10 Spookiest Horror Movie Trailers
With the numberless trailers released every year the epicity and scariness aspects seem to have vanished away; such a shame considering that trailers are the introduction card to decide whether you get tickets or rent the movie or you are just discouraged of watching it. The following are the ones that have managed to serve as the ideal showcase for their films no matter the quality of the final flick.
The Exorcist (1973)
Did the movie live up to the trailer? It totally did
Banned films are no new cases in this space. They all have pretty much been covered and highlighted. Nonetheless, banned trailers are way more scarce and rare.
Currently, one can only picture the impact this trailer had when it was released taking into consideration that it would still be considered too much even by modern standards. Reports of people presenting epilepsy episodes galore and adults calling TV stations so that the trailer could be taken out were the credentials for a movie that managed to be scarier than its appalling trailer.
Note: If you are prone to having seizures you might as well skip this one.
The Last House On The Left (1972)
Did the movie live up to the trailer? It surpased it in every conceivable way
When The Last House On The Left was released it was immediately labeled as the pinnacle of horror and gruesomeness of its time; there was no movie that could keep up with the cruelty and violence displayed in the film.
But, be as it may, an equally ghastly trailer had been dropped before. Said trailer made use of a couple of ploys in a rather compelling way; its combination of the descriptive-narrative approach used in most of the trailer with the usage of repetition with the instanlty quotable and catchy "It's only a movie" assured it a space in the pantheon of great and scariest horror movie trailers.
Did the movie live up to the trailer? Indeed. A must-watch for any horror fan
When William Friedkin himself says that The Babadook was the most frightening movie he ever experienced one can only guess that the guy knows a thing or two about horror and take his words as a slight recommendation.
Whereas most of the films in this list had great teaser trailers or publicity campaigns bakcing up by tagging their movies were "real" or "the most gruesome ever made", The Babadook just had this trailer under its sleeve. It was sufficient to assure a very respectable amount of audience when it was released and to cement its place at the forefront of modern horror movies, and, consequently, of horror cinema as a whole.
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Did the movie live up to the trailer? Yes, it did. In spite of what most people currently state
Regardless of the quality of the following movies there is no denying that the three essential foundations in Found Footage are Cannibal Holocaust, The Blair Witch Project and Paraormal Activity. Undeniably, in the gaps from movie to movie there have been countless Found Footage films and more than a handful of them have surpassed them in quality but are not as impactful or meaningful.
Out of the aforementioned three movies The Blair Witch Project stands tall in terms of impact , mainly due to the its publicity campaign (the greatest in horror history) which included this trailer. It is more than enough to watch it and picture what you would feel in 1999 when this was dropped and the Internet was nowhere near of the aid it is today.
Did the movie live up to the trailer? We are two weeks away from knowing if it will do
Longlegs has to be the most anticipated horror movie of 2024. At least if we base this anticipation upon what was bestowed in its teaser trailers. Seldom is the time that a horror production takes its time to create an interesting and intriguing campaign to establish its film as a must-see.
Unfortunately, the final trailer ended up being inferior to the teasers, but these were more than enough to leave you craving for the movie; hidden and cryptic messages and images; scary imagery; slow revealing of the title (no title included in the name of the teasers and alluring phrases replacing it); and, of course, an excellent sound design. It has not been released in Mexico but reviews have acclaimed it.
Did the movie live up to the trailer? No, it did not
I experienced the utmost dissapointment when the credits rolled and I realized that my expectations had been wrongly placed; expectation that were, of course, triggered by the fantastic trailer of this Austrian flick.
Despite of being fantastically shot and beautifully produced the film could not get away with its "I saw it coming half an hour ago" plot twist and the way some occurrences unfold; a way that was displayed differently in the trailer in order to trick you in. Do watch the trailer and give the movie a shot; just set aside any expectations you may havebecause of the trailer and you might enjoy the film.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Did the movie live up to the trailer? It sure did
During the 70's (the greatest decade in horror cinema history) there was a fierce competition to push the boundaries of what could be shown in horror, specially in the commercial panorama. 1972 offered the monstrous The Last House On The Left; 1973 went further and hosted the release of The Exorcist. However, 1974 went beyond and this led to the infamous The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Now, setting aside the quality of the movie (which has been vastly covered and renowned) the trailer is the perfect showcase for displaying its raw and horrid imagery without giving away all the details that make this movie the greatest slasher of all time alongside Halloween.
Did the movie live up to the trailer? Not at all, unfortunately
This movie was sort of a cult phenomenon that occured a couple of years ago. Countless labeled it as a triumph in alternative horror whereas many others dismissed it for lacking bite and being way too pretentious. I lean on towards the latter but the quality of the final product is not the main concern to be discussed.
Trailer-wise, Skinamarink is the perfect embodiment of what a great horror trailer should be; it gives away little to nothing about the film; aesthetically it is unnerving; and last but not least, the repetition of the iconic "In this house" works wonders.
Psycho (1960)
Did the movie live up to the trailer? Absolutely
A six and a half minute trailer? Hitchcock himself walking us through the locations in the film while describing what took place in there? All the aspects that should be avoided in order to not spoil the experience of watching the movie were deliberately and boldly taken to make this the riskiest and most iconic trailer of all time.
The best part? Regardless of what we have stated about the trailer, the movie does deliver and lives up to its humongous introduction card. Easily the most influential movie in the entirety of the list.
Alien (1979)
Did the movie live up to the trailer? The movie is even more legendary than the trailer. Nuff said.
Throughout the history of cinema, specifically horror cinema, we have witnessed how well some tricks work; The Last House On The Left and Skinamarink proved that phrase repetition can ignite fear; movies like Psycho opted for the narrative-descriptive approach.
On the other hand, Alien relied on sound design and lack of lines to craft its trailer. The result offers no shortage of thrills and scares showing the necessary details to grasp your attention and it does not let you look away until the now-iconic "In space no one can hear you scream" rolls up on screen.
Honorable Mentions:
-Us
-Paranormal Activity
-It's Alive
-Suspiria
-The Conjuring
-Sinister
-10 Cloverfield Lane
