Speculation is rife as to the purpose of the eerie new Jj Abrams clip that has been posted on Bad Robot's YouTube channel. The clip, simply entitled 'Stranger,' is just over a minute long yet still manages to instil a sense of dread and intrigue.

JJ Abrams
Tricksy Abrams Has Set His Fans Another Challenge...

A gravelly voice narrates a dark shoreline scene, beginning "he arrived knowing nothing of himself" as a shot of a starry night sky pans to the water's edge where a silhouetted, bedraggled figure is trying to pull himself out of the sea. "Who is he? Soon he will know. Because what begins at the water shall end there," adds the narrator ominously as the mysterious figure attempts to rid himself of what looks like ropes around his wrists.

Watch Bad Robot's 'Stranger' Clip:

The straggly figure staggers through the waves lapping the shore. We are lulled into a dreamy state; the soft piano music, the calm voice, the gentle tide. Until suddenly, upon the words "men are erased," the camera shoots towards a lamp as violins screech. The lamp is being held by a terrifying person with their mouth sewn shut staring scarily. From this heart-stopping image we are plunged into darkness and left with the words "soon he will know," which fades to just "soon."

JJ Abrams Star Trek
...Try To Sleep After Watching His 'Stranger' Clip.

JJ Abrams, director of the two latest Star Trek films, Lost, and the upcoming Star Wars instalment, has used similar teasing tactics in the past to work up some excitement before a release. 2008's alien disaster movie Cloverfield and 2011's Super 8 both employed similar weapons of intrigue and TV series Lost was one long rollercoaster of suspense even before the surreal survival drama had even hit screens.

It has been speculated by fans in the know that 'Stranger' could be an early looks at next year's NBC collaboration with Alfonso Cuarón in a new series titled Believe. This suggestion would make a lot of sense, seeing as the show is rumoured to feature a girl with supernatural abilities who is protected by a death row inmate. In Great Expectations style, 'Stranger' could be showing us the convict reaching shore after an escape swim.

JJ Abrams Smiling
Abrams Has Used Similar Methods Of Intrigue Before.

Another suggestion is that the clip is the advert for the upcoming Doug Dorst novel, S., which was apparently written in collaboration with Abrams and will be released this October. However, described by publishers Mulholland Books as a "multilayered literary puzzle of love and adventure is a book of mysterious provenance," we'd be more inclined to say that the description seems incongruous with the chilling 'Stranger' clip.

However, the publishers do say that "Abrams' production company, Bad Robot, will be promoting the book leading up to and at publication time," and with publication less than three months away, we should be expecting said promotion about now.

This is driving us crazy! What do you think the mysterious 'Stranger' stands for?