This Horror Movie Tagline Made Psychology a Marketing Ploy

Back in 1972, Wes Craven needed to sell his directorial debut. The Last House on the Left had gone through multiple failed title changes, from Sex Crime of the Century to Krug and Company, with nothing really resonating during test screenings.

The Last House on the Left follows two teenage girls, Mari Collingwood and Phyllis Stone, who travel to attend a concert. Seeking weed, they are lured away by Junior Stillo, who is part of a gang led by Krug Stillo, accompanied by his partners Sadie and Weasel. The girls are kidnapped, tortured, and assaulted by the gang.

The gang seeks refuge at the Collingwood residence, posing as travelers. Mari's parents eventually discover the truth about their crimes and exact violent revenge.

The tagline for the graphic, violent film is now famous.

To avoid fainting, keep repeating, "It's only a movie... It's only a movie..."

- YouTube www.youtube.com

The Genius of Planting Ideas

The film is quite horrific in its portrayal of violence, and the marketing team could have found several ways to convey its shocking content through specific words or images.

But rather than being on the nose, they played on dark ideas already floating around in viewers' heads, letting them imagine the worst. Whatever that was, audiences might faint from the film's sheer scariness.

You'll see variations on this technique used today. At Sundance this year, rumors swirled on the ground that body horror film The Ugly Stepsister was so gross, someone in the audience actually vomited during the screening. Shudder and IFC leaned into that later.

For Last House, the campaign was so successful that many other exploitation films repurposed it, including Don't Look in the Basement and Don't Open the Window.

What Filmmakers Can Learn

Modern horror filmmakers need to understand that marketing is about creating an emotional state in their audience.

Start building anticipation early. You should begin your promotional campaign during pre-production, not after you've finished editing. The Last House on the Left demonstrates how a single, memorable phrase can do more work than an entire trailer.

Make your marketing match your film's tone. Marketing experts note the punny tagline for Chopping Mall ("Where shopping costs you an arm and a leg!") worked because it fit the film's silly tone. You wouldn't use humor for something bleak like The Last House on the Left.

Horror films are uniquely suited to low-budget filmmaking precisely because fear comes from what you don't show. Your marketing can work the same way. The Last House tagline revealed nothing about the plot while promising an experience.

Create a conversation starter. The best marketing gives audiences something to talk about. Produced for just $90K, The Last House on the Left earned over $3 million at the box office.

You don't need a massive marketing budget to create effective promotion. You just need to understand human psychology and how to prime your audience for the experience you're offering.

When you're marketing yourself as a filmmaker or promoting a project, authenticity is great, but you also need to consider what makes people curious, anxious, or excited.