There are two kinds of posters that a film studio can distribute before the film’s official one-sheet (and certainly well before the movie itself is released): advance posters and teasers. The two differ in a way that best can described in advertising parlance as “push” and “pull” marketing strategies. To wit:
Push promotion: Advance posters simply announce that a particular movie—say, a new James Bond film—is coming out next year. We know the title, actors, characters, and sometimes even the plot ahead of time. The studios are actively pushing or supplying information to the public.
Pull promotion: Teasers, meanwhile, utilize a “pull” technique in which studios must create or build up customer demand. How? By enticing the filmgoer. The best of these posters are designed to give out just the slightest bit of information to make film-goers curious of their movie. Oftentimes characters and plot are not revealed whatsoever. In other words, audiences are teased; they are now the ones actively pulling (wanting more) info from the studio.
My top 10 favorite teasers are shown below, accompanied by a brief summation of why I think they are successful. Please keep in mind that it is immaterial whether or not a particular film made money or not, or was critically or commercially acclaimed. The sole intention of the teaser is to be provocative, generating publicity for the film.
The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
The blood-tinted hue of this poster depicting Frankenstein’s monster along with the quote “I demand a mate!” suggested that a traditional courtship was not in the works. Further, the question of who would dare be his bride in the first place ratcheted up curiosity for the sequel by implying it must be somebody special that audiences would want to see.
Ghostbusters (1984)
A personal favorite of mine, I vividly remember the massive ad campaign appearing on billboards, posters, and newspapers throughout the Philadelphia area. Remember, this wasn’t an easily identifiable Batman or Superman logo. Just a previously-unknown cartoonish icon with no other information—not even the name of the movie! That’s an audacious move, folks.
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Darkman (1990)
“Who is Darkman?” Moviegoers could surmise he was the mysterious silhouetted figure in topcoat and hat, but beyond that we had no idea who he was. Was he on our side? An evildoer? Crime fighter? A superhero? A guy just like us? A second teaser poster fleshed out the character but offered no more info…we’d just have to wait for summer to find out.
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Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
As if we needed additional hype for the first installment of the prequel trilogy comes this poster that any Photoshop novice could do. But the trick isn’t in the Photoshopping technique, it is in the concept. While deceptively simple (aren’t most iconic images or memorable tunes that way?) the image tells a story of what is, and what is to come. No words needed.
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Cars (2006)
Inspired! The grand unveiling—but not just yet, we get to see only a little of the film’s star—of the “all-new 2006.” In addition to mentioning that Cars roll off the assembly line on June 9, the poster also reminds us of the spiffy “models” previously manufactured by Pixar. We’re sold.
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The Dark Knight (2008)
The burred out image causes disorientation & unease. Hollowed-out skull eyes portend doom. That hunched, shadowy figure tells us that we can forget the colorful, merry maniac that Jack Nicholson essayed. The new Joker paints a (literally) gruesome smile on his face, and his question—“Why so serious?”—taunts as it hangs disturbingly in the air. The poster both repulses and captivates to perfection.
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Cloverfield (2008)
When we saw the poster we obviously had no idea what a “Cloverfield” was…but we knew it couldn’t be good! In its wake we see the violation of Lady Liberty and the devastation torn through the city. But no hint of what exactly was rampaging through New York. Well played, Paramount. Well played.
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District 9 (2009)
Is that a bug? A monster? An extraterrestrial? Is it poisonous? Contagious? Will it attack us? Why is whatever-it-is not allowed to go where we go? And does that presume we co-exist with it elsewhere? Don’t look to the movie’s title for clues…there isn’t one. Just a website where all will be revealed. No, probably not.
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Up (2009)
Delightful imagery! A house drifting away above fluffy clouds on a bright sunny day (see the shadow cast just below?) buoyed by thousands of colorful balloons. The theme and tone of the movie are artfully depicted in this poster. Even so, filmgoers are still left with lingering questions that would only be answered by going to the cinema. Sublime.
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Buried (2010)
Here is a film that is probably the least successful in terms of its box office results. However, at the time moviegoers were abuzz over the use white (really, dark) space, directing the eye all the way down to the ghastly sliver of an image—and website, natch! The poster conveys its macabre, claustrophobic theme extraordinarily well.
Do you have a favorite movie poster teaser? Tell me about it below!