I finally, finally found a copy of the TV spot for the first It's Alive on the 'tubes. I haven't seen it since it ran back in the '70s.

It's not a good copy, but good enough. Still gives me chills.

Aside for the TV spot for the original Dawn of the Dead (well, and that first theatrical teaser for the remake... where the ghouls start pawing at the back of the movie screen), is there really a contender?

THE SHINING.

SUSPIRIA had a good one. (But did I actually see it on TV, or on DVD for the first time? That was 31 years ago now, gasp.) I also strongly recollect the ads from The Newark Star-Ledger or The New York Post.

Lots of TV spots from my film-formative years stand out, in a way even good ones probably wouldn't in our video-saturated times. It's a kick when they turn up on the DVDs--the same one or two voiceover performers taking us to THE HOUSE BY THE LAKE (not that I think it's on DVD) or onto the TERROR TRAIN or wherever else the chills and thrills were.

IT'S ALIVE is a great one, though. One of the pleasures of tuning into horror movie programming of yesteryear on TV was the chance of an ad for a new flick, like 1980's WITHOUT WARNING or SILENT SCREAM ("terror so sudden, there isn't time to scream!"), popping up. Philly's Channel 48 had lots, as did Channel 9 in NY.

The best trailers make bad movies look good.

So, Exorcist II.

Since the original post was a TV spot, my nomination would be the ad for BEYOND THE DOOR. Although I seem to recall more time being given to the revolving head bit. And that was Nanny! Oh, the childhood trauma! :o

All the previous are great ones (especially the SHINING one, which is almost in a class by itself - I saw the "elevator" SHINING trailer (was it a teaser?) at an Exhumed Films showing. long after seeing the movie and being completely familiar with it, and it still gave me chills!)

and Dan beat me to BEYOND THE DOOR (a "hide your head under the covers while waiting for the Yankess game to end and HONEYMOONERS, ODD COUPLE or TWILIGHT ZONE to start" memory - along with SUSPIRIA and IT'S ALIVE (although in that case it was SCTV)


This one for THE EXORCIST is great ("something is happening").

Unfortunately, You Tube doesn't seem to have the one for PHANTASM I always felt worked the best (the short nightmare one with just the arms coming up over the bed sequence)

And how could we all forget this one? (maybe not some people's idea of horror?)

And, finally, I was really taken with the trailer for THE NIGHT VISITOR (1971), discovered through another DVD, but that doesn't seem to be online either.

PHANTASM, yes. 1979 was a vintage year for horror trailers (and PHANTASM delivered on its promises).

The tv version of this used to keep me up at night.

I remember the TV spots for the Euroater CUT-THROATS NINE and the one for the Europix triple bill of MALENKA, KILL, BABY... KILL and THE MURDER CLINIC (which were all given alternate "... OF THE LIVING DEAD" titles) being really frightening to me as a kid. I miss the days of trailers where the announcer had that serious basso profondo voice that scared you shitless.

My favourite TV spot from when I was too young to be able to go see the X-rated (in the UK) film:
"When you're so frightened you can't scream, all you can do is...SQUIRM!"

When I finally saw the film on DVD some 25 years later it didn't disappoint.

Ooh, yeah... that puppy was a good one. Makes me want to watch the damnedable thing again, even though I know better.

As soon as I saw the subject line I knew what you were talking about! I saw the IT'S ALIVE trailer when I was in first grade, and I saw so traumatized it was a benchmark experience in my life. If I saw it on TV today I'd either flee from the room in terror or crap my pants!

Of course, the movie trailer for THE SHINING (which ruined my enjoyment of STAR TREK; I trembled all the way through it) and the TV spot for THE EXORCIST would come in two and three.

I remember the commercial for HUMONGOUS was really scary too.

Hmmm. I've not seen the EXORCIST II trailer before today (thanks for the link, Craig), but to me it's not making a bad movie look good. It just looks bad. Of course, my view is undoubtedly colored by having already seen the ridiculous movie...

The DEEP RED trailer is as strong a contender as I've seen. The director of the DON'T trailer in GRINDHOUSE actually pays hommage to it! (And SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN, too.)

The DON'T trailer in GRINDHOUSE was directed by Edgar Shaun of the Dead Wright.

The TV spot for DRAC HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE still spooks me to think of it. There was what we used to call "a little old lady" (no botox, no pulled face) telling us about her son. Well, turns out the lad she was so proud of was Chris Lee as Drac, as brief intercut shots from the film revealed. At the end, this grandmotherly, bespectacled women said something like "Pardon me - I must go wake him," and then snarled, baring her OWN fangs. Creepy? I hope to tell!

'Alien'. No contest.

Alien trailer