Ever since I can remember first going to the movies, the Coming Attractions (or previews/prevues, trailers, etc) have always been one of the excited aspects of going to the movies. As a kid, I obviously didn't read too much about upcoming movies or know what was in the pipeline, aside from the odd heads up my Dad would throw my way after he'd heard it on the news or read in the paper. There was something magical and surprising about seeing a coming attraction to a film that likely wasn't even in my vernacular before that very moment.
These days, trailers are still exciting, although the fun is taken away a bit now that we have trailer premieres on youtube well before actually seeing it played in a theater. Also, it goes without saying that a lot of trailers are pretty redundant these days and, truthfully, in the last 17 or so years that I've been actively going to the movies on my own, there are some trailers that I've gotten incredibly tired of seeing again and again and again (fatigue from going to the movies too much maybe? - Ed.).
Perhaps the argument for what makes a good trailer versus a bad one is something for another Constriction Pictures piece some other day though. Instead, I'd like to share some of my favorite trailers and talk about what makes them so...
1.) Dawn of the Dead (1978)
What makes this trailer awesome? Well, first and foremost, it's for my all-time favorite movie (obviously) -- but it's also a damn good trailer! From the start, you've got Adolph Caesar's incredible, dread-soaked narration. His voice, along with Percy Rodriguez (more on him later), was probably one of the most recognized in Horror trailer history. On top of that, this trailer shows excited sequences from the film (spoilers though) without simply showing seemingly entire scenes. It's got great graphics (more on that later) with that famous logo popping up several times. All in all, it's just a solid, applause-worthy Horror trailer! There's also a shorter version that utilizes an animated intro showing the film's poster artwork come to life!
2.) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1973)
Here is the original release trailer for Tobe Hooper's classic; the New Line Cinema re-release trailer is cool, too, but this one just has a certain flare to it, making it feel 100% drive-in. Again, cool narration throughout and awesome use of a logo. It's also presenting a montage of sorts, showing off some exciting/terrifying moments without giving too much away.
3.) Friday the 13th (1980)
This one is a good'un! Featuring narration from "that trailer guy" Don LaFontane, the trailer for Friday the 13th terrorizes its audience with its seemingly never-ending body count of "1...2...3..." throughout its run time. Granted, there's a bit of a fibbing and editing trickery in this trailer to make that body count inch closer to 13, but who's keeping score right? If this was the first time I'd had any contact with the Friday the 13th series, I'd be terrified -- just by that counting! Hell, it must have worked, as it literally continued with the trailer for Friday the 13th Part II the following year and the count restarted with the trailer for Friday the 13th Part 3D as well.
4.) Jaws (1975)
Another true classic! While this theatrical trailer for Jaws is a little on the longer end of things (there were some great, shorter teasers as well), it still gets the job done and manages to excite the audience and hype the film! Here, narration is handled by another famous Horror/Sci-Fi voice: Percy Rodriguez. The voice-over work from Rodriguez here perfectly depicts the terror of being stalked and attacked by a Great White Shark. The clips herein are great, too, perfectly setting up the basic plot and, again, showcasing some of the action on hand.
5.) Alien (1979)
Here's a great trailer working together with the film's one-sheet to create a true sense of dread! Using no dialogue or narration, the trailer for Alien takes viewers on a journey to the planet of LV-426 before smashing their sense with a quick, terrifying montage of clips as the volume gradually increases. As much as it's effective in the film, the siren sound effect really sells Alien, not unlike the flashbulb pop effect in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre trailer!
6.) The Howling (1981)
Ahh, time for a red-band trailer! You ever notice how there's that green screen with all the writing stating "The following PREVIEW has been approved for..." before almost every trailer? There's a reason it's usually green, in that it was intended to be shown for "All" audiences (where appropriate...theater owners obviously wouldn't show the trailer for The Terminator before a screening of Toy Story). In this case, the red-band trailer for The Howling was approved for "Restricted" audiences -- ie: people who were already paying to a see an R-rated film -- Horror or otherwise. While tame by today's standards, this red-band trailer for The Howling shows some of the film's more intense sequences, along with some cool poster-style animated slashes throughout. For what it's worth, there are also black-band and yellow-band trailers (the latter specifically for internet-only, though these seem to have been abandoned) as well!
7.) Scanners (1981)
Here's another red band trailer for you . . . and this is also a perfect example of showing what is essentially just a scene from the film. Of course, in the case of Scanners, this isn't just any old scene from the film; we've got one of the film's bonafide, jaw on the floor sequences! If you were a Horror/Sci-Fi fan when this trailer first hit, I cannot imagine you not dying to see Scanners!
8.) Silent Scream (1979)
Here's a trailer for a film which had a reputation preceding it long before I ever actually saw it. See, when my parents were dating, they often went to the movies and, most times, they saw Horror movies; so I can thank the likes of Dawn of the Dead, Friday the 13th, and Silent Scream for my existence! Mom always told me about this movie: "it had a woman hiding in the attic and she'd come down and kill people" and then, how immediately after seeing it on a date with Dad, how she had to run and check the attic . . . which the door/stairs to, of course, happened to be directly across from my bedroom!
9.) Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
First things first: Peter Cushing rules. When you have a film starring him and Christopher Lee, you've got cinematic gold as far as I'm concerned. Hammer trailers were always awesome, but I had to go with this one since it was the first Horror trailer they did; and it's amazing from top to bottom! You've got the ominous narration and some exciting copy throughout! It sets up the story of Curse of Frankenstein quite well, while managing to showcase some of the film's grisly moments as well. Again, just another exciting trailer that represents the Silver Age of Horror films perfectly.
10.) An American Werewolf In London (1981)
Some of the best trailers and teasers don't even feature any footage from the actual movies themselves! Along with the teaser for Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (which I've written about numerous times), this teaser for An American Werewolf In London expertly uses newly shot footage to entice audiences to come check out the feature. In fact, this is probably one of the most basic examples because it doesn't even feature anything really spectacular...just a trail of blood leading to a puddle and then a large werewolf paw stomping into it. Simple and effective folks...maybe if some of the people who cut trailers these days paid attention, I'd be including some modern trailers in this piece!
Speaking of modern trailers . . . I honestly cannot say that any have had the same sort of effect on me as the ones in this list. Except for possibly the recent Star Wars and Creed trailers and teasers -- which, no doubt, got me excited as all hell, but were mostly exciting just to finally be seeing some footage from the films themselves -- I think most of these new only serve to generate clicks and hits on youtube. The superhero trailers -- especially Marvel -- are all basically the same: scenes of senseless destruction that would otherwise set an entire civilization back 20 or 30yrs, a CGI-looking suit and CGI stunts for said suit, the required "superhero landing" shot, that RWWWWAAAAAWWRR sound effect made popular in the Inception trailer, and possibly a catchy pop song (if it hasn't been covered by someone singing like they have a speech impediment, it's likely just a horribly butchered remix) and last minute funny, quotable quip before the credits shot.
For modern Horror trailers, there's also a simple formula that, quite honestly, doesn't make the films look at that appealing. My #1 pet peeve with modern Horror trailers is how any shots featuring any sort of blood in them are recolored so that the blood either appears to be chocolate or dirt. What the hell is that?!?! If the MPAA is gonna require studios to color tint any potential shots of blood, what's the sense of using that footage in the trailer anyway?! Another peeve extends to the posters as well; using a shitty, generic-looking font for the logo. All. The. Time. Even remakes of classics that had, ya know, memorable logos (three of the worst offenders that didn't even try to live up to their originals are Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Dawn of the Dead) usually opt for some neutral logo that appears to have been slapped together at the last minute! It's insulting. Again, there's also a reliance to use some old pop song in these trailers at times -- oddly sung/arranged cover or remix or even the original version -- because it's "creepy". Seriously, I'm surprised no one has made a werewolf movie using Duran Duran's "Hungry Like The Wolf" in this fashion!
Also, fans are still able to enjoy classic trailers through various compilations such as the 42nd Street Forever series from Synapse and Garagehouse Pictures' excellent Trailer Trauma and Trailer Trauma 2: Drive-In Monsterama discs. Of course, there are a number of excellent trailer collections on DVD, Blu-ray, and even VHS from all over the world, focusing on all genres! One of my hobbies includes making my own trailer compilation DVDs digging through my collection that I've amassed from various special features in my DVD and VHS collections. Making a trailer compilation is like making a good mix tape or a good setlist -- there is a particular flow to the proceedings!
Until next time....please enjoy these Prevues of Coming Attractions!
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