There's definitely an art to movie trailers, and a horror film's trailer needs even more thought, care and attention. The trailer should hint at big moments and scary surprises while allowing audiences to wonder about how all the elements of the story are going to come together.
When a trailer is done right, it's just as entertaining as the movie itself and it feels impossible not to want to rush out to the movie theater immediately (or find the film on a streaming service if it's been out for a while). The greatest horror movie trailers are intelligent, creative, and a lot of fun.
Scream (1996)
Scream is impressive in so many ways, and the trailer is great as well. It's interesting to imagine what it felt like watching this trailer back when the movie was being promoted before its release. The trailer plays up Drew Barrymore's star power and shows Casey Becker at home, making popcorn and chatting with someone who phones her and talks to her about horror movies. A voiceover says, "Someone is playing a deadly game. Someone who has seen one too many scary movies. Now, he's taken his love of fear one step too far."
The trailer also shows final girl character Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) and Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy) explaining the horror movie rules that fans now know by heart. The trailer finishes with the creepy voice saying, "Don't answer the phone. Don't answer the door. Don't try to hide." The Scream franchise has some memorable slasher movie quotes and a lot of laughter and the trailer works so well.
Get Out (2017)
Get Out is one of the most popular Blumhouse horror movies and one that is best watching without knowing much about it. The trailer does an incredible job of explaining what the story is about while not giving away major plot points, so the viewing experience will still be excellent. Rose Armitage (Alison Williams) tells Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) that her parents might ask questions about their inter-racial relationship.
The trailer hints at the horrors waiting for Chris and mentions hypnosis. It's clear that something terrifying will happen to Chris during his weekend away. The trailer doesn't share too much and makes horror fans want to dive into the film immediately and learn the truth about the Armitage family.
Truth Or Dare (2018)
While Truth Or Dare is a Blumhouse horror movie that fell flat, the trailer is pretty good and suggests are more interesting movie than what the result is. At the beginning, Olivia Barron (Lucy Hale) is playing the game with her group of friends and someone suggests that she loves her best friend's boyfriend. Right away, audiences are intrigued and wonder how close Olivia and her friend really are.
The trailer then has Olivia saying "Carter said tell the truth or you die" and another character says "We're not playing the game, it's playing us." Then audiences see a woman staring into a mirror and grinning in a creepy manner, which is what happens when people are taken over by the evil game. While not the most well-done movie or a horror film with great friendships, as the characters need more development, the trailer is effective.
Fresh (2022)
The trailer for the dating horror movie Fresh shows that the horror film has a great sense of humor and also an incredibly creepy tone. The trailer opens with a scene of Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) going on a terrible date with a man who talks about "feminity" and wanting her to wear a dress. When the server comes around to check on them, he asks for leftovers, which is smart comedic timing.
The trailer effectively conveys that Noa is sick of online dating, and when she meets cute with Steve (Sebastian Stan) in the supermarket, she thinks her luck has seriously changed. The trailer doesn't share the major twist but audiences hear Noa saying "This isn't happening" and Steve says "No games," proving that this relationship isn't what it seems.
Pearl (2022)
From calling it an "X-tradionary origin story" to the backstory about the main character, the trailer for Ti West's X prequel Pearl is fantastic. Pearl runs a boarding house on her Texas farm and takes care of World War II veterans while secretly thinking that it would be great if she could kill them. The trailer also explains that Pearl wanted to be an actress and it seems that her dreams began to crumble and slip away from her, which prompted her to start killing.
While sometimes trailers are better than the movie, that doesn't seem likely with Pearl, which looks like an excellent prequel to the story of Mia Goth's character becoming a bitter, evil murderer. The trailer gives audiences just enough details and information while still making the film look like it can't possibly be missed.