10 Misleading Movie Trailers That Totally Fooled You
8. Pan's Labyrinth - No One Was Expecting To Read Subtitles The Whole Time
In 2021, it's not unusual for a foreign language film to become popular in English speaking countries. The French rom-com Amélie boasts a cult-followed musical adaptation and the Korean drama Parasite swept the Oscars in 2019.
But back when Guillermo Del Toro wrote and directed Pan's Labyrinth, audiences weren't as receptive to foreign language films. And who ever created the trailer for the movie, was highly aware of this. Instead of showing off the gothic but whimsical screenplay, the trailer decided to include the cliché of an authoritatively voiced narrator to explain the plot in a grand and mystical manner. This yawn worthy cliché is used to replace any and all dialogue in the trailer. Nowhere in the trailer are there any clues to the movie being completely in Spanish... which seems like a very calculated choice.
And honestly I'd be more mad about this, BUT the movie is an absolute masterpiece, and if tricking people into thinking the movie is in English is what gets audiences to experience the film... it's kind of a necessary evil, right? The reviews for the film are resoundingly positive from critics and audiences alike, and the movie is still loved to this day. It may have been a tiresome trope to use, but thankfully it worked to introduce such a beautiful piece of cinema to the wider world.