Fox Searchlight has debuted a new clip teasing the mysterious sea creature at the heart of Guillermo del Toro's romantic feature The Shape of Water. The clip teases the creature, played by Hellboy alumni Doug Jones, as he makes first contact with the cleaning crew that eventually comes to develop sympathy for him, in the form of Elisa (Sally Hawkins) and Zelda (Octavia Spencer) -- much to the chagrin of the officer in charge, Strickland (Michael Shannon).

As seen in the debut trailer, the Cold War-era film focuses on Elisa as a lonely and mute government laboratory worker in an American high-security facility that is hiding the creature, which has been worshiped as a god in the Amazon. She forges a strong and compassionate bond with the sea-dweller, which profoundly changes both their isolated lives.

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According to Deadline, the highly anticipated film received a standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival, marking del Toro's triumphant return to creature features with frequent collaborator Jones, who played Abe Sapien in Hellboy and Fauno and Pale Man in Pan's Labyrinth. Fans are eager to see more of this new sea creature, as it bears a striking resemblance to Abe Sapien and shares a similar appetite for hard-boiled eggs. Whether this detail is a simple homage or direct connection to the old Hellboy franchise remains to be seen.

Debuting in theaters on December 8, The Shape of Water is a production of Bull Productions directed by Guillermo del Toro and starring Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Lauren Lee Smith, Michael Stuhlbarg and Octavia Spencer.