The best horror marketing campaigns

When it comes to making movies, trailers don’t always do the trick. Sometimes a little extra finesse needs to be thrown in to really garner the buzz of the movie. Certainly, there is the typical social media information and commercial proliferation that we see on TV all the time. But some films choose to go one step further when it comes to marketing.

M3GAN (2023)

M3GAN She first gained notoriety after the trailer dropped and viewers were chatting non-stop about her dance moves. What could have been better than using ? The “M3GAN” group has appeared on the red carpet and at NFL games, performing their best dance moves. Naturally, given their robotic movements and stony facial expressions, it was completely unnerving, but it did exactly what was intended to garner the film’s hype. The film took the additional step of M3GAN kicking off its Twitter beef with yet another terrifying doll, Chucky. Both accounts are fun additions to the platform, but pitting them against each other would only escalate the hype and were a great choice.

Smile (2022)

smile When it came time to promote the film, it took a peculiar turn. The film hired an actor to stand in the crowd at a sporting event and smile that titular creepy grin for the camera. They were motionless and unflinching, as if they were staring into your soul. They were often hidden in crowds. I mean, it was a surprise when you saw them, and once you saw them, you couldn’t miss them (just like in the movies). audience.

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

blair witch project It is one of the most popular marketing techniques and is still talked about today. Given its 1999 release and the fact that it used a found-footage approach that wasn’t being done much at the time, it had a lot of room to treat the minds of audiences and critics alike. blair witch project Follows a group of students who go missing in the process of attempting to film the footage behind the famous Blair Witch myth. The team behind the film took that concept into the real world, planting the seeds in everyone’s minds that these students are very real and missing and that all the footage in the film is real. They distributed missing person posters, shared pictures of what they believed to be police reports, and even asked local newspapers to write fake news stories about missing person groups.

But they didn’t stop there, they also had a website. Back in 1999, the Internet wasn’t what it is today, it was a relatively new concept and filmmakers were using it to their advantage. They created a website that appeared to be self-made by the students as part of a project, with information about Blair Witch. It never forced you to go see a movie, nor did it reveal that it was a marketing campaign.

You’re Next (2012)

you’re next It employed a simple but effective marketing technique, but given the events of the film, it made perfect sense and was a top-notch marketing ploy. I set out to raise the bar. Their approach was to superimpose the film’s creepy, animal-masked killer onto other movie posters around the city. The effect made it seem like someone was standing behind you as you examined the poster, but it was so subtle that you didn’t realize it until it was too late and your heart was pounding.

Hereditary (2018)

Hereditary It remains one of the best modern horror films, and its slow-burn approach to off-the-wall horror is brilliant and brilliant, so it’s no surprise that its marketing was just as creepy. In the film, Charlie crafts small dolls and figurines from the trash and scraps he finds. 18 lucky (or unlucky) influencers woke up after the movie screening to find an unmarked box containing his one of Charlie’s creations on their doorstep. Kicker? The box didn’t include postage, and the filmmakers never really contacted the recipients beforehand, which made the unexpected packaging all the more creepy.

The Ring (2002)

ring fetched a page from blair witch projectpublished a book and created its own website to confuse its audience. This his website allowed anyone to enter an email and receive a copy of the creepy video sent directly to that email, telling them they had “7 days.” But they didn’t stop there. A blank VHS tape of him was left in the car window, with no return label or indication of where it had come from. When played, it showed the video with no context or indication of what you were looking at. Late-night shows also unexpectedly played videos during commercials.Needless to say, it was difficult to escape. ringMarketing in 2002.

Cloverfield (2008)

clover field took a horrible approach to its marketing. This is so unexpected and amazing that I can’t help but admire it.ahead of the first transformers movies, advertisements clover field Given the shady found-footage shooting style, at first I didn’t know it was happening. It all starts with a group of friends when a sudden explosion occurs and Lady Liberty’s head tumbles down into the street. It ended with just the movie’s release date, leaving viewers with a lot of speculation.

The Last Exorcism (2010)

Ah, 2010, when sites like Omegle and Chatroulette were all the rage. These sites let you video chat with random people around the world. There was no way of knowing who was coming up next, as it was randomized with each click. the last exorcism Using that knowledge, they twisted an evil ploy to market their film. Using pre-recorded video, the actress appears on the screen and begins unbuttoning her top. But just as you’re about to get a free peep show, the woman’s eyes return to her head and lunge at the camera with a devilish look on her face. , were all shown to be elaborate pranks. This is a brilliant use of viral marketing and it’s fun to watch unsuspecting people fall for it.

Scream (2022)

scream Always a self-aware franchise, it’s the perfect time capsule for its releases. It was the train that created an account @TooBrAshSarah and started leaking information about the movie. The account was run by her teenage Sarah, who lived in Woodsboro (a.k.a. the town at the time). scream movies) are big fans of horror movies. Her account started off simple: an introductory video, assignments, and a list of her favorite movies. Through her, we’re introduced to new characters in the film and see her try to solve the mystery of Ghostface. From the first movie it was shown approaching the house, dropping the phone and running away. It was a unique way to not only introduce the audience to all the new characters, but also helped hone the audience’s detective skills in preparation for yet another Whoda Unit.

IT (2017)

this took a much simpler approach to marketing, but it couldn’t have been better. The publicity for the film consisted of a red balloon tied to a grate, and that red balloon above the grate was enough to send shivers down anyone’s spine. A perfect example of more, over-the-top campaigns are definitely fun, but sometimes eerie simplicity works just as well.

Wax Museum (2005)

2005s meat wax figure The remake became a hot topic with the addition of Paris Hilton with a cast. She dominated her early 2000s and was the “it girl” of her time. Unsurprisingly, filmmakers have taken advantage of her star power and used it to their advantage when pitching her movies: Posters for movies starring Hilton with the tagline “See Paris Die!” Made. As mean as it may seem, Hilton got in on it and made a t-shirt that echoed her slogan, and even if the movie itself wasn’t all that well received, it was a big pop culture moment and never was. I will never forget it.

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Child’s Play (2019)

Back in 2019, we play house, a remake of the 1988 classic. It updated the narrative to modern technology, changing the narrative to be attuned to nostalgia but still firmly standing on its own.But play house was not the only movie scheduled for release on June 21 of that year.There’s another movie set with money (literally) on Chucky, and that movie is Toy Story 4. The two movies couldn’t be more different and seem to have nothing to do with each other. are available). play house acknowledged films that competed in stunning (and traumatizing) ways. A poster of Chucky killing toys has been released. toy storyThe posters were brutal marketing tactics, like sticking a knife to Mr. Potato’s head and burning Slinky Dog on fire, but the boy was effective. (Didn’t we experience enough? toy story 3?)