I have a serious problem with movie trailers lately.  It seems like nearly every preview that’s released is about 2:30 minutes long and gives away almost every aspect of the movie, acting more like a Cliff Notes version of the movie being advertised rather than something to entice an audience into coming back and seeing the full product.

In this day and age where all aspects of a movie are fairly well known before an inch of footage is seen the subtely of a well crafted “teaser” trailer is totally gone…and I miss it…I miss it alot.  So I decided to go back to some of the teaser trailers I fondly remember and, in a way, reintroduce them.  Whether the actual movie was good or bad is neither here nor there…but pay attention to how each of these teasers work in their own special way to grab the attention of movie-goers.

Misery (1990)

My dad was cool for many reasons, not the least of which was that he’d gladly take me to most any film as long as I’d steal, ahem, BORROW the salt from the concession stand so he wouldn’t have to get up in the middle of the movie for a light re-dusting of his popcorn.  I vividly remember seeing Misery at Centennial Lakes 8 in Bloomington on a Wednesday evening and even as a 10 year old I knew it was the blackest of black comedies.

While a later trailer fell into the trap of providing perhaps too many details, this ultra brief teaser for Misery, like the teaser poster, gives you precious little information about the movie itself and instead focuses on the people behind the scenes.  Those familiar with Stephen King’s novel knew the dark tale of an obsessed fan imprisoning her favorite bestselling author would provide the thrills, but who could have predicted that Kathy Bates (Titanic) would win an Oscar for her role as a benign caregiver that slowly shows how unhinged she can become when crossed.  Don’t forget the important work of James Caan or director Rob Reiner (The Magic of Belle Isle) either…

Miss yesterday?  Check out my look at the teaser for Alien!