A new teaser for Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3 is sometimes referred to interchangeably as season 18.

Paramount+ has now shared the official trailer for Criminal Minds: Evolution season 18. The teaser cuts between a portentous conversation about the nature of the job and insidious acts perpetrated by both Elias Voit (Zach Gilford) and his followers. The imagery gets more and more brutal, featuring quick glimpses at moments including a hallway with hellish lighting, multiple creepy masks either being worn or displayed, a woman seemingly being buried alive, and another character being gagged with metal chains. Watch the trailer below:

What This Means For Criminal Minds: Evolution

Elias Voit Still Haunts The BAU

As this trailer showcases, Elias Voit will continue to make a nuisance of himself for the BAU throughout the season. The character, who first appeared in the debut episode of Evolution, has since become the main antagonist of the more serialized series. A serial killer and criminal mastermind, Voit has committed or orchestrated plenty of heinous acts, and the trailer implies that his reign of terror will grow even more brutal despite seemingly being killed in prison in the Criminal Minds: Evolution season 2 finale.

The show still has the ability to remain on the knife's edge between lively mainstream entertainment and visceral horror...

However, the trailer also reveals that the show will maintain its signature blend of tones in spite of the downright horrifying imagery being teased. This is displayed by the final line of the trailer, which is "son of a bee's nest." This cheerfully folky phrase coming immediately after a montage of some of the series' scariest scenes yet reminds longtime viewers that the show still has the ability to remain on the knife's edge between lively mainstream entertainment and visceral horror.

Our Take On The Criminal Minds: Evolution Trailer

The Season Has An Ace Up Its Sleeve

So far, it seems that Criminal Minds: Evolution season 18 contains strong promise. Additionally, on top of the intense storylines and entertaining characters showcased in the trailer, another thing that could help the season is the fact that original Criminal Minds star Matthew Gray Gubler is set to return, reprising his role as Spencer Reid in a guest appearance for the first time on Evolution. This could all prove to be a potent combination and potentially make it one of the show's best seasons yet.

Criminal Minds: Evolution season 18 debuts on Paramount+ on May 8.

Source: Paramount+