10 Classic Film Trailers That Show Us How It's Done

By Alan Howell /

8. Christine

I love trailers that try and surprise you, and I love this one for trying. If you had never read Stephen King€™s masterpiece of vehicular possession, you would, for about the first thirty seconds of this trailer, have thought that you were watching some Fatal Attraction-esque thriller about an obsessed girlfriend. I personally feel, however, that this trailer tips its hand a little too soon in having the voice-over tell you flat-out Christine really is. If I had my druthers, I would let the imagery speak for itself and let the full-on shot of Christine tell you exactly who Christine is. However, in spite of its slight over-reliance on voiceover, the trailer works anyway; it cleanly tells you the idea of the movie, and it does so in an entertaining way. Another thing I love about this movie is that it doesn€™t use any footage from the movie. It€™s all images unique to the trailer. I have a soft spot for trailers like this. Oh, and it€™s pretty obvious what€™s going to happen at the end of the trailer, even if you aren€™t a horror fan, but I€™ll be surprised if you don€™t jump at least a little. That€™s the power of a good sound effect.