The Wild, Weird and Wonderful! It's the Amazing World of “Trailers From Hell”

As dedicated film fans, we all have our favorite websites, the ones we visit regularly to indulge our cinematic passions. One of my favorites is Trailers From Hell. Writer-director Joe Dante, along with several other collaborators, including graphic artist and writer Charlie Largent, founded the site in 2007. It’s a marvelous compendium of trailers for all kinds of films, with its feet planted firmly in the horror, science fiction, thriller and comedy genres, though there’s a wide range of preview clips for other types of movies as well. These original “coming attractions” feature commentaries by filmmakers such as John Landis, Katt Shea, Mick Garris, Guillermo Del Toro, Karyn Kusama, Edgar Wright and many others. There's also an option to view the trailers without the commentaries.

One of TFH's original (and very cool) logos

The commentaries are entertaining and insightful. Want to hear makeup artist extraordinaire Rick Baker’s enthusiasm regardingWar of the Worlds? Director John Badham’s thoughts about A Fistful of Dollars? Or writer-director Ernest Dickerson’s musings about Chinatown? Trailers From Hell is the place to find all of that, and much more. From Key Largo to The Wasp Woman to Almost Famous, you’ll find a treasure trove of delightful observations from the site’s “gurus” about a plethora of films. What shines through in the wonderful commentaries is these artists’ love and appreciation for movies. It’s a passion they share with us. They’re some of the most talented and creative people from the world of cinema, but when it comes right down to it, they’re fans, just like us. They share our profound love and passion for movies and those who make them, from Bava to Leone to Scorcese.

Trailers from Hell is also the home for film scribes/reviewers Dennis Cozzalio, director Allan Arkush and the indispensable Glenn Erickson, aka CineSavant. You can check out some very cool trivia challenges, and a selection of co-founder Dante’s vintage movie reviews. It’s all essential reading for film fanatics. There are also several trailers with a shared theme spotlighted every week. The site’s newest and perhaps coolest feature is the excellent podcast entitled “The Movies That Made Me,” now in its second season, hosted by screenwriter Josh Olson and Joe Dante. Each episode features Olson and Dante chatting with the likes of William Friedkin, Ron Perlman, Allison Anders and Robert Forster about the movies they love; those films that made a lasting impression on them, and inspired them. The casual and informal nature of these illuminating conversations makes them both enjoyable and informative. You can find the episodes on the site, as well as places like iTunes, Spotify, TuneIn and Google Play.

Trailers from Hell is truly a “go-to” destination for those of us who love and appreciate movies. The best thing about the site is that it’s really a lot of fun. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the veritable treasure trove of information that’s available. When you visit, I bet you’ll find yourself spending a lot more time there than you originally planned. Here’s a link to the site’s main page: https://trailersfromhell.com, and also links for two trailers, for Roger Corman’s It Conquered The World: https://trailersfromhell.com/conquered-world/ and Brian De Palma’s Blow Out: https://trailersfromhell.com/blow-out//. So head on over, watch a bunch of trailers, read some articles, and listen to an episode of the podcast. This is one “hell” you won’t mind being trapped in!

Note: As I was preparing this post, I found out that the wonderful character actor Dick Miller passed away this past week. You've likely seen him in films like Gremlins, The Terminator and many others. I know he was a good friend to Joe Dante and many other filmmakers. He was certainly an icon and hero to myself and genre fans everywhere. This talented man truly left his mark in our movie-watching memories, and holds a special place in our hearts. I'm very glad I got to meet him at Chiller Con a few years ago. RIP, Dick. You will be missed.