Top Ten Fake Movie Trailers

Posted by Maximum Fun on 2nd September 2011

We were all there: yawning a little from already having watched “Planet Terror”, but soon to be awakened by the intermission entertainment during Quentin Tarantino’s “Grindhouse”. There we were again: popcorn on shirt, dying of laughter during the first twenty minutes of Ben Stiller’s “Tropic Thunder”. Fake movie trailers. We couldn’t get home fast enough to watch a slew of them on YouTube. Now they’re coming to you.

Red Hour Digital, a recent branch of Stiller’s own Red Hour Productions, has recently let the world know of The Fake Trailer Project, a twelve-part web series to be launched later this fall that will consist entirely of fake movie trailers. Its success seems nearly assured by Stiller’s decision to recruit some top comedy talent for the project including Thomas Lennon and Ben Garant of “Reno 911!” and Amy Heckerling, director of “Clueless”, “European Vacation”, and “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”.

There are two schools of thought in the fake-movie-trailer universe.
In the first, you’ve got your re-cut trailers that mix clips from
the actual production with new voice-overs and music to present the film as an upcoming release in an entirely different genre. Prime example below: “The Shining” re-packaged as a romantic comedy. In the second camp are fabricated story lines for non-existent films such as those in “Grindhouse” and “Tropic Thunder”. No matter which you prefer, however,
these pretend previews have made a name for themselves.

Click here to watch ten of the best so far.

Top Ten Fake Movie Trailers:

Satan’s Alley

Starring five-time Academy Award Winner Kirk Lazarus, and MTV Movie Award Best Kiss Winner Tobey Maguire, this “Satan’s Alley” is the kind of film that mixes homosexual tendencies with Enigma’s “Sadness”.

Don’t

Voiced by Will Arnett, this guy was contributed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Spaced) for Quentin Taratino’s “Grindhouse” trailers. (Note: Even though it is obviously just faux horror, this trailer is probably NSFW).

Vandalay Industries

Starring Art Vandalay, Kel Varsen and introducing A.G. Pennypacker: wealthy industrialist, philanthropist, bicyclist.

Shining

“The Shining” as a rom-com? Why not? It’s situations like these that make you realize the piped-in power hits practically make the trailer. Thanks, Peter Gabriel.

Trailer For Every Oscar-Winning Movie Ever

Catchphrase! And every guy just really wants a girl who boldly rejects all social norms, as evidenced by her dyed hair.

Nick and Andy

“You ever made a mistake? You ever made it on TV?” See how one man snubs another, and looks good while doing it. Coming Thune.

God of War Indie Movie Trailer

God of War Indie Movie Trailer from Nick Murphy on Vimeo.

Giving Michael Cera a run for his money. The only thing this trailer is missing is an obscure Devo song.

Little Bunny Foo Foo

This little nursery rhyme about the cute, fluffy rabbit might have scared the hell out of every one of us. Now it has come to scare the hell out of our teenagers with nothing else to do on Friday night.

The Oregon Trail

It seems like every movie trailer features snips from Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros; but this one may be the best. Just be sure to keep an eye out for Poop Face and Mac ‘n Cheese.

Rain of Madness

“But you gotta walk a mile in a man’s shoes. These shoes are 1970-something espadrilles, so that’s what you gotta do.”

Unlike the other “Tropic Thunder” trailers, Stiller and company released this one separately as it purported to be promoting a separate film about the making of “Thunder” (a callback to the way that “Heart of Darkness” chronicled the making of “Apocalypse Now”). How I wish that there had a been a full-length “Rain of Madness”. Just so I could hear more about those espadrilles.

Lauren Cusimano is a content writer living in Phoenix and you can find more of her work here.