15 Stunning Movie Trailers from 2015 That Totally Blew Our Minds

From superheroes to bear attacks, 2015 has been a great year for movie trailer lovers and while the industry is getting a wee bit too liberal with what they are revealing about plots and characters in some of their releases, there have been some really effective teasers that have truly shined. Here are the best. Hands down.

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Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Directed by Zach Snyder

Probably a bit lower on the list than many might put it, this trailer, while superbly edited and beautifully shot, loses just a bit of steam with Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg), who comes off very weak and interrupts the great flow of the trailer. Still, Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman? It’s got giddy all over it and the potential is limitless. Finger crossed. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yViIi3gie2c?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0&w=920&h=415]

The Lobster

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos

Sometimes a film comes along that is so quirky and unusual, the title alone does the job, but this trailer, starring Colin Farrell about a man who lives in a world where people turn into animals if they can’t find a partner, is so absurd it’s like a sugar shock to the brain and nearly forces you to keep watching. It’s a brilliant little clip that feels almost complete as it is.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR_NcqD-Gfs?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0&w=920&h=415]

Goodnight Mommy

Directed by Severin Fiala, Veronika Franz

This Austrian (German language) trailer is a decidedly creepy bit of teasing that is best watched with all the lights on and a puppy in your lap. While you’ll be checking the locks on all your doors when it’s over, this is a triumph of mystery, suspense, shock, and fear. But don’t blame us if you never sleep again. Ever.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hisSd7qyY40?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0&w=920&h=415]

World of Kanako

Directed by Tetsuya Nakashima

Gripping, emotional, and super-stylish, there are several trailers for this Japanese suspense film, but this English language titled version with a beautiful, haunting cover of The Animals “House of the Rising Sun” is an inspired cacophony of images and music that compels a second (and third) viewing.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He0oQJC9pzQ?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0&w=920&h=415]

Room

Directed by Lenny Abrahamson

Another film trailer that perhaps gives away too much, it is still a troubling, deeply emotional experience given its two-minute run time. With Bri Larson quietly serenading her son as she gives him simple directions to escape the tiny world they live in, this one pulls at the heartstrings and makes you want to know more.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPZqF_TPTGs?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0&w=920&h=415]

Ex Machina

Directed by Alex Garland

Supremely satisfying, this trailer is the very definition of “tease” by revealing just enough but not too much. Its captivating visuals and startling premise were one thing, but the claustrophobic atmosphere and steady, rhythmic pounding of the score punctuated the eerie sense of dread that permeates throughout. With a Kubrick feel and a Spielberg approach, this trailer mesmerizes (mostly about Oscar Isaac’s trippy beard).

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PI8XBKb6DQk?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0&w=920&h=415]

Hail, Caesar!

Directed by Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

With the Coen Brothers on the job, you can be sure we’re in for something special. Add George Clooney into the mix and the recipe for zany, smart comedy is just about complete. This oddball story about a mega-movie star in 1950s Hollywood who gets kidnapped is an ensemble film that looks too poke some fun at a few well-deserved targets, but the trailer is a very funny clip of fast-cuts and familiar faces that is just so darned appealing, it’s impossible not to smile the whole way through. Let’s hope Clooney has a stash of Dapper Dan.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMqeoW3XRa0?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0&w=920&h=415]

Aferim

Directed by Radu Jude

Whether you intend to watch this black & white Romanian film is beside the point. The trailer is so unapologetically charming it feels a little bit like magic. While an old man sings a folksong over the entire clip, splashes of English words dot the screen like old-timey silent film dialogue cards that somehow tell everything and nothing at the same time. This little gem is a masterwork at grabbing attention and you will surely have the tune stuck in your head when it’s over, though you’ll probably be wondering out loud, “What the heck just happened?” Win.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmTYOY_jQWc?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0&w=920&h=415]

The Witch

Directed by Robert Eggers

Taking the “witch” lore in a strikingly realistic direction, this trailer is especially moody and affecting with its slow camera movements and Puritan setting. The dark forest is the place where nightmares come true and this clip captures that with astonishingly powerful effect. If you have camping plans, you may want to skip this for later. Booga booga.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gud8viI-P7Q?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0&w=920&h=415]

Sicario

Directed by Denis Villeneuve

Powerfully emotive and tonally sublime, this two-minute twenty-second trailer is pure, heart-stopping suspense. Emily Blunt plays an FBI agent thrust into the complex and horrifying world of drug trafficking along the U.S. – Mexico border and is witness to some atrocities that wholly change her. Shockingly real and in-your-face, this oft-told story has a new face and boy (girl?) does it pack a punch.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR0SDT2GeFg?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0&w=920&h=415]

Spy

Directed by Paul Feig

Say what you will about the finished product, this gut-busting trailer is one of the funniest two minutes of the year. Melissa McCarthy is a CIA analyst that volunteers for field duty when the identities of other agents are compromised, though all of that doesn’t matter because the sight gags and McCarthy’s raw comedic talent are so effective, we just want to see more. Plus, Jason Statham.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrY3v1eDmQY?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0&w=920&h=415]

Suicide Squad

Directed by David Ayer

As DC Comics makes a grab for the Marvel method of movie making, their universe expands with this epic trailer about some of the not-so-good “heroes” of comic book lore. This moody clip introduces us to the main characters (and a glimpse of Batman) along with the much-anticipated iteration of Joker by Jared Leto, who is more than a bit creepy, he’s downright pathologically certifiable. There’s a lot of promise in this lengthy teaser and while a lot is riding on Batman v Superman (see above), this one might be the better choice and give DC a chance at getting their stories done right. Please don’t hurt us, Joker.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI3hecGO_04?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0&w=920&h=415]

Creed

Directed by Ryan Coogler

The next chapter in the Rocky film series goes in a whole new direction, bringing us the story of Apollo Creed’s son, Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan), though this film is really all about Balboa and his turn at completing the circle and taking on the role of his mentor Mickey (Burgess Meredith). The trailer is an unbelievably rousing piece of film that not only hooks us into the story, but has us up out of our chairs raising our fists to the skies. Adrian! Pow!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv554B7YHk4?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0&w=920&h=415]

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

Directed by J. J. Abrams

The most anticipated film in (probably) all of cinematic history, the next chapter in the Star Wars saga made a tremendous impact on fans with this second official trailer. While the first was a great teaser, this second one set anticipation levels to Warp factor 10 (okay, wrong franchise but same director). With a Luke Skywalker narration and a positively spine-tingling appearance by Han Solo and Chewbacca, this trailer made breathing a chore as we sat spellbound in a pool of mush, half out of our heads excited to see the movie and half soul-crushingly depressed we still had a month to go. Say it with me, “Chewie, we’re home.”

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCc2v7izk8w?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0&w=920&h=415]

The Revenant

Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu

While the juggernaut that is Star Wars will most likely be the box office king for some (all?) time, in terms of trailers, there is none that can compare to this masterpiece of teasery (that’s a word, right?). Unlike anything you’ve seen before, the cinematography, the music, the camera, the action, the actors, the bear, and the atmosphere are like some weird mad-scientist dark voodoo spell that seeks out and fondles the pleasure receptors in our brains forcing us to sit with our mouth agape drooling like an infant as we mumble over and over, “More, please.” Just take my money, Iñárritu.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRfj1VCg16Y?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0&w=920&h=415]

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What are some trailers that you really liked? Let us know in the comments below.