The purpose of a film trailer is to attract an audience to the film. By showing excerpts of the most exciting, scary or otherwise noteworthy parts of the film, we can get an idea of what to expect from the movie. Working upon the trailer is one of the most important task of film makers, but not every trailer is cut from the same cloth, and some are just awful. Let us look at 8 truly awful film trailers.

The Stuff (1985)

The Stuff is a 1985 American science fiction horror comedy about a mysterious white goo that becomes a popular pudding. The films an interesting misfire, trying too hard to be both horror and comedy about a frozen dessert that’s taking over the world.  However, the attempts at selling us this concept falls flat when the most menacing thing they could show us is a Smokey back-lit yogurt pot. Call me crazy, but I find it hard to get upset over glowing confectionery.

Verdict : Not Scary STUFF!

Troll 2 (1990)

Troll 2 has the reputation of being a terrible, if not the worst, film ever made. It has a bat-shit crazy story with terrible actors and effects, and the trailer does a fantastic job of showcasing these. They trailer mashes together all its high points with a lot of lows, in a confused and endless edit. And just in case you forget what film trailer you were watching, the title repeatedly flashes up screen throughout.

Verdict: Thanks for the reminder!

Death Spa (1989)

Some Trailer ruin plots, others give away major plot points. Death Spa goes one better. The trailer manages to show every gruesome death in the film. If you were to condense the full movie down, fast forward through it, you’d get a similar looking video.

Verdict: Bloody shame!

What Lies Beneath (2000)

With possible one of the worst instances of a film giving the film away, What Lies Beneaths trailer chronologically tells the entire story and pretty much shows you every moment (save the finale) from the film. The trailer itself is well paced and compelling, but watching it will literally ruin the entire film for you. Revealing that Dr. Norman Spencer had an affair, ruins the entire third act.

Verdict: Forbidden fruit!

Exeter (2015)

Exeter (released as The Asylum in the UK) is a 2015 American supernatural feature that failed to make of an impact. What it did deliver is possible one of the worst edited trailers ever made. With no narrative and choppy editing, the entire trailer for Exeter feels disjointed and confused. With shots that seem unrelated and badly paced, it’s hard to understand what the films about.

Verdict: Give it an exorcism!

Gremlins (1984)

Gremlins is a successful 1980s creature feature, written by Chris Columbus, executive produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by Joe Dante. However, even with these big Hollywood names behind it, the trailer was pretty awful. With the narrator talking over the actors, long uncomfortable shots and a lot of terrible dialogue from Zach Galligan, the trailer completely fails to capture the humour and horror of this classic film.

Verdict: Don’t feed after midnight!

Birdemic: Shock and Terror (2010)

Inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, Birdemic credits itself as a romantic horror, but failed at hitting either of those marks. The trailer gives you a glimpse of just how terrible this film is. With creepy narration, awful acting and budget CGI, the trailer fails to intrigue. Let’s not forget the choppy editing and a rock sound track that just compound an already dreadful preview. I don’t think a films trailers ever done more to make me NOT want to watch the full feature.

Verdict: Uncomfortable viewing

Sharknado (2013)

Sharknado is a 2013 made-for-television disaster film produced by SyFy. Sharknado is no Shakespeare, and whilst it’s easy to pick holes in a story about flying sharks, the real crime is the films trailer. With choppy editing and uninspiring action music, the preview nose-dives like a shark in a tornado. It completely fails to sell the film or its story., resulting in an awful mess that looks like a student film.

Verdict: There are sharks flooding the streets!