The A Series of Unfortunate Events" was all build-up, promising "cruel whimsy and whimsical cruelty " to come. Now, another teaser, featuring footage from the actual series, in finally here, and it certainly delivers on that promise.

The short clip gives viewers a brief synopsis of the story, which focuses on the three orphaned Baudelaire siblings, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, who are sent to live with their mysterious uncle, Count Olaf (Neil Patrick Harris). Unfortunately for the kids -- and the word "unfortunate" will almost certainly pop up again and again in this series -- Olaf is a cruel, greedy man, whose only aim is to swindle the children out of their parents' inheritance.

Olaf proves to be a formidable foe for the Baudelaires, described by others as "a vile, terrible person" and "a thief and a murderer." Thankfully, the kids can more than hold their own against their uncle, and band together to outsmart him at every turn, while also working to solve their the mystery behind their parents' death.

The eight-episode series is set to debut on Netflix on January 13.

Photo credit: YouTube/Netflix