I'm not sure when I first noticed the decline in the quality of horror movie trailers. As a devout fan of all things that go bump in the night, as well as the medium of cinema itself, it pains me to admit it, but most horror trailers these days are abysmal. Atmosphere has been replaced with flashy editing, while suspense has been substituted with jump scares. Ugh.
I don't know about you, but I'm sick of horror trailers that feature a fast-cut montage of critical plot points, set to the sound of a rapidly increasing heartbeat. (I'm looking at you, Platinum Dunes!) And as often as not, new horror trailers make me feel that actually viewing the movie in question would be redundant. There's no "tease" anymore; the best bits are given away right upfront. Come on, Hollywood, I like a little romance first!
Horror trailers used to have a kind of poetry to them, a sense of grace that's been missing by and large from multiplexes in the past decade. I love a sense of mystery and atmosphere, and lament that a sense of place hasn't been seen consistently in movie trailers since the '70s.
Hence this new column, which I'm calling The Lost Art of Horror Trailers.
Over the course of this series, probably twice a week, we'll be looking at some of the best horror trailers of bygone years and attempting to pinpoint exactly what makes them work so well. I'd love it if you'd provide your feedback via the Comments section on each entry. These trailers are not presented in any particular order, and no ranking of their quality should be assumed by their placement here. My goal is to mix up the trailers by decade, and alternate color/black and white as much as is practical, to avoid the sensation of films blurring together for the viewer.
One final note: in this series, we'll be evaluating only the movie trailers, not the movies themselves. A terrible film can have a great trailer, and vice versa.
Ready? Then let's get started!
THE LOST ART OF HORROR TRAILERS
1. The Shining (1980)
2. Psycho (1960)
3. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
4. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
5. Phantasm (1979)
Bookmark this page and check back soon for future installments! Or subscribe (see above) to receive an e-mail each time this page is updated.
-----
Follow me on Twitter!
Comments
I remember the night I saw the teaser for Christine on TV it was magical all it showed these beautiful curves and talking how evil and deadly she is then pans back showing the car.
In all honesty, there is a trailer for the remake of TCM that was one of the most intense and best I have ever seen. I'll have to go find that now.
I remember back when the trailers were intense and really lured me to see the film without giving away everything. Nowadays, there are so many movies that you see the trailer and save the movie money for something else.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!