Team Smarthouse is dedicated to curating a collection of some of the most exciting, electrifying, and engaging movie marketing gems from the preceding year, so here we are again with our list of select marketing that caught our eye!

2024 was a big year for horror, and it was thrilling to find that so many genre films managed to tailor their marketing campaign to their unique themes. There was also a positive skew towards more tangible, in-person forms of promotion (on top of the usual social media strategies), so we made sure to document them for you as well. We hope you enjoy this read, and we’ll keep our eyes out for more amazing film marketing in 2025!

MAXXXINE: THE PURITAN 2 VHS CASES

MAXXXINE, the highly-anticipated closer to Ti West’s blood-soaked slasher trilogy struck a chord not only with the nostalgia evoked through its ‘80s setting, but also by releasing merchandise that’s reminiscent of the era: Alamo Drafthouse-exclusive, limited-edition VHS cases and bonus merch available as a ticket add-on. The designs for this Mia Goth-starrer are splattered with art referencing Maxine Minx’s “big break,” but that’s not all. Additional items included a bonus button, holographic sticker sheet, and a glamorous MaXXXine headshot.

BABE WAKE UP, JUNE SQUIBB FROM THELMA READING CINEMA’S GREATEST ACTION LINES JUST DROPPED

In THELMA, the film, June Squibb gets conned by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson. On the Internet, however, June Squibb pretends to be characters from THEY LIVE (1988), DIE HARD (1988), ALIENS (1986), CON AIR (1997), SHAFT (1971), FACE OFF (1997), and a whole lot more. Originally posted by Magnolia Pictures (@MagnoliaPics) to X, this hilarious video currently sits on a whopping 231.6K views, and is available for you to watch here.

ALIEN: ROMULUS UNLEASHES FACEHUGGERS THAT TAKE OVER NEW YORK CITY

It’s just another regular day in New York, except this time, Facehuggers pervade the city 10 days before the coinciding theatrical release of ALIEN: ROMULUS. Alien invasion or a terrific marketing campaign? One Instagram user, @spooky_moon.goddess_, comments: “I’ve been really loving the movie promotions these days like with [Longlegs] and that other vampire movie with Nicolas Cage and [S]mile”.

Speaking of which…

DOUBLE WHAMMY PART ONE: LONGLEGS’ CREEPY CALLS AND CRYPTIC CASTING

If you were to dial the number 458.666.4355, you would receive a spine-chilling pre-recorded message from “The Man Downstairs”, AKA. serial killer “Longlegs”, IRL Nicolas Cage. The film’s marketing strategy allowed the mystery of the killer’s identity to fester by keeping Cage’s casting a secret through to the end. Listen below …. and get ready to feel unsettled.

They further channeled our “fear of the unknown” through abiding by classic horror film marketing tropes such as slow reveals through enigmatic teasers, reports of seasoned horror watchers too sick to stomach the sinister of this film, as well as minimal but ominous billboards that hinted at the horror but hid the rest.

DOUBLE WHAMMY PART TWO: IMMACULATE’S THEMATIC TICKET PRICING AND “BAD PUBLICITY IS STILL PUBLICITY”

In partnership with AMC, Regal, and Marcus & Harkins Theaters, this NEON-distributed film’s tickets were sold to audiences for a sinful $6.66 after its successful theatrical opening. If you thought they did this to brew scandal, they were already two steps ahead of you: their posters and social posts were adorned with quotes from negative reviews scorning them for their narrative material. The @immaculatemovie Instagram page is so immaculately (haha) layered with combinations of good and bad reviews that, after a point, you can’t tell which is which; they all sound like they’re luring you into the temptation of watching the movie.

STRESSED FROM ALL THE SPOOKY SCARINESS? TRY THE SUBSTANCE’S SELF-CARE (PROMO) PACKAGE!

THE SUBSTANCE, the film, deals with themes surrounding the fears of aging, the desire for youthfulness, and the ever-present persistent need to improve one’s physical appearance. Naturally, this care package alludes cheekily to these themes under the guise of “self-care,” much like the products pushed upon us in the real world by the beauty and wellness industries. In this promotional package, recipients were provided with sleep masks, a cap to protect you(r skin) from the sun, a day planner, and more.

QUEER: EXCLUSIVE AND ARTSY MERCHANDISE FROM A24

A24 channelled the truly “independent” in indie film marketing by showcasing and selling an original painting based on the film by independent visual artist, Jake Grewal. They provided a Limited run of 250 fine art prints with UV inks on heavy matte paper stock for $50 apiece. To no one’s surprise, these were in such high demand that they are currently SOLD OUT!

FINALLY… KINDS OF KINDNESS AND ITS VARIOUS KINDS OF CHARACTER POSTERS

These whimsical, mask-like character posters were posted to Instagram by @letterboxd and @searchlightpics! In their own words, as “an act of kindness, posters for the film [would become] for free Letterboxd members starting [the next day]”, which for typical Letterboxd users is kind of a BIG DEAL. These posters featured the film’s stars such as Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Jesse Plemons, and more, and are available to view above.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

There’s an evil lurking behind the Tarot movie posters at The Grove in Los Angeles, where gullible passersby are startled with monsters jumping out from behind the cards!
Watch the trailer here for IT DOESN’T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS, a found footage horror film that was marketed on the premise that it would NEVER be made available for streaming, digital, or physical purpose, only allowing it to play theatrically, and thereby eliciting MAJOR word-of-mouth interest.
Fashion critic and host, HauteLeMode, analyzes Dune 2 press tour looks to provide a detailed breakdown of how the stars were dressed in archival pieces like the Mugler "Fembot", vintage Helmut Lang, Bottega Veneta, and more, as referential nods to the themes, imagery, or easter eggs from the film, paying tribute to the project by adopting method dressing.

AND HERE ARE SOME 2025 CONTENDERS:

Neon’s THE MONKEY teased its trailer release by posting the full MPAA ratings board notes for that trailer, and followed it up with notes bout the film’s outrageous gore and ONE BIG SPOILER ALERT: Everybody. Dies. They also mailed out fortune cookies with some very, very cryptic messages.
And Apple TV went hard promoting Season 2 of SEVERANCE, with a live installation inside Grand Central Station, in which all the major characters worked inside their “office” space — a clear box that allowed everyone to get a full view of the action.

Oh, you’d like to see more posters? We have you covered—check out some of the coolest posters of the past year below!

Our Favorite Film Marketing in 2024