employee (Sally Hawkins) who falls in love with a fish-man creature that is the result of a top secret experiment (Doug Jones, essentially reprising his role as Hellboy‘s Abe Sapien). It’s hard not to be reminded a little bit of M. Night Shyamalan’s Lady in the Water here, and although the trailer seems to hint at some darker elements, G Del T has made it clear that this is not a horror movie. The movie also has a very Oscar-friendly release date so clearly Fox Searchlight has high hopes for it. The Shape of Water co-stars Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins and Michael Stuhlbarg and it hits theatres on Dec. 8th. Check out the trailer after the jump and see what you think.