I have an abnormal love of horror films. I think it came from wanting toconquer my fear of the dark, spiders, and clowns. What kid isn’t afraid ofclowns? I even remember the first trailer that scared me so much I cried mylittle eyes out — and then spent the next two years out in the lobby when thepreviews ran. What was the movie you ask? The Funhouse, byacclaimed horror director by Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre). I’lladmit the film looks lame now, but I was 4 when I saw the trailer. This posesthe question: What the hell was the movie that my parents took me to that thiswas shown before?
I started thinking about this after seeing the trailer for 30 Days ofNight, a new vampire flick coming out this October with Josh Hartnett. Iwasn’t that spooked by its preview, but it reminded me of a recent film, The Haunting,whose teaser scared the living bejeezus out of me at the ripe old age of 22. Trustme, it’s much scarier on the big screen. And after watching The Haunting,I can tell you the best part of the film was the teaser.
But I can’t be the only one who still cowers at the cinema. Bare your souls, PopWatchers! Whattrailer made you cover your eyes? I don’t care if it’s when you were 2 or 52.
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When I was 9 or 10 (I think) a movie came out called “It’s Alive” and it showed a baby’s bassinet and cutesy baby music at first. Then as the camera panned around to the other side there was a claw-like hand hanging out of it. I was at my neighbor’s house and was too scared to walk the 40 feet to my house.
The kid from the new “Joshua” trailer scares the hell out of me.
i was also creeped out by the trailer for The Messengers. although the movie wasnt that scary at all
If you remember back to when The Others first came out and the trailer ended with the creepy little girl/old crone saying the line: “Are you mad? I am your daughter” That gave me chills every time I saw it, but now that the scene has been parodied to death, it has lost its mojo.
You guys have been doing a lot of trailer watching lately!
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That movie with the girl who knows a secret number was freaky. the line “i’ll never teeeeelll” was scary at first, but became a parody of itself when the ad started to saturate.
The ad for “The Others” also scared me. The “I am your daughter” scene was scary.
The new ads for the re-released Excorsist were scary as heck! The chick walking down the stairs backwards stuff gave me a chill just writing about it.
And it scared me to death to see that Dane Cook AND Jessica Simpson were making a movie together. Employee of the Month? The only thing scarier is the thought that either of these no talents may someday breed.
EP:
I know what movie you are talking about. It was a thriller with Britney Murphy and yeah that line was creepy.
I agree with “The Others”. The fake trailor for “Thanksgiving” was pretty creepy, especially the edited version of the girl on the trampolene. That is no way to get a hysterctomy.
Anything with clowns, puppets, marionettes or dummies. There was one out when I was a kid that scared the living daylights out of me from the small screen and there was another one recently. I have to change the channel or leave the room anytime one of them pops up. BTW, I’m still afraid of clowns….and 37!
I’m not sure if this is what you meant, but the trailer for “Underdog” makes me fear for the future of mankind.
The trailer for that ventriliquist movie scares the crap out of me!! With that old lady and her dummies, I don’t remember what it was called, something like mrs. something or whatever, it’s new, i don’t even think it’s on dvd yet. and the messengers trailer scared me too, with that foot under the sheet and the girl crawling on the ceiling……they gave me the creeps and it chills me just to write about them!
i agree with the nikki before me.
lol
I know this sounds completely rediculous but the fake trailer for BIG where they make the movie seem as though its about pedophilia scared me to death. The trailer is so creepy that The pure innocent image of Tom Hanks and the actual movie have both been forever ruined for me.
the trailer for Steve Kings ‘It’…scary clown with even more scary teeth.
the trailer for Stephen King’s ‘It’…scary clown with even more scary teeth.
i was 15 when the trailer for “28 Days Later” came on and i cried. in front of my friends. it was great (not). zombies = SO NOT my thing.
When I went to see Talladega Nights, all the trailers were all warm and fuzzy until the Grudge 2 trailer came on. I nearly had a panic attack.
I saw the remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre on my 18th birthday and couldn’t even make it through the film. I slept with my lights on until I went to college nine months after that.
I know the movie itself was incredibly silly, but that teaser trailer for “Jaws 3-D”, wherein the narrator drones on about the first 2 films in the series, as we see a 1st person head-above-water POV shot…and a fin rapidly coming towards the us, frightened me so bad, I remember diving head first into my dad’s lap, spilling his soda to the floor. The fin just comes right up to the screen before banking left, revealing the title, but I SERIOUSLY thought that shark was gonna pop right up, and OUT, of the screen. My sincerest thanks for several nightmares to whichever projectionist attached that to the film we were seeing (I think it was “Twilight Zone: The Movie”. Damn, I’m old.)
Frogs (1972): put a crimp on my relationship with my then BFF Kermit the Frog (I was 4)
The TV version of Salem’s Lot from the late ’70s (couldn’t sleep for two weeks straight imagining that creepy vampire kid floating up to my window)
Some horror flick, also from the late ’70s, featuring a murderous marionette. Can’t think of the name. Scared the bejeebers out of me and it made me despise marionettes as much as that clown from Poltergeist!
sara, i think you are thinking of Magic with Anthony Hopkins and Ann-Margaret… Creepy!
Freaky! I was just coming here to say “Magic”! Also, there was a really scary radio commercial for “The Shining” when it first came out as a book. White Middle class whimpy dad voice “Danny? Son? You’ve done something wrong and I want to take your punishment like a man. Danny? (Voice gradually drops two octaves and roars like a madman) TAAKE YOUR PUNISHMENT LIKE A MAAAAAN!!” Brrr.
p.s. the murderous entity in Magic was a ventriloquist dummy (stringless, child sized and controlled from beneath), not a marionette (small puppet with strings controlled from above)..because that would be silly.
stacydarc & dan: You guys are right! Just looked it up on imdb.com and that’s the one! Thank you (I think!) for naming that movie. And yes, it was a ventriloquist dummy. Don’t know why I typed marionette. Maybe I’m scared to death of those things too???
Sorry, but I just thought of another one. Remember when they re-released The Exorcist, and they had that scene with Regan crawling around the stairs backwards and upside down like a spider? Ick ick, I just creeped myself out and I’M ALL ALONE!!!!
Sarah~ Have to agree with you again. “Salem’s Lot” is one of the scariest movies I’ve ever seen. My husband loves it. Just bought it on dvd for his birthday. And ventriloquist dummies are about the scariest thing out there. I completely remember the promo for that movie “Magic” too. Scares me just thinking about it. Dummies, dolls, clowns, oh my!
kats: I know, it was a tough time for us to be 9-10 years old, wasn’t it, with all those freaky horror movies? I’m glad I wasn’t the only one scared to DEATH by Salem’s Lot! Don’t know if I’m brave enough to watch it again. My husband loves Blair Witch Project, but I CANNOT watch that ever again! Just thinking about the last scene in that one is giving me chills and, again, I’M ALL ALONE!!! Here’s another one: does anyone remember Zelda from Pet Sematary (1989)? The way she would scurry out of the shadows across the room like a cockroach? Ughhhhh! Still gives me nightmares.
Man, I can’t believe anybody remembers “Magic.” That commercial would ONLY come on late at night when I was all alone in our haunted basement. Never saw the movie and never will, I’m too chicken. And that’s saying quite a bit considering I saw “The Pirate Movie” 6 times…in the theatre.
When I was a kid, the local UHF stations would always run the commercial for BEYOND THE DOOR (an Italian rip-off of THE EXORCIST starring Juliet Mills) during their afternoon cartoons. I remember that commercial scaring the hell out of me and my sister, and we would run and hide behind my Dad’s easy chair whenever it came on. I also remember being scared by the commercial for BLACULA.
I have bad news. The “Magic” trailer is on YouTube. Now I’ll never get to sleep.
daisyj: If Underdog makes you fear for the future of man kind. Look up the trailer fot the BRATZ movie. Then die inside.
28 days later!! I went to see, I think it was X-men, on opening day, and the trailer creeped me out so badly I actually had nightmares! Interestingly, I went to see Xmen again a week or two later and there was a less scary version of the 28 days later trailer playing. It made me wonder if someone had complained…