Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Explain Which Movie Trailers Were Absolutely Misleading

People Explain Which Movie Trailers Were Absolutely Misleading
Image by Sammy-Williams from Pixabay

Movies can either make or break your moviegoing experience based on the impressions trailers give.


Unless the preview is for the next installment of a Marvel adventure or any other popular franchise film, trailers should entice audiences to see a movie without overdelivering.

Because all too often, the movie winds up being nothing like what audiences expected after forming their impressions based on the trailer.

Sometimes, a movie can end up exceeding expectations, while other times, not so much.

Curious to hear from moviegoers, Redditor HalpornTamitha8U asked:

"What movie trailers were the most misleading?"

The cute and the fantastical moments depicted in trailers wound up revealing unexpected horrors instead.

Not Just About Gizmo

"I'm old. But if anyone was kicking around in the '80s, you'll have a hard time topping: Gremlins."

"It literally spawned cries for an entirely new film rating. 'Temple of Doom' was released a few months later and that was the last straw."

"The original trailer didn't flatly deny any creepiness per se, but the narrator's voice was more cheerful and the music used in the trailer was more upbeat - never mind the fact that Gizmo, the little monster, was one of the cutest little movie creatures in a long time -- giving the impression to an incredible amount of movie goers that it was about cute little 'monsters', in a fun, children's 'Curious George' style of movie."

"Nevertheless, parents lost their effing minds as kids had nightmares for weeks."

Happy8Day

evil laugh gremlins GIFGiphy

When Fantasy And Gore Collide

"I went into Pan's Labyrinth not expecting the ultra-violence in certain parts of the movie. That was a huge shock when it happened."

Greystorms

These trailers bamboozled audiences by promising elements of horror.

Bridge To Nowhere

"Bridge to Terabithia. The trailer shows kids in the woods with make-believe monsters. Coming on the heels of lion the witch and the wardrobe. I was like cool I really like these kinds of movies."

"Then it turned into a coming of age movie…with the monsters showing up 15 seconds before the credits."

Varvatos_Vex

Murder Musical

"One of the early trailers for Sweeney Todd completely hid the fact that it's a musical and just played it like a slasher film."

ZenDragon

People reacted positively to these movies in spite of being different from the trailers.

The Director's Twist

"M night shyamalans 'the village' was advertised as a terrifying creature feature with a colonial style village. What we got was an (admitadly amazing in my opinion) love story with some decent plot twists and 5 minutes of 'monster.'"

Turbobrickx7

More Cerebral

"Most recently The Green Knight. Watching the trailers in the cinema you'd be forgiven if you thought this film was going to be high fantasy action. Instead it's a lot of slow, metaphorical monologues and dry exchanges, with nothing really happening. I liked the film, but it's not what it was portrayed as."

eddietwoo

There's nothing worse than expecting a comedy and then leaving the theater depressed.

A Thrilling Downer

"The Road. The trailer makes it look like an action packed chase plot. Instead it's the most depressing movie ever made. Really good though."

Llamarama

A Tarantino Masterpiece

"I went into Inglorious Basterds thinking it was a Brad Pitt led semi-comedy from one of my favorite directors."

"While watching the extremely long, suspenseful opening, I quickly realized I was misled. And it was a great movie, but when you watch a movie expecting it to be one way, you can be disappointed. I really need to give it a rewatch. Christolph Waltz was superb."

Awesomekip

Wasn't Remotely Funny

"Click. I expected a lighthearted comedy and that is NOT what I got."

anonymidwest

Forecast Was Cloudy

"'Weather Man' looked like a goofy slapstick funny flick, with Nicolas Cage getting hit in the face with milkshakes and food and god knows what."

"Turned out to be a dark comedy, with Cage doing that neurotic cynical stream-of-consciousness thing from more serious films."

MisterMarcus

Trailers are tricky because you don't want to give away too much of the plot or give the wrong impression about its genre.

When I saw the trailer for the Academy Award winner for Best Picture, Parasite, I knew nothing about what it would be other than a suspense film in the tradition of Alfred Hitchcock classics.

It was intriguing enough for me to see it, yet not vague enough for me to lose interest.

To me, the trailer was misleading in a good way. It wound up being so much more than just your average thriller.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Scarlett Johansson; Ye
John Phillips/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures, Jon Kopaloff/WireImage/GettyImages

Scarlett Johansson Shares Warning After AI Video Of Her Condemning Ye Goes Viral

Hollywood actor Scarlett Johansson spoke out against a faked video using the likeness of her and other industry A-listers bashing disgraced rapper Ye for his blatant antisemitism.

She called it the "misuse of A.I., no matter its messaging" and warned that by perpetually relying on AI systems to convey messages, we risk "losing a hold on reality."

Keep ReadingShow less
Google map change of "Gulf of Mexico" to "Gulf of America"
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

People Kept Leaving Bad Reviews For 'Gulf Of America' On Google Maps—And Google Just Shut Them Down

After Google Maps changed the name of the "Gulf of Mexico" to the "Gulf of America" to comply with President Donald Trump's executive order, people kept leaving negative reviews, and Google was not happy about it.

On Wednesday, Google updated the location’s name following President Donald Trump’s order to change it in official government records. Clicking on the label for the Gulf in Google Maps now displays a message stating, "posting is currently turned off."

Keep ReadingShow less
TikToker discussing extinction burst theory
@ohhthatsrich/TikTok

TikToker Explains How MAGA Is A Perfect Example An 'Extinction Burst'—And It Totally Tracks

One of the most mystifying things about Trump's win is how furious conservatives still are.

They won the presidency against all odds, AND the Senate AND the House and their faves are dismantling the country before our eyes just like they've always wanted, and they're still. So. Angry. All. The. Time.

Keep ReadingShow less
President Donald Trump
YouTube/CBS News

Trump Goes Off On 'New Theory' About Magnets In Bizarre Rant About 'Fraud'

President Donald Trump was criticized after he rambled incoherently about the U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier using magnets to "lift the planes up" instead of hydraulics while he ranted to reporters about uncovering the "tremendous fraud" in the U.S. government.

During his remarks at the White House on Wednesday, Trump was asked how he could ensure that billionaire ally Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was effectively reducing spending.

Keep ReadingShow less
Closeup on hands holding Rubix's Cube
Olav Ahrens Røtne/Unsplash

The Creepiest Displays Of Intelligence People Have Ever Seen

You don't have to be booksmart to be considered a genius.

In fact, those who possess superior intelligence slip can fly under the radar undetected until they open their mouth to espouse a mind-blowing fact nobody ever saw coming.

Keep ReadingShow less