Images: Everett
We admit it: we're eternal optimists about horror movies we haven't seen yet. We always hope that new fright flicks will provide twists no one could anticipate and thrills no one could imagine before.
Now, the reality is that those are high standards, and relatively few movies reach or exceed them. That's one reason why we treasure great horror-movie trailers, which capture that moment when, as far as we know, the movie will be better than we could possibly hope. Here are the seven trailers that we found the most terrifying during 2015.
Typical teenagers are trapped in a high school auditorium for a reenactment of an infamous stage production, featuring a live hanging. Oh, sure, what could go wrong? This trailer explains.
The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death
While the original British gothic flick relied on the charming Daniel Radcliffe, the sequel moved forward to World War II, when a group of schoolchildren is evacuated from London for safety's sake. The first trailer nicely set up the premise that the young ones were in even more danger than they could have imagined.
Perhaps it was foolhardy to make a new version of Tobe Hooper's truly frightening classic, but the first trailer promised terrifying thrills in a familiar suburban setting, which certainly did more than pique our interest in what was to come.
Although this anthology film featured its share of black humor, the trailer puts the emphasis on what horror fans love the most: scary moments that make the skin crawl with excitement.
Taking a bold leap into the more sinister side of social media, this trailer effectively makes the case that there's a big price to pay for indiscriminately sharing embarrassing videos online.
C'mon, it's directed by M. Night Shyamalan! Of course there's going to be a twist! The fun of the first trailer is trying to guess how loving grandparents could possibly pose a mortal threat to their beloved grandchildren.
Introducing Elijah Wood as an elementary school teacher? Good. Showing him coming under attack by zombie children? Better. Including jokes with a bloody, sharp sense of humor? The best.
