20 Movies That Had Really Unique Trailers

Throughout the course of Hollywood history, there have been some truly unforgettable and influential movie trailers that have graced the big screen, causing both intrigue and excitement within audiences. Trailers are crucial to the success of impending projects, as they provide a glimmer of who is starring in the pictures and what viewers can expect from the plot.

From beloved and universally lauded classics like Citizen Kane and Psycho, to worldwide phenomenons such as The Blair Witch Project, and, of course, Quentin Tarantino’s ‘90s crime masterpiece Pulp Fiction, trailers have the power to dazzle and captivate the masses — not all previews are created equal. Some trailers show too little, but most of them these days reveal too much.

The best trailers are the ones that stand out above the rest, presenting something more than just a preview of the film. Some editors elevate the making of a movie trailer to an art form. Here are the 20 most unique movie trailers you’ll ever see.

20 Baby Driver

Much like some of the best trailers, this list is starting off with a bang. Adored for his fast-paced and energetic approach to storytelling, Edgar Wright delivered a rip-roaring trailer for his action extravaganza Baby Driver, as Ansel Elgort winningly portrayed the eponymous character, a savvy and highly-skilled getaway driver with a deep fondness for music.

Overflowing with adrenaline-pumping action sequences and a toe-tapping soundtrack, the trailer boasts plenty of stimulating roadside sequences as Baby tries to drown out the perpetual ringing in his ears via his trustee headphones.

The Most Stylish Trailer You’ve Ever Seen

The movie was hailed as the most stylish film of the year in 2017, and it came with the most stylish trailer, too. Released shortly after the movie premiered, the “TeKillYa” (a play on “Tequila”) trailer was undeniably thrilling, with some of the sharpest editing in the business. This trailer took things to the next level.

The play with the music, the text, and the stylish cuts was pure art — there needs to be more trailers like this. The excitement it induced matched Edgar Wright’s passionate love of music evidenced in the film. As Wright told EW in 2017:

I always wanted to do an action movie that was powered by music. It’s something that’s very much a part of my previous films and I thought of this idea of how to take that a stage further by having a character who listens to music the entire time.

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19 Psycho (1960)

The “Master of Suspense” Alfred Hitchcock was never one to shy away from being a true showman, and he effortlessly disarmed viewers by taking them along for a tour of the infamous Bates Motel in the epic trailer for the acclaimed ’60s spectacle Psycho.

Hitchcock merrily walked around the quaint grounds and stopped in front of the foreboding, old house inhabited by Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) and his mother, where he describes it as a scene of a grisly crime and sinister events.

Hitchcock Masterfully Disarms Audiences

The famed director takes his time as he explains to audiences the horrors that occurred at the seemingly innocent motel, with his final stop being in the iconic bathroom where Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) met her bloody demise.

The trailer comes to a screeching (quite literally) halt when Hitchcock pulls back the shower curtain and viewers are chilled to the bone by a terrified woman’s scream, which only foreshadows the unforgettable murder scene featured in the revered Hitchcock classic.

Rent Psycho on Prime Video

18 The Minus Man (1999)

Owen Wilson delivered a phenomenal-yet-underrated performance as a serial killer who believes he is helping his victims escape their miserable lives in the thriller The Minus Man, sharing the screen with Janeane Garofalo and Brian Cox in the engrossing picture directed by Hampton Fancher.

The filmmaker described Wilson’s character Vann Siegert as “a cross between Psycho‘s Norman Bates, Melville’s Billy Budd, and Being There‘s Chauncey Gardner,” with the underappreciated ’90s flick chronicling Siegert’s downward spiral into murder and mayhem.

The Minus Man’s Unique Marketing Technique

One of the thought-provoking trailers for The Minus Man shows a couple analyzing the thriller after leaving the movie theater, with the man (Eddie Ifft) and woman (Marin Hinkle) engaging in a spirited discussion over Owen Wilson’s character and the overall execution of the film.

They continue on with their lively debate all over the city through the night, until the man remarks on the gorgeous sunrise, and the woman rushes away in a panic, late for her job as a lifeguard — where she discovers two people dead in the pool.

The cutting edge promotional campaign ends with the memorable tagline “Careful, you can talk about it for hours,” and was a unique way to spark interest and discussion with audiences.

Rent The Minus Man on Apple TV+

17 Alien (1979)

Undeniably one of the greatest and most memorable trailers of all time, footage for Alien features a hen’s egg hatching as audiences travel through space with ominous music playing in the background.

The powerful simplicity of the egg moving as the camera grew closer and closer elicited an immense feeling of unease, which was only heightened as images of Sigourney Weaver and the rest of the cast ran throughout the commercial spaceship Nostromo while being pursued by an unseen force.

An Unforgettable Image

Jerry Goldsmith (Star Trek, Chinatown) scored the unnerving soundtrack and the haunting song that played in the highly artistic trailer, as the scenes became progressively dark and menacing with footage of chilling creatures and terrorized crew members riveting moviegoers.

The Nostromo‘s squad and the ship’s cat Jones are targeted by the horrific extraterrestrial, as viewers are reminded that “In space, no one can hear you scream.” The hatching of the egg symbolizes the birth of something truly evil, and the tagline for Alien only added to the trailblazing horror picture’s legacy.

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16 Red Eye (2005)

Wes Craven has been lauded as one of the horror genre’s most brilliant visionaries, and his approach to introducing potential viewers to the taut psychological thriller was downright genius.

The trailer for Red Eye made audiences believe that they were witnessing a flirty meet-cute between Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy, as her character Lisa rushes to make her red-eye flight home back to Miami, where she bumps into the handsome stranger Jackson Rippner.

Unexpected Plot Twist

The seemingly wholesome, romantic set-up quickly gets flipped upside down as viewers realize Red Eye is not in fact an upbeat romantic comedy, but rather a pulse-pounding thriller, with the trailer doing a complete 180 halfway through and becoming a dangerous cat-and-mouse game between McAdams and Murphy.

It was a brilliant and unexpected approach that caught audiences off guard and made them realize that Murphy would not be the romantic love interest of McAdams and was instead a dangerous terrorist with a sinister motive.

Stream Red Eye on Paramount+

15 The Blair Witch Project (1999)

The Blair Witch Project is heavily regarded as the first major feature film marketed chiefly by the internet, as the newsreel-style interviews and fake police reports caused a worldwide media frenzy.

The film’s found footage approach only added to the mystique of the trailblazing horror phenomenon, as the missing person’s posters for college students Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, and Joshua Leonard caused the masses to question whether or not it was actually a documentary or just a piece of fiction.

A Shocking Work of Fact or Fiction?

The trailer presents itself as if it’s real, with police reports and interviews of family members of the missing trio. The fact that, after the horror flick’s trailer debuted, its IMDb page listed the actors as “missing, presumed dead” only helped it go viral, as well as its official website including police and investigator’s testimonies regarding the “missing” students.

The found-footage approach helped inspire future horror films like Paranormal Activity and Cloverfield, though none were able to capitalize on the hysteria and fascination The Blair Witch Project sparked.

Rent The Blair Witch Project on Apple TV+

14 The Social Network (2010)

When it comes to impactful movie trailers, sometimes a less-is-more approach truly goes a long way, and a rendition of a beloved ’90s alternative rock song can really pack a punch.

David Fincher is celebrated for his exceptional psychological thrillers, and when it came to telling the origin story of Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network, the gifted director used the power of music and visuals to explore the premise and sociological themes featured in the film.

A Modern Cinematic Marvel

Audiences were treated to a haunting performance of Radiohead’s “Creep” by a children’s choir as the layout and unique attributes of the social media site were innocently showcased, including comments, likes, and status updates.

It perfectly offered viewers a glimpse of what they were in store for with the Aaron Sorkin-written screenplay. It’s no surprise that The Social Network is considered one of the most influential and groundbreaking pictures of the 2010s and a trailblazing film in modern cinema.

Rent The Social Network on Prime Video

13 The Exorcist (1973)

Like the movie itself, the trailer for William Friedkin’s horror masterpiece The Exorcist was almost too much for audiences to witness, as both the spine-tingling imagery and intense strobing effects proved to be jarring for the masses.

As if a demonically-possessed 12-year-old girl wasn’t enough, the downright chilling scenes of a profoundly afflicted Regan instilled fear in the hearts of moviegoers all across the world, and the sinister imagery was nightmare-worthy.

Too Much for Audiences to Handle

The trailer is more subtle than modern ones, filled with uneasy motifs, like the parents arguing about whether the problem is possession, and eerie effects going on around them, as well as the signature silhouetted form of Father Lankester Merrin (Max von Sydow) arriving to try and save the child’s soul.

Cleverly, the trailer does not show the daughter herself, except for one very brief faded shot, leaving viewers desperate to know exactly what it is that has everyone else in the film so scared.

The Exorcist had a massive impact on pop culture and sparked an intense reaction from the public, with audiences fainting and becoming physically ill during screenings; the deep voice of the narrator also helped the trailer terrify those brave enough to watch it.

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12 Pulp Fiction (1994)

Pulp Fiction had a powerful and unparalleled impact on modern filmmaking, with the star-studded picture starring big names like John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, and Uma Thurman while depicting four massively violent tales. Quentin Tarantino notably took home the prestigious Palme d’Or for his unforgettable creativity and trademark flair in the flick.

Hot off the heels of his cinematic debut Reservoir Dogs, the king of stylized violence created his magnum opus with the independent crime classic and made sure its trailer demanded the attention of audiences and kept them riveted from start to finish.

A Celebrated Cinematic Staple

Revered for his extraordinary taste in exciting music, Tarantino threw caution to the wind and, unsurprisingly, delivered a killer soundtrack full of lively tunes that have since become synonymous with the ’90s juggernaut.

The trailer opens with Miramax presenting the film and its already accolades won at the time, before launching explosively into the quick-paced and stylistic trailer that heightens everything that made the movie so Tarantino-esque, from the music to the artistry.

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11 Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Exploding with chaos, mayhem, and rip-roaring cinematography, the exhilarating trailer for Mad Max: Fury Road puts the pedal to the metal from the very first shot of a chaotic Tom Hardy taking on the eponymous role that was formerly portrayed by Mel Gibson.

The visually stunning installment was brimming with high-octane action sequences as Hardy’s Max partnered up with the fearless Furiosa (Charlize Theron) in an epic battle for freedom, resulting in some truly spectacular scenes.

One of Action’s Most Acclaimed Hits

It had been 30 years since the 3rd Mad Max film, and so the hype for the rebooted franchise was palpable — and the trailer took that hype to 11, promising everything that the fourth film delivered. Mad Max: Fury Road has since become regarded as one of the greatest and most acclaimed action films of all time, and took in an impressive $380.4 million, in large part thanks to its eye-catching and pulse-pounding trailer.

The technical aspects, lively action sequences, and refreshing social commentary helped cement its status as one of the finest cinematic feats of the decade. A highly-anticipated prequel, Furiosa, will be released in May of this year with director George Miller returning to helm the picture.

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10 Citizen Kane (1941)

Praised for his many eccentricities, distinct directorial flair, and for being “the ultimate auteur,” Orson Welles made his dazzling cinematic debut with Citizen Kane at just 25 years old. Like Hitchcock would do for Psycho some twenty years later, Welles adopted a “making of” approach to the trailer and gave it a pseudo-documentary style, showing viewers around the film set and keeping the actual premise of the picture a secret.

It’s one of the many reasons that the epic and innovative drama is regarded as one of the most lauded and finest films ever created, still topping best-of lists for movies over 80 years since its release.

Welles’ Out-of-the-Box Approach

Welles, then best-known for his spectacular radio work and mysterious persona, is not seen within the trailer and instead serves as the narrator and introduces audiences to Citizen Kane‘s star-studded cast.

Each actor recited a popular line from their character and warned people that the titular man may cause vastly different and intense reactions in viewers. The trailer for Citizen Kane was groundbreaking because it was arguably the first to not include any shots from the film itself, and it also captured what would go on to become Welles’ signature directorial style.

Rent Citizen Kane on Prime Video

9 Hereditary (2018)

Not only is the trailer for Hereditary as unsettling and eerie as the horror film itself, but it also invokes newcomer Ari Aster’s unique set reminiscent of a dollhouse, in order to better capture the essence of the lead character Annie Graham (Toni Collette), who is a miniature artist.

The horror knockout features tiny sculptures of important scenes and impactful flashbacks from Annie’s life as she narrates the complex relationship she shared with her recently deceased mother.

Welcome to the Dollhouse

The trailer keeps in line with the overall feel and unease prevalent in the taut film, and images of the haunted Graham family interspersed with dollhouse images put viewers on edge instantly.

Colin Stetson created the powerful musical score for Hereditary, and in doing so instilled fear and trepidation within audiences that refused to let go. A preview for the movie accidentally played to family audiences in Western Australia and caused massive panic, as roughly 40 children saw the spine-tingling trailer by mistake.

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8 A Serious Man (2009)

The Coen brothers wasted no time in this trailer depicting the mounting frustrations Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) was experiencing as he embarked on a major soul-searching journey in A Serious Man, as it opens with the down-on-his luck professor having his head repeatedly bashed against a chalkboard to the rhythm of the opening score.

Set in 1967 Minnesota, a depressed and disenchanted Larry is dealt one blow after another (both literally and figuratively) while trying to handle the mounting chaos in his life.

Related: 10 Movies to Check Out If You Love Coen Brothers Films

The Brothers Get Brutal

Though not exactly groundbreaking in the traditional sense, the eye-catching and brutal beginning scene foreshadows the immense disappointment and pain Larry experiences throughout the black comedy as the life he created for himself begins crumbling all around him.

Both his personal and professional life is in shambles, and the trailer replays unfortunate events that have happened to the forlorn man. The sound of his head hitting the chalkboard loops continuously, while other sounds from the trailer add and build and loop as well, creating a crescendo of panic that culminates in a suddenly quiet scene made more tense by the anxiety-inducing sounds that came before.

7 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

Fans of both the illustrious David Fincher and the popular Swedish novel were in for quite the treat when The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo hit theaters, and its eye-catching trailer helped it become the worldwide sensation that it did.

The Oscar-nominated picture focuses on the complex relationship between journalist Mikael Blomkvist and computer hack extraordinaire Salander as they team up to investigate a perplexing 40-year-old murder that has remained unsolved.

An Exhilarating Adaptation

Set to a cover of Led Zeppelin’s legendary rock classic “Immigrant Song,” one of the thriller’s trailers featured no dialogue and instead included exhilarating images and scenes of Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig, providing audiences a glimpse at the mayhem that was to come.

As the song intensified, so did the various gripping clips, and the film’s stunning cinematography (shot by frequent Fincher collaborator Jeff Cronenweth) offered viewers an exciting look at the jam-packed action and mystery that would unfold in the acclaimed adaptation.

Stream The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo on Paramount+

6 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

The world was collectively left devastated following the shocking death of the gifted Chadwick Boseman in 2020, as the actor became a beloved MCU presence with his powerful portrayal of T’Challa, the King of Wakanda and the courageous superhero Black Panther.

After the overwhelming success and popularity of 2018’s Black Panther, director Ryan Coogler sought to honor the life and legacy of both Boseman and T’Challa with the 2022 sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

A Poignant Tribute to Boseman

Marvel fans were left wondering how another Black Panther film could possibly work without Boseman’s presence. The trailer launched right into acknowledging the loss, and packed an emotional punch as a cover of Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry” was gently played, before gradually transitioning into rapper Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright.”

The trailer poignantly honored Boseman’s moving portrayal, and attracted a whopping 172 million views in just its first 24 hours, with CNN commending the compelling teaser: “Amid the grief that permeates the preview, there’s hope, the birth of new life (literally) and a glimpse at the future, with a clawed sneak peek of a new suited hero.”

Stream Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on Disney+

5 The Shining (1980)

As with other entries on this list, there is something hugely impactful about simple-yet-deeply profound imagery, and the teaser trailer for Stanley Kubrick’s cinematic horror triumph The Shining said the most without uttering a single word.

Set to an ominous and eerie score crafted by Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind, the trailer touts a shot of the Overlook Hotel’s elevator doors as the credits roll and announce who was starring in the adaptation of the Stephen King masterpiece.

The Power of Simplicity

After the cast and crew credits are complete, the doors to the elevator open and a giant wave of thick blood comes pouring through the corridor, shaking the furniture and tinting the camera lens into a deep crimson red.

The startling and sinister scene instantly captivated the masses and only added to the intrigue surrounding the menacing picture, and it was enough to cause a media frenzy as fans anticipated their stay at the remote Colorado hotel and waited anxiously to see the horror hit.

Rent The Shining on Prime Video

4 The Handmaiden (2016)

In the trailer for the gorgeous South Korean arthouse film The Handmaiden, director Park Chan-Wook wanted to leave an air of mystery and wonder and chose to keep viewers guessing as to what exactly the psychological thriller was about.

Chan-Wook utilized stunning cinematography and images to promote the picture, as gritty and conflicting scenes played out on the screen, with each sequence becoming more and more bizarre.

Less is Truly More

Audiences were left completely riveted by the conflicting visuals that grew darker and progressively more outlandish and wicked as the trailer played out, and once again, no one could quite tell what was going on and what The Handmaiden’s storyline and plot pertained to.

It’s that genius marketing and overall mystique that caused moviegoers to flock to theaters and helped make it both a financial success and one of Chan-Wook’s most lauded projects.

Stream The Handmaiden on Prime Video

3 Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)

Sometimes, all a good and effective trailer needs is a compelling film subject and powerful, attention-grabbing commentary, and the Academy Award-winning Judas and the Black Messiah brilliantly adopted that meaningful approach to storytelling.

Daniel Kaluuya’s Fred Hampton sent shivers down the spines of audiences when he movingly declared “I am a revolutionary” to his devoted followers, with the phrase being repeated throughout the riveting crime drama’s trailer.

Kaluuya Shines Once Again

Fred Hampton fiercely exclaimed in the trailer, “You can murder a freedom fighter, but you can’t murder freedom!” which poignantly foreshadowed the African American activist’s grim fate in the film as the scenes and visuals intensified, reflecting the civil unrest of the 1960s.

Fans were completely blown away by the commanding trailer and both Kaluuya’s impassioned declarations, with many viewers calling it one of the best and most gripping they had ever seen and that it was worthy of an award itself. The trailer is one word: explosive.

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2 Us (2019)

Who knew that a popular rap song from the mid-’90s could be manipulated to create a chilling and downright disquieting movie trailer by the creative genius that is Jordan Peele?

The Oscar-winning filmmaker crafted a deeply original look at what his horror movie Us is about, with the trailer focusing on the Wilson family as they embark on a much-needed getaway to the beach, only for them to horrifically discover their murderous doppelgängers have tracked them down.

Related: Jordan Peele Teases His Upcoming Fourth Film: “Could Be My Favorite Movie”

Peele’s Brilliant Song Selection

Peele’s use of the upbeat Luniz song “I Got 5 on It” was fantastic. It plays as the trailer first begins, with the Wilsons sharing a light and breezy moment while driving to their vacation home.

As the imagery turns more sinister and grim, the tune is slowed down and develops a more malevolent tone, reflecting the true nature of what’s to come for the unsuspecting family. After the trailer was released, the track was a smash hit with audiences, and it was subsequently edited into the final cut of the picture, much to the delight of fans everywhere.

Stream Us on Prime Video

1 Suicide Squad (2016)

Fans of DC Comics and the DCEU were thrilled when it was announced that David Ayer would be directing an adaptation of the eponymous anti-hero team from the comic book series, and the trailer for Suicide Squad left fans marking their calendars in anticipation for the big screen extravaganza.

Audiences were dazzlingly introduced to iconic characters like Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Deadshot (Will Smith), and Captain Boomerang (Jao Courtney) in the electrifying trailer, which was jam-packed full of exciting action sequences and plenty of humor.

The Trailer Exceeds the Film

Set to Queen’s epic and universally beloved masterpiece “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the trailer is brimming with well-executed cuts of action, chaos, and violence, a superb blend that captures the essence of the colorful supervillain group.

The song was perfectly timed with the various sequences showcased, and even Jared Leto’s Joker made a small-yet-buzzed about appearance at the end. Sadly, the trailer for Suicide Squad far exceeded the film itself, with many wholeheartedly agreeing the actual flick simply didn’t deliver on the promise in the magic of the unforgettable preview.

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