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Are you ready to be terrified?
Every once in a while, a movie trailer comes along that’s SO chilling, SO hair-raising, SO disturbing that it actually becomes difficult to watch. Ahead, we have compiled a list of 10 movie trailers that were SO scary they caused a public outrage!
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The first film on our list completely changed what could be done with horror trailers FOREVER. The original theatrical trailer for 1973’s The Exorcist consists of haunting visuals, disorienting strobe lights, demonic imagery, bone-chilling audio, and an overall gut-wrenching vibe. The trailer was so scary it was infamously BANNED from many theaters for inducing panic, anxiety, nausea, and allegedly even a seizure amongst some theater goers. Watch at your own risk (below):
Related: 10 Actors Who Were FIRED From Movies!
Taking place in the same cinematic timeline as The Conjuring, the trailer for 2018’s The Nun upped the ante from its predecessor by merging fear itself with religious imagery. The trailer introduces a malevolent demonic entity manifesting itself as a nun… which at the time caused a mixed-at-best reaction amongst religious folks, some of which accused it of being sacrilegious. In Lebanon, the film was outright banned by a Catholic censorship group! And let’s not forget the infamous un-skippable ad on YouTube that featured jump scares and high-pitched shrieks!
2017 was NOT any coulrophobic’s year. For those unaware, coulrophobia is the fear of clowns… and after the chilling trailer for IT dropped, controversy set in as a wave of real-life clowns were spotted all across the country — some holding Pennywise’s creepy red balloon, some holding more dangerous-looking props. Social media became a frenzy for those debating if the sightings were harmless horror buffs inspired by the film, or genuine threats.
Similar to IT, 2022’s Smile sparked debate over a MAJORLY creepy marketing campaign. Kicked off by a deeply disturbing trailer that sees folks being possessed by a demonic entity that causes them to smile before committing unspeakable acts, IRL people were later seen at concerts, sporting events, and pretty much every public space in between doing the same signature smile. The marketing strategy certainly got people talking about the film — for better or worse!
The trailer for 2013’s Evil Dead remake — specifically the red ban trailer — was SO graphic and disturbing, it pushed the Motion Picture Association (MPAA)’s limits! In fact, director Fede Álvarez was forced to recut the trailer, which initially received an NC-17 rating, to qualify it to even have a marketing campaign! Watch the *marketable* trailer (below):
While the trailer for 2016’s 10 Cloverfield Lane isn’t terrifying in the traditional horror sense (no graphic violence, gore, jump scares, etc.), it infamously played in theaters in front of Kung Fu Panda 3, a family-friendly movie, which led to a barrage of backlash coming from the angry parents of traumatized children.
After the first Human Centipede film shocked audiences around the world in 2009 with its extreme, graphic, sexual violence and body horror, 2011’s The Human Centipede 2 doubled down with gruesome ferocity. The trailer alone caused a backlash as the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) initially refused to certify the movie. The marketing team, however, took it on the chin and used the ban to their advantage by highlighting it in their promotional material.
After terrifying theater-goers with its 2007 debut, the found-footage franchise kicked off a promotional campaign in 2010 for Paranormal Activity 2 which was SO scary it got banned from some theaters! Cinemark famously stopped playing the trailer in select Texas locations after intense backlash from audience members — particularly those who were shown it against their will while seated for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse!
In 2019, Jordan Peele followed up Get Out, his critically acclaimed debut in horror, with Us… but the ad campaign got off to a rocky start when a blood-curdling trailer depicting a disturbing and inexplicable home invasion was shown to audiences in their homes during the Super Bowl! The promotional footage led to several complaints to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding horror trailers being shown during family-friendly broadcasts.
The final film on our list debuted in theaters just last year… after INTENSE backlash from religious folks! The trailer for The Carpenter’s Son, a biblical horror film following Joseph played by Nicolas Cage, Mary, played by FKA Twigs, and their teenage son Jesus, played by Noah Jupe, was immediately accused of blasphemy and criticized as DEEPLY offensive for reimagining Jesus’ early life through the lens of a supernatural horror film.
So, what do you think of our list? Were YOU outraged by any of the above trailers? Be sure to let us know in the comments down below!
[Images via Warner Bros. Pictures/YouTube ]