11 Movie Scenes Only Shot For The Trailer
2. Paranormal Activity 3
Rather than relying on a structured script, the filmmakers behind Paranormal Activity 3, Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, encouraged the actors to improvise. In situations like this, directors normally incorporate the scenes that work, and discard the ones that don't.
However, Joost and Schulman noticed some of the best scenes couldn't be implemented into the movie, since they didn't fit the narrative. Rather than letting these creepy sequences go to waste, the directors repurposed them for the marketing campaign.
Scenes from the trailer that are absent from the movie include the girls playing Bloody Mary, Kristi hurling water at the entity, Julia being thrown off the bed, the knocking game beside the closet door, and the house being incinerated.
Although it's not uncommon for promotions to have one or two "trailer-only" shots, over 50% of the material in Paranormal Activity 3's teaser didn't make the cut.
Unsurprisingly, there were many viewers who were furious by Paranormal Activity 3's promotions and tv spots, believing them to be disingenuous. However, there were others who appreciated them, since the misleading trailers spoilt very little about the plot.