Ranking 15 Horror Movie Trailers That Live Rent-Free In My Nightmares
So a little while back in a post, I briefly wrote about how the final trailer released for Jordan Peele's Nope almost murdered me via heart attack. Unprovoked, mind you. I did nothing to this trailer:
This is a screenshot, I'm so sorry to be tricksy — you can watch the trailer here!
Anyway, as my life flashed before my eyes, it got me to thinkin': what's the scariest horror movie trailer I've ever seen? Because, trust me, I've seen a lot. It's my job!
Warner Bros.
So, you guessed it, I decided to take it upon myself to rank what I believe are 15 of the scariest horror movie trailers, because why not? The only criteria here is that it needs to be a trailer for a horror movie...and that's it! (Also, like, I'm not ranking these based on how good the full movie is, just solely the trailer. So there are some — how do I say this — really not good movies on here.)
Lions Gate
And this isn't my first time talking about horror marketing, either! Check out my very dumb post about horror movie posters that frightened me as a child.
Ready? I hope so! Buckle up, buttercups:
15.Darkness Falls (2003)
Why I, Personally, Find It Terrifying:
I know! You're thinking, "Who even remembers this movie?" ME, THAT'S WHO. To be honest, the tooth fairy already low-key freaks me out. Like, what are you doing with all those teeth? Children's teeth?! Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny come in and leave things, but the Tooth Fairy takes — and for what? WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH ALL THOSE TEETH, MA'AM?! And does anyone else remember the Disney TV movie Toothless? That also frightened me. Okay, this is officially a tangent.
A Personal Anecdote No One Asked For:
So, I'm a massive Lord of the Rings fan and have been since I was, like, 10 years old (stay with me, this becomes relevant, I swear). When The Two Towers was first released, my family went to see it together in theaters, but we were running late and didn't have time to grab our shared family fountain soda from concessions before the movie started. So, instead, my parents dropped me, my sister, and my brother off in the theater alone to save the seats, then went to grab concessions. This trailer played while they were gone, and we were left all alone in the dark. I have not been the same since.
14.The Shining (1980)
Why I, Personally, Find It Terrifying:
It's a great use of tension and reveals, perhaps, one of the most iconic visuals in horror history. It's a river of blood. A literal red sea. Where's Moses when you need him, am I right? (Sorry!) Anyway, this one makes me go "Uhhhh?!" more than an "Ahhh!!!", but it's a classic and, if I didn't include it on this list, people in the comments would be really mean to me.
A Personal Anecdote No One Asked For:
I reference this trailer a lot when I'm on my period. Like, a lot. One might say too much. I send it to my friends as a response to their invites to leave my house so often, they know what it means with no explanation. Will I stop? Probably not, honestly, the damage is already done.
13.It's Alive (1974)
Why I, Personally, Find It Terrifying:
It's a little creepy baby hand! In a little creepy baby crib! Babies are creepy enough on their own! I don't like babies, I'm sorry! (Except for yours, specifically. You, the person reading this post who happens to have a baby. Your baby is the only cute one!)
A Personal Anecdote No One Asked For:
To add to the creepy factor of this trailer. I have zero recollection of when I saw it for the first time — like, I don't remember ever seeing this trailer. Yet, it haunts my dreams. Don't love that!
12.Sinister (2012)
Why I, Personally, Find It Terrifying:
There is not one part of Sinister that doesn't give me the heebily-jeebilies (a scientific term), and that all began with this trailer. The only thing that moderately comforts me is Ethan Hawke in that cozy-looking dad cardigan, but even that is overshadowed with terror by the end of the trailer, to be honest.
A Personal Anecdote No One Asked For:
My younger brother — who's also a horror fanatic, and happens to sometimes freelance for some site called BuzzFeed or whatever — is the one who introduced me to this nightmare of a movie via this trailer, and I really think there should be some kind of deductible on my therapy costs where they send him part of the bill, but that's just me.
11.Lights Out (2016)
Why I, Personally, Find It Terrifying:
My eyesight's real bad, so I'm constantly seeing things in my peripheral that aren't there, but still make me jump, and I don't like that this trailer validated that fear for me.
A Personal Anecdote No One Asked For:
I saw the short film that inspired this movie in college and about died at the ending. If you've never had the pleasure(?) of seeing the short film that this movie is based on, here you go! You're welcome(???).
10.The Exorcist (1973)
Why I, Personally, Find It Terrifying:
It's the narration. It reminds me of the beginning of The Twilight Zone, which also scared me as a child (and adult).
A Personal Anecdote No One Asked For:
Fun fact: this trailer was so disorienting to audiences, Warner Brothers had it pulled and banned it — like, people were straight-up vomiting in the theater. Gross!
9.The Conjuring (2013)
Why I, Personally, Find It Terrifying:
Some of my favorite trailers aren't really trailers at all, so much as little short films created from a single scene in the movie. And this is, in my humble opinion, one of the best examples of that. The scene used for this trailer — which is plucked straight out of the movie with little to no alterations — does a fantastic job of encapsulating the tone of the film, while also building suspense. And we don't even know these characters yet, but we already care if they get got!
A Personal Anecdote No One Asked For:
The first time I saw this trailer, I was with my boyfriend at the time (now a long-time ex-boyfriend) in a movie theater, and we had just had a really huge fight about...something. To be honest, I don't remember what the fight was about, but I still remember this trailer scaring the absolute daylight out of me, so that ought to tell you something about that relationship.
8.Funny Games (2007)
Why I, Personally, Find It Terrifying:
I was a junior in high school when this movie came out (I'm the Crypt Keeper) and, more than anything, I remember the music choices in the trailer and how absolutely haunting it was overlaid with the scenes shown. Plus, I love Tim Roth. I will watch anything Tim Roth is in forever and ever. Put Tim Roth in more things, please.
A Personal Anecdote No One Asked For:
I fully had a crush on Michael Pitt at the time this movie came out, and then, after seeing this trailer, I — very quickly — didn't anymore.
7.Suspiria (2018)
Why I, Personally, Find It Terrifying:
The vibe of this trailer is unmatched. It's! So! Unsettling! It somehow managed to feel like it was made in the '70s, which is wild. Like, that's literally it. That's my reasoning. The '70s were an innately creepy decade. I don't like it (read: I love it)!
A Personal Anecdote No One Asked For:
The original Suspiria is one of my favorite films — like, ever, not just one of my favorite horror films — as I'm a massive fan of Dario Argento's filmography. When I heard there was a remake in the works, I was like "Oh no," but then I saw this trailer and was like "OH NO," but for a different reason (because I was legitimately disturbed by it). I love a trailer that can change my mind!
6.The Last House on the Left (1972)
Why I, Personally, Find It Terrifying:
As I just made abundantly clear in the Suspira entry, movies made in the '70s just feel creepier! But, for this one, it's mostly the tagline repeated at the end of the trailer in this creepy-ass voice that gets me. "To avoid fainting, keep repeating to yourself: It's only a movie, it's only a movie, it's only a movie." Sir, no thank you! I will pass!
A Personal Anecdote No One Asked For:
Wildly, the first time I saw this trailer — or, at least, the first time I saw the "It's only a movie" part of this trailer — was during Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments TV special that aired on Bravo every Halloween in the early aughts (Who else remembers those specials?! Bravo, bring those back, please! Or make updated ones, and have me on them! I love talking about horror movies! Yes, this is shameless self-promotion!)
5.The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Why I, Personally, Find It Terrifying:
When I worked at a very popular make-up store way back in the day, I was friends with the head of our perfume department, who was an older lady (stay with me, I beg you). I once told her I personally didn't care for the scent of a beloved and classic fragrance. In response, she told me and I quote: "Allie, you don't have to like it — but you do have to respect what it did for the industry."
In short, you don't have to like The Blair Witch Project — but you do have to respect what it did for the found footage horror film industry.
A Personal Anecdote No One Asked For:
Younger audiences have to understand, no one knew if this movie was for real or not. Like, people straight-up thought it was a snuff film. I was in the third grade when this movie came out (I! Know!) and I still remember that one of my best friends' dad's let her go see it with her teenage brother (I!!! Know!!!). She promised to tell me all about it later, and — after she saw it — she came to class and regaled the full movie for me, scene by scene, like she was simply telling some scary campfire story. We were obsessed with it, and also, literally eight years old. I had nightmares for months solely based on her descriptions (sorry mom, I don't remember if I've told you this story before or not — but it certainly explains a lot now, doesn't it?!).
4.Us (2019)
Why I, Personally, Find It Terrifying:
As I mentioned in my round-up of horror movie posters that terrify me to no end, I have a thing about (and by "thing about," I mean "fear of") doppelgängers — probably because I'm a twin (fraternal, but still). What else can I say? Jordan Peele and company know how to put out a trailer guaranteed to freak me out, as noted earlier in the origin story for this post. (It was that Nope trailer, remember? Ah, time flies when you're having fun reading my posts, am I right?!)
A Personal Anecdote No One Asked For:
I have a VIVID memory of this trailer dropping because I was visiting my parents for the holidays (this trailer was released on Christmas day, how festive)! Anyway, I was lying in bed at like midnight playing on my phone, like ya do, when I saw this trailer had premiered and I was like, "Oh, cool! It's not going to be that scary, so I might as well just watch it now." I only made it to the part where the tether-family showed up in the driveway before I paused it and thought, "Ya know what? This seems like it'll make a great morning watch!" and then proceeded to not sleep.
3.Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark (2010)
Why I, Personally, Find It Terrifying:
As has been well-established on this site, I'm something of a jump scare apologist. I'm a firm believer that a well-executed, well-placed jump scare can, in fact, be a good thing. And the end stinger for this trailer is an A+ example of one used in all the right ways. It establishes the tone of the film while giving the audience a nice little taste of what type of terror they can anticipate.
A Personal Anecdote No One Asked For:
So, when this trailer first came out, I was in college and I used to play it for my friends almost like a mean prank. Like, I'd tell them I had something cool to show them, and then it'd just be the end part of this trailer every single time. It was also hilarious every single time, and became something of a tradition amongst us.
2.Alien (1979)
Why I, Personally, Find It Terrifying:
ERRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRREEEEEEERRRRRRRRARRRRR *flashing lights and scary quick cuts* ERRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRREEEEEEERRRRRRRRARRRRRR
A Personal Anecdote No One Asked For:
So, my family is a big ol' group of nerds and we used to frequent Hollywood Studios at Disney World when I was a kid (back when it was called "MGM" and had, like, three rides — let me age myself yet again real quick). ANYWAY, one of our favorite rides was "The Great Movie Ride" because we're boring. Now, for the uninitiated among us, before you boarded that particular ride, they'd play trailers for all of the movies you were about to see on the ride in this pitch-black room on a big screen at full volume. And THIS WAS ONE OF THE TRAILERS. I was, like, six years old and scared outta my mind EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Why did Disney World do that?! Anyway, the ride's no longer there, but my own personal trauma is.
1.The Evil Dead (2013)
Why I, Personally, Find It Terrifying:
So, for this one, it's specifically this red-band trailer I'm referencing, but YouTube has it age-restricted, so I couldn't embed it in this post — which is rude, but oh well. Anyway, this one's self-explanatory if you watch it: it's terrifying and gross and I love it deeply. Also, the tongue thing. In fact, it's mostly the tongue thing.
A Personal Anecdote No One Asked For:
I love the Evil Dead series, so — similar to the above Suspiria remake entry — I was a touch skeptical when I heard it was being remade. But, if you're going to do a remake, this is how you do it. The red band trailer for this movie destroyed any thought that this was going to just be a rip-off of the original with goofy Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi-esque vibes. Sometimes I will just be sitting alone, minding my own business, and my dumb brain will think, "Hey, remember that red band Evil Dead reboot trailer? Didn't that give us nightmares for a while? Let's go rewatch it and see if it's still scary!"
Spoiler alert: it always is.
All right, you've read my picks, but now it's YOUR turn to tell ME things! What do you think is the scariest horror movie trailer ever made? Share in the comments below because, as I say in all of my rankings, I really do read all of your comments! So be nice (or don't, it's your life and I support your choices)!
Anywho, I genuinely hope you enjoyed reading this! Until next time, friends!
