10 Annoying Things Movie Trailers Do Every Time

3. Post-Title Card Joke

http://youtu.be/kuDpU1vzekE It€™s difficult to recall when this sleight-of-hand wormed its way into our screens. Now you can€™t escape it. The modern horror may throw in a final scare-chord (see the post-title surprise at the end of The Descent's trailer) but the comedy genre has taken this trope all for itself. This last jab at the funnybone is borne out of the strange belief that a joke is much funnier if we've already seen the title of the film. This one last smack around the face is usually an excruciating wisecrack, cheap pratfall (as above) or attempt to coin a catchphrase. Ending the trailer in such a lowbrow way may leave a sour taste but your ribs remain untickled.

2. The Record Scratch/Stop

http://youtu.be/F5jjbQuv2h4 Once the signifier of a sub-par comedy, now reclaimed almost exclusively by the realms of parody, the record scratch is where a good joke goes to die. It's the audio equivalent of Adam Sandler. The music suddenly stops, we cut to a character's reaction shot, they deliver the sort of one-liner that drives your fingernails into your palms and the music resumes. How did this process become the cornerstone of modern comedy? Its purpose sits somewhere between a drum-roll and a safety net; something to warn you of an incoming joke and then, almost immediately, remind you of its passing. Not only is it condescending (it may as well be one of those theatre signs commanding 'Applause'), it's also an oddly antiquated effect to drag further down the ages.