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

7. A Nightmare on Elm Street

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdb_HSvf2Zk This trailer is cool for a couple of reasons, the first reason being its nostalgia value. This was New Line Pictures€™s first release, and it€™s cool to see New Line€™s original logo at the beginning of this trailer. Then again, I€™m a nostalgic guy, so maybe that€™s only interesting to me. On that same note, it€™s also fun to see Johnny Depp in his first movie role; we don€™t see a lot of him in this trailer, but we do get to see his very famous death scene. This trailer does a good job of telling us all we need to know about this flick. It shows us all of the traditional horror movie elements fans of the genre have come to know and love: a bunch of teenagers, tough but non-believing cops, some sex, and a lot of gore. It also shows us the idea that sets this movie apart: the idea that it€™s going to kill you to fall asleep. Like the Poltergeist trailer, this trailer taps into a universal fear: being deprived of something we need and/or crave. In this case, we know that we need to sleep to survive, and if we don€™t willingly go to sleep, our bodies will make us fall asleep. What this trailer states, by way of implication, is the Catch-22 situation that if we don€™t fall asleep, we will eventually die, but if we do, we€™ll die a far worse death. But we all know that we eventually will fall asleep, so what happens? It€™s a good way to build suspense. One more note: this trailer is a good example of the way a good score can build on a trailer. Charles Bernstein€™s music, especially at the beginning of the trailer, really contributes to the dreamlike, spooky atmosphere that we€™re supposed to feel.