Trailers from Hell
Trailers from Hell (branded as "Trailers from Hell!") is a web series in which filmmakers discuss and promote individual movies through commenting on their trailers. While the series emphasizes horror, science fiction, fantasy, cult, and exploitation cinema, films from a wide variety of genres have been covered. Trailers from Hell launched as a website in October 2007,[1] as a collaborative project by film director Joe Dante, new media entrepreneur Jonas Hudson, graphic artist Charlie Largent, web developer Tom Edgar, and producer Elizabeth Stanley.
Each trailer features commentary on the art, craft, and history of filmmaking, regarding both the trailer itself and the film it represents. Regular Trailers from Hell commentators, referred to as "gurus" on the series website, include (in addition to Joe Dante) John Landis, Guillermo del Toro, Roger Corman, and Eli Roth. Film editor and critic Glenn Erickson writes, "The host commentaries provide the real added value, cramming a wealth of information, humor and insights into the two- to four- minute trailer running times."[2]
Dante typically serves as the public face for Trailers from Hell, appearing at the South By Southwest independent film festival in 2009 to present a compilation of the site's trailers and commentaries.[3] Some of the trailers he cut early in his career for low-budget filmmaker Roger Corman's New World Pictures have been called the "best trailers for less-than stellar movies you've ever seen".[4] Dante was also able to augment his collection with many additional previews for classic and "not so classic" horror films during his time at Corman's studio.[1] As Dante describes it, "the bromide about these old trailers is that they were better than the movies they promoted. That's only true in some cases, but they did deliver in-your-face excitement and breathless hyperbole at a pace the movies never could."[5]
The previously mentioned Erickson has referred to Trailers from Hell as "one of the brightest web destinations for fantastic film fans...."[2] The Independent Film Channel considers it an "invaluable site",[6] while the horror and suspense genre journal Cinefantastique called it "fabulous".[1] American Movie Classics has lauded Dante for being "appreciative of and well-versed in the history of the exploitation cinema" through his work on Trailers from Hell.[4]
There have been two compilations of Trailers from Hell to be released on DVD so far. Volume 1 was released in 2010 and Volume 2 was released by Shout! Factory on July 5, 2011.[7]
List of commentators
- Guillermo del Toro
- Allison Anders
- Allan Arkush
- John Badham
- Rick Baker
- Darren Bousman
- Larry Cohen
- Julie Corman
- Roger Corman
- Don Coscarelli
- Joe Dante
- Jon Davison
- David DeCoteau
- Ernest Dickerson
- Bill Duke
- Mick Garris
- Stuart Gordon
- Sam Hamm
- Marshall Harvey
- Mark Helfrich
- George Hickenlooper
- Jack Hill
- Tim Hunter
- Dan Ireland
- Jonathan Kaplan
- Larry Karaszewski
- Lloyd Kaufman
- Karyn Kusama
- Neil Labute
- Mary Lambert
- John Landis
- Max Landis
- Michael Lehmann
- Rod Lurie
- Neil Marshall
- Ib Melchior
- Ed Neumeier
- Josh Olson
- Oren Peli
- Mark Pellington
- Michael Peyser
- Adam Rifkin
- Howard Rodman
- Eli Roth
- John Sayles
- Steve Senski
- Katt Shea
- Alan Spencer
- Brian Trenchard-Smith
- Jesus Trevino
- Ti West
- Christopher Wilkinson
- Edgar Wright
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 http://cinefantastiqueonline.com/2007/12/joe-dante-presents-trailers-from-hell/
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s3128hell.html
- ↑ http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117999404.html?cs=1&query=%22trailers+from+hell%22
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://www.filmcritic.com/features/2007/03/trailers-from-h/
- ↑ http://www.cinematical.com/2007/07/09/trailers-from-hell-gets-help-from-names-like-landis-dante-and-w/
- ↑ http://www.ifc.com/news/2009/06/50-greatest-trailers.php?page=46
- ↑ Full Moon Streaming Partners with Joe Dante’s “TRAILERS FROM HELL”