10 Greatest Movie Teasers That Used Original Footage

Much like the film itself, the teaser for Alien is a masterclass in building up tension. It opens to the vastness of space before focusing on an otherworldly landscape. As the footage unfolds, weird symbols start to form at the top of the screen. The trailer then pans down to an egg as it cracks open while the symbols form the movie's title. The footage then ends with a strange, wailing sound while showing the tagline, 'In space, no one can hear you scream.'

What makes this so effective is how it is paced. The footage slowly builds up to the image of the egg until it cracks loudly and emits a glowing light. The droning sound adds a layer of mystery with its origins being unknown. Is it a siren or is it the sound of the creature itself? It also has no footage of the titular character, no xenomorph, chestburster, or even a face-hugger. In fact, the egg used here isn't even how it looks in the final film, and yet despite that, this teaser perfectly captures the spirit of the movie.

This teaser would be paid tribute in future films, such as Alien 3's misleading trailer, while Prometheus used the forming letters and the droning sound to similar effect.