Since Team Smarthouse puts a lot of thought into film marketing (OBVS!), we frequently gather ‘round the coffee urn or start a group text message to discuss what cool and unusual film campaigns we’ve been noticing.

Here’s a look at the posters, social campaigns, and other film marketing bits that caught our eye this year!

MIDSOMMAR

A24 usually smashes it out of the park with their marketing, and the first poster for Ari Aster’s creepy cult movie MIDSOMMAR was no exception. What is this girl so terrified of? What is she looking at?!? We want to find out! Their second poster release with a couple walking towards a May Pole was intriguing, but nothing beats that first impression.

They also followed it up with great stunts like a limited edition “Bear in a Cage,” and a contest with TalkSpace to win Couples Therapy (!!!). They also activated some real-life Hargan “invasions,” and their social channel used great imagery from the film’s tapestries and murals + a mix of text and emojis in the captions to draw you further into the film’s world.

Speaking of A24 - did you see these custom black and white emojis for THE LIGHTHOUSE!?!?

HER SMELL

Gunpowder & Sky also created two posters for their gritty 1990s-set rock drama HER SMELL; the first a giant closeup of star Elisabeth Moss as hot-mess Becky Something, which, to quote Brad: “Perfectly captures the Instagram hot-ugly-hot aesthetic that feels right in line with the film's target audience.” The second was is an homage to the DIY screen printed band posters of the decade: technicolor newsprint with its film festival details in the place of where there would usually be a live music venue. Both posters capture the spirit of the film -- and the “F You” attitude of its lead.

To boost the film’s profile and authentic 90’s feel, they also released some faux music videos by Becky’s band Something She, and her young protégés, The Akergirls!

WONDER WOMAN 1984

Of course the WONDER WOMAN sequel has the lucrative powerhouse of Warner Bros. & DC behind it, resulting in a long, long, long lead campaign (the film won’t reach theaters until next summer: June 5, 2020). It’s still early so we haven’t reached the point of fatigue yet; it’s been a delight watching them nail the film’s 1984 vibe. The character posters are TOTALLY AWESOME and that main image of Diana! Whoa. What a great way to capture the time period and our favorite Amazon’s power while also evoking a strong sense of equality and allyship.

Queue up New Order’s Blue Monday and get us some blazers with shoulder pads! WE READY.

PARASITE

Neon pushed out an intriguing poster for Bong Joon Ho’s sensational PARASITE right from the get-go: what’s happening in this photo? Why are everyone’s eyes covered in bars? WHOSE LEGS ARE THOSE ON THE LEFT?!?!

To further the hype, PARASITE “glasses” were sent to theaters as giveaways so viewers could pose with their own bars covering eyes. Check out this pic of the director and audience at Fantastic Fest with the glasses on by Heather Kennedy! So cool.

HAIL SATAN?

We’re not sure if it was Director Penny Lane or Magnolia’s decision to add the question to HAIL SATAN?’s title - but whoever it was made a smart move! The question mark makes it stand out from other documentaries, and when paired with the statue of Baphomet against a gray-blue sky -- we definitely want to watch the film to get that answer!

They also released a series of graphic posters with different taglines and imagery that we really liked as much as the primary poster image.

Here’s a roundup of a bunch of other great 2019 posters we loved:

OUR FAVORITE FILM MARKETING IN 2019