Hello! My name is Jake Laystrom and I’m the Events and Programming Manager here at a/perture cinema. I’m an alumni of UNC School of the Arts and am beyond thrilled to in back to Winston to manage the a/mobile screenings over the summer and help with some programming at the cinema. I’ll be writing some blog posts too, always love to chat movies if you catch me at any of our upcoming a/mobile screenings or at a/perture!
As movie trailer lengths have grown longer and longer in recent years, I’ve started to try and avoid them at all costs. Whether it’s because I know I’ll see something based on the filmmaker or cast, or it’s a film I’ve heard great things about out of festivals, I’d rather be surprised and be seeing a film completely blind when I get to the theater.
Studios and distribution companies will often play it safe, adhering to a relatively standard format of releasing a poster, then a trailer, and depending on the budget a certain number of TV ad spots or other billboards, bus signs, etc. As a general rule of thumb, whenever a film’s budget is shared, it’s grosses have to be at least double to breakeven for the studio. Typically, half of all tickets go to the theater where you saw the film, and the average marketing costs for a wide-release film can be $30 million, on the low end. Not exactly pocket change.
This is part of what makes NEON’s marketing for their new horror film, LONGLEGS, so exciting. At first, early in 2024 there were just a series of teasers uploaded to the companies’ YouTube page. While several teasers are nothing new, these videos did not say what the film was about, or even it’s title. Just 30-second clips with disturbing dialogue and music, and what appeared to be a code or some kind of secret language.
Over four weeks, four of these teasers were released. A full trailer wasn’t even released online until late May, for a film opening in mid-July. Usually studios try to provide at least a few months of runway for their films to build steam, but NEON has attracted a lot of attention for these unusual teasers, seemingly preparing their audiences for the tone and style of the film, instead of a desperate plea of plot points to try and get as many people as possible into the theater.
Perhaps boldest of all is hiding its biggest star in plain sight. The film is centered on a female FBI agent, played by Maika Monroe, who has already carved her place in the pantheon of ‘Scream Queens’ with incredible performances in thrillers such as It Follows and Watcher. Her agent is tracking down a serial killer, played by the one-and-only Nicolas Cage, currently on somewhat of a career renaissance, embracing his status as Hollywood’s go-to go-for-broke performer.
Prior to the film’s release, there were not any clear images or footage released of Cage’s killer – a complete 180 from recent films starring the eccentric actor. While his more recent works have found success leaning on his ‘meme-able’ status, if you will, Longlegs has been holding these cards close to its chest. The closest we’ve gotten to anything related to his character is a phone number set by NEON on a billboard in Los Angeles. Call the number, and you’ll be greeted by a hair-raising message from (presumably) Cage in character.
All of this has led to an air of mystery and intrigue around the film. NEON doesn’t come off as desperate, willing to sell out surprises just to reach the widest possible audience, instead these marketing decisions feel more like a dare, forcing you to engage with the film if you want to see what it’s all about.
NEON has emerged as the closest ‘competitor’ to A24 in terms of independent, theatrical-first films of recent years. Notably, either through production or acquisitions, they’ve released the past five winners of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, starting in 2019 with eventual Best Picture winner Parasite. The other films include Titane, Triangle of Sadness, Anatomy of a Fall, and this year’s highly anticipated Anora, from Sean Baker. They’ve clearly got an eye for films, and are able to take more risks as their name becomes more synonymous with quality. A24 has found similar success, and used similar viral marketing in the 2010’s to bring attention to smaller-budgeted films that simply can’t afford Disney-level marketing waves.
There is no one way to market every film, but I’ve certainly had my eye on this one since those first teasers way back in January. It’s worth also looking back at some of director Osgood Perkin’s past films like The Blackcoat’s Daughter and I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House to get a sense of his style and grasp of the horror genre. Plus as an additional attention-grabber, Osgood is the son of Anthony Perkins, most well known for his performance as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s legendary Psycho.
Make sure to check out Longlegs at a/perture this month, and find out with us how this marketing ties into the film.
In honor of the creativity on display with this film’s promotion, here are some other notable examples of above-and-beyond marketing in film history.
- Smile (2022)
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- Paramount had actors attend various sporting events, sporting the creepy “Smile” depicted in the then-upcoming film. Keep an eye out for the sequel, set for release in Fall 2024
- The Blair Witch Project (1999)
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- Filmmakers utilized the internet in never-before-seen ways to sell the missing person aspect of the story. Fake police reports, blog posts, and using the actor’s real names provided a sense of reality that terrified moviegoers
- Cloverfield (2008)
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- A teaser-trailer was released before Transformers, that did not give the title of the movie, only a brief teaser highlighting the handheld footage, and a release date. The film ended up being a huge success, and led off a string of found-footage horror films.
- Ex Machina (2014)
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- At the film’s premiere at SXSW in 2014, a small, upstart studio called A24 created a fake dating profile for the central robot in the film, Ava, portrayed by Alicia Vikander. In a film centered almost entirely upon what separates humans from artificial intelligence, the profile caught attention and added an element of audience engagement to the release.
- Psycho (1960)
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- Alfred Hitchcock’s horror film has a surprise twist about halfway through, one that was especially shocking upon its release in 1960. As theaters used to essentially play films on a loop, Hitchcock was worried about his film being spoiled. He requested the film be played at specific showtimes, with no one being allowed in after it started. This ended up garnering a lot of interest in the film, and helped lead to the more rigid showtime structure we know today.
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