The best horror/exploitation movie taglines
by sbaldwin999 | created - 19 Aug 2011 | updated - 05 Jun 2012 | PublicBack in the days before the internet, film distributors who couldn't afford the high price of broadcasting a trailer over TV had to find creative ways to get their movies known by the general public. Movies posters were a big way to draw people in... bright colors, sensational images and big bold titles were the key to catching peoples eyes. A memorable tag line to accompany the poster is hard to forget and usually was a sure way to get people intrigued. This is a list devoted to some of my favorite and what I consider to be the most effective tag lines from the past. This list is comprised of movies I have seen or am at least familiar with, recommendations are accepted cause I know there are a plethora of great tag lines just waiting to be discovered! Enjoy
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1. Dead & Buried (1981)
R | 94 min | Horror, Mystery
Sheriff Dan Gillis investigates eerie deaths in a sleepy coastal town.
Director: Gary Sherman | Stars: James Farentino, Melody Anderson, Jack Albertson, Dennis Redfield
Votes: 14,889 | Gross: $0.22M
"It will take your breath away... all of it."
I remember seeing this VHS cover as a child and thinking that a movie with a image and a tag line like that had to be absolutely terrifying. The movie is good but not THAT scary, still, the box manages to send chills down my spine.
2. The Funhouse (1981)
R | 96 min | Horror
Four teenagers visit a local carnival for a night of innocent amusement, but soon discover that nothing there is innocent or amusing.
Director: Tobe Hooper | Stars: Elizabeth Berridge, Shawn Carson, Jeanne Austin, Jack McDermott
Votes: 16,259 | Gross: $7.89M
"Pay to get in. Pray to get out."
Slasher movies, to me, have the greatest tag lines. They are usually pretty clever, The Funhouse's tag line is the best example of that.
3. Don't Go in the House (1979)
R | 82 min | Horror
A disturbed young man who was burned as a child by his sadistic mother stalks women with a flamethrower.
Director: Joseph Ellison | Stars: Dan Grimaldi, Charles Bonet, Bill Ricci, Robert Carnegie
Votes: 5,230
"You have been warned!"
It is kind of warning you to go see this movie with caution... Why? cause this movie is very dark and very disturbing... you have been warned!
4. The Mutilator (1984)
TV-MA | 86 min | Horror, Thriller
A college student, who accidentally killed his mother as a child, decides to take his friends to his father's fishing cabin during fall break, not knowing that his crazed father is stalking the place.
Directors: Buddy Cooper, John Douglass | Stars: Matt Mitler, Ruth Martinez, Bill Hitchcock, Connie Rogers
Votes: 6,193
"By pick, by axe, by sword, bye bye!"
I have not actually seen this one but the tag line is so great I had to include it on the list. Another clever one for a slasher movie.
5. The Grim Reaper (1980)
R | 92 min | Horror
A group of friends and a hitchhiker become stranded on a tourist island where they are stalked by a disfigured cannibalistic killer who is prowling the island after killing its residents.
Director: Joe D'Amato | Stars: Tisa Farrow, Saverio Vallone, Serena Grandi, Margaret Mazzantini
Votes: 6,955
"It's not fear that tears you apart... It's him!"
This is a personal favorite of mine. This tag line is pretty vicious but so is George Eastman's insane character in the movie. Great stuff!
6. Asylum (I) (1972)
PG | 88 min | Horror
In order to secure a job at a mental institution, a young psychiatrist must interview four patients inside the asylum.
Director: Roy Ward Baker | Stars: Barbara Parkins, Richard Todd, Sylvia Syms, Peter Cushing
Votes: 8,169
"You have nothing to lose but your mind."
The Amicus anthology movies had some of the best tag lines, best of all being the one for this movie. Asylum is about the minds of the mentally disturbed so this tag line fits perfectly.
7. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Unrated | 127 min | Horror, Thriller
During an escalating zombie epidemic, two Philadelphia SWAT team members, a traffic reporter and his TV executive girlfriend seek refuge in a secluded shopping mall.
Director: George A. Romero | Stars: David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger, Gaylen Ross
Votes: 128,446 | Gross: $5.10M
"When there is no more room in Hell, the dead will walk the Earth"
Absolutely unforgettable tag-line to an unforgettable movie! Another one that you hear a character say in the movie too.
8. Humongous (1982)
R | 97 min | Horror, Mystery, Romance
"Humongous" tells the tale of when the monstrous offspring of a violent criminal grow up in seclusion on a remote island. Then year later, a boat-full of teens become shipwrecked on the island, unaware of what is lurking in the woods.
Director: Paul Lynch | Stars: Janet Julian, David Wysocki, John Wildman, Janit Baldwin
Votes: 2,182
"Here are the monster's little toys. Once they were little girls and boys."
You have to love tag lines that rhyme, they are usually the best about getting stuck in your head.
9. Crawlspace (1972 TV Movie)
74 min | Horror, Thriller
A childless middle-age couple adopt a troubled youth they find living in their crawlspace and attempt to get him to rejoin society with tragic results.
Directors: John Newland, Buzz Kulik | Stars: Arthur Kennedy, Teresa Wright, Tom Happer, Eugene Roche
Votes: 461
"They wanted a son... he gave them a nightmare!"
I have not seen this made-for-TV film but I want to. Especially with a great tag line like that!
10. The Vault of Horror (1973)
R | 87 min | Horror, Thriller
An anthology of five horror stories shared by five men trapped in the basement of an office building.
Director: Roy Ward Baker | Stars: Curd Jürgens, Terry-Thomas, Tom Baker, Dawn Addams
Votes: 6,247
"Everything that makes life worth leaving!"
Another great Amicus anthology tag line!
11. Pieces (1982)
Not Rated | 85 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
The co-eds of a Boston college campus are targeted by a mysterious killer who is creating a human jigsaw puzzle from their body parts.
Director: Juan Piquer Simón | Stars: Christopher George, Lynda Day George, Frank Braña, Edmund Purdom
Votes: 12,792 | Gross: $2.03M
"...It's exactly what you think it is!"
I love this one cause it's NOT trying to be clever or ironic, its pretty direct in letting you know what the movie is about. Still it sparks your curiosity and makes want to see the movie just to know how far it goes. Also a fantastic poster that adds to the brutality of the tag line too!
12. The Prowler (1981)
R | 89 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
An unknown killer, clad in World War II U.S. Army fatigues, stalks a small California town, bent on reliving a 35 year-old double murder by focusing on a group of college kids holding an annual graduation dance.
Director: Joseph Zito | Stars: Vicky Dawson, Christopher Goutman, Lawrence Tierney, Farley Granger
Votes: 12,981
"If you think you're safe... you're DEAD wrong!"
Like I said, slasher movies tend to have excellent tag lines.
13. Phantasm (1979)
R | 89 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
A teenage boy and his friends face off against a mysterious grave robber, known only as the Tall Man, who employs a lethal arsenal of unearthly weapons.
Director: Don Coscarelli | Stars: A. Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury, Reggie Bannister, Kathy Lester
Votes: 41,232 | Gross: $11.99M
"If this one doesn't scare you, you're already dead!"
I think this film might be a little overrated but the poster and tag line are perfect.
14. Re-Animator (1985)
Unrated | 84 min | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
After an odd new medical student arrives on campus, a dedicated local and his girlfriend become involved in bizarre experiments centering around the re-animation of dead tissue.
Director: Stuart Gordon | Stars: Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Barbara Crampton, David Gale
Votes: 71,416 | Gross: $2.02M
"Herbert West has a very good head on his shoulders... and another one in a dish on is desk."
Classic.
15. Zombie (1979)
R | 91 min | Horror
Strangers searching for a young woman's missing father arrive at a tropical island where a doctor desperately seeks the cause and cure of a recent epidemic of the undead.
Director: Lucio Fulci | Stars: Tisa Farrow, Ian McCulloch, Richard Johnson, Al Cliver
Votes: 30,683
"We are going to eat you!"
Could be the most famous tag line on the list. This is Jerry Gross again, promising you exactly what you are going to get from this nasty little gem. And look at that poster, its just a straight portrait shot of the most gruesome zombie in the movie! Jerry was a genius.
16. I Spit on Your Grave (1978)
R | 101 min | Horror, Thriller
An aspiring writer is repeatedly assaulted, humiliated, and left for dead by four men she systematically hunts down to seek revenge.
Director: Meir Zarchi | Stars: Camille Keaton, Eron Tabor, Richard Pace, Anthony Nichols
Votes: 31,159
"This woman has just cut, chopped, broken and burned five men beyond recognition... but no jury in America would ever convict her!"
Makes you ask, "Why!? Why wont a jury convict her?". See the movie and find out! again, one of Jerry Gross' legendary ad campaigns along with that super-sexy poster.
17. The Blob (1988)
R | 95 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A deadly entity from space crash-lands near a small town and begins consuming everyone in its path. Panic ensues as shady government scientists try to contain the horrific creature.
Director: Chuck Russell | Stars: Shawnee Smith, Kevin Dillon, Donovan Leitch Jr., Jeffrey DeMunn
Votes: 43,431 | Gross: $8.25M
"Terror has no shape."
I like this one, it's incredibly literal...
18. The Thing (1982)
R | 109 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.
Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Keith David, Richard Masur
Votes: 465,943 | Gross: $13.78M
"Man is the warmest place to hide."
This is a famous one, I love it because it's one you might not understand going into the movie but coming out, it will make perfect sense.
19. Snuff (1975)
X | 80 min | Horror
A so-called "snuff" film involving the exploits of a cult leader leading a gang of bikers in a series of supposedly real killings on film.
Directors: Michael Findlay, Horacio Fredriksson, Simon Nuchtern, Roberta Findlay | Stars: Margarita Amuchástegui, Tina Austin, Ana Carro, Brian Cary
Votes: 1,991
"A film that could only be made in South America, where life is CHEAP!"
An awful movie with one of the most ingenious ad campaigns in the history of film. The tag line is just a small part of it.
20. Alien (1979)
R | 117 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
The crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating a mysterious transmission of unknown origin.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Veronica Cartwright
Votes: 949,187 | Gross: $78.90M
"In space, no one can hear you scream."
Possibly the most memorable thing about this movie next to the chest bursting scene. But, according to the show, The Universe, you actually can hear people scream in space... Nobody says you have to be scientifically accurate to be a great tagline though!
21. Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)
PG-13 | 88 min | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Aliens who look like clowns come from outer space and terrorize a small town.
Director: Stephen Chiodo | Stars: Grant Cramer, Suzanne Snyder, John Allen Nelson, John Vernon
Votes: 45,399 | Gross: $15.63M
"In space, no one can eat ice-cream."
I hilarious take on the infamous Alien tag-line. I love this movie for not taking itself seriously.
22. Motel Hell (1980)
R | 101 min | Comedy, Horror, Thriller
A seemingly friendly farmer and his sister kidnap unsuspecting travelers and bury them alive, using them to create the "special meat" they are famous for.
Director: Kevin Connor | Stars: Rory Calhoun, Paul Linke, Nancy Parsons, Nina Axelrod
Votes: 13,596 | Gross: $6.34M
"Checking in is easy... checking out is hell."
There are a couple more famous tag lines for this horror comedy but I like this one best. Again, slasher movie, keeping it simple and fun.
23. Westworld (1973)
PG | 88 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
A robot malfunction creates havoc and terror for unsuspecting vacationers at a futuristic, adult-themed amusement park.
Director: Michael Crichton | Stars: Yul Brynner, Richard Benjamin, James Brolin, Norman Bartold
Votes: 62,903 | Gross: $16.06M
"Boy have we got a vacation for you."
This one is great cause it is one of those tag lines that a character actually says in the movie!
24. Deathstalker (1983)
R | 80 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A lone warrior nicknamed Deathstalker is sent by a witch on a quest to find a sword, a chalice, and an amulet, two of which are held by the wicked king and sorcerer, Munkar.
Director: James Sbardellati | Stars: Rick Hill, Barbi Benton, Richard Brooker, Lana Clarkson
Votes: 6,300 | Gross: $11.92M
"Journey to an age of awesome magic."
"Awesome" is a great word for a tag line to a super cheesy but totally fun movie like Deathstalker. If your making a sword and sorcery movie, it's good to throw in words like that, considering the kind of people that will be watching those movies (12-24 year old males)
25. Sole Survivor (1984)
R | 85 min | Horror, Thriller
A lone survivor of a plane crash is haunted by a feeling unworthy of survival. Dead people start coming after her to collect her.
Director: Thom Eberhardt | Stars: Anita Skinner, Caren L. Larkey, Peggy McClure, Roberta Kay
Votes: 2,556
"It wants her... It's waiting... It won't be long now."
Pretty ominous.
26. SS Experiment Love Camp (1976)
Not Rated | 94 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
Near the end of WW2, prisoners of war are used in experiments to perfect the "Aryan" race.
Director: Sergio Garrone | Stars: Mircha Carven, Paola Corazzi, Giorgio Cerioni, Giovanna Mainardi
Votes: 1,413
"Sex experiments in pursuit of a better tomorrow!"
This one is funny, in a tasteless sort of way. The movie contains some offensive subject matter but really it doesn't take itself too seriously. So, it's good for a laugh and I think the silly tag line compliments that nicely.
27. Akira (1988)
R | 124 min | Animation, Action, Drama
A secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psychic psychopath who can only be stopped by a teenager, his gang of biker friends and a group of psychics.
Director: Katsuhiro Ôtomo | Stars: Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama, Tesshô Genda
Votes: 204,950 | Gross: $0.55M
"Neo-Tokyo is about to E.X.P.L.O.D.E."
Just incase you don't understand the magnitude of distruction found in this movie, they literally S.P.E.L.L. it out for you.
28. Mortuary (1982)
R | 93 min | Horror
Convinced that her father's death was not accidental, a beautiful girl decides to investigate to find out the truth, aided by her boyfriend. Her sleuthing draws her to a local mortuary, where many secrets will be revealed.
Director: Howard Avedis | Stars: Mary Beth McDonough, David Wysocki, Bill Paxton, Lynda Day George
Votes: 2,846 | Gross: $4.32M
"Where nobody rests in peace."
A little bit of Irony in your tag line is always a good thing!
29. Phenomena (1985)
R | 116 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
A young girl who has an amazing ability to communicate with insects is transferred to an exclusive Swiss boarding school, where her unusual capability might help solve a string of murders.
Director: Dario Argento | Stars: Jennifer Connelly, Donald Pleasence, Daria Nicolodi, Dalila Di Lazzaro
Votes: 30,005
"Jennifer has a few million close friends. She's going to need them all."
30. Witchfinder General (1968)
Unrated | 86 min | Drama, Horror
A young soldier seeks to put an end to the evils caused by a vicious witch-hunter when the latter terrorizes his fiancée and kills her uncle.
Director: Michael Reeves | Stars: Vincent Price, Ian Ogilvy, Rupert Davies, Patrick Wymark
Votes: 12,200
"Leave the children home! ...and if you are squeamish, stay home with them!!!!!!!"
The English tagline is awful but when the movie was brought to America, they changed it to this masterpiece to draw in the masses. BTW, no this movie is not really squirm inducing at all, but it's a great drama/thriller!
31. Zombie Holocaust (1980)
Unrated | 84 min | Adventure, Horror, Mystery
An expedition in the East Indies, encounters not only the cannibals they were looking for, but also an evil scientist and his zombie army.
Director: Marino Girolami | Stars: Ian McCulloch, Alexandra Delli Colli, Sherry Buchanan, Peter O'Neal
Votes: 5,884
"He's a depraved, homicidal killer... and he makes house calls!"
This one goes with the movies alternate US title, Dr. Butcher Medical Deviate. It's a great tag line that is very misleading. To me it sounds like a slasher movie set in a hospital... but it's a zombie/cannibal adventure movie. Created by the legendary distributor Jerry Gross.
32. Night of the Bloody Apes (1969)
R | 83 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A doctor tries to save his son's life through a complicated heart transplant operation, the involuntary donor being a gorilla. Eventually, the young man turns into a violent hybrid beast.
Director: René Cardona | Stars: José Elías Moreno, Carlos López Moctezuma, Armando Silvestre, Norma Lazareno
Votes: 1,227
"Half Man, Half Beast, ALL HORROR!"
Silly but enjoyable movie with a great tag line.
33. Graduation Day (1981)
R | 96 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A masked killer begins murdering students on the school track team after a track runner dies upon completion of a 30 second 200-meter race.
Director: Herb Freed | Stars: Christopher George, Patch Mackenzie, E. Danny Murphy, E.J. Peaker
Votes: 4,872 | Gross: $23.89M
"Some kids are dying to graduate..."
34. Alone in the Dark (1982)
R | 92 min | Horror, Thriller
A few dangerous and delusional mental patients break out of a mental asylum during a power blackout, and lay siege to their new doctor's house, who, they believe, killed their previous doctor.
Director: Jack Sholder | Stars: Jack Palance, Donald Pleasence, Martin Landau, Dwight Schultz
Votes: 6,987
"When the lights go out the terror begins."
I think this one fits nicely with the title of the movie.
35. Nightbeast (1982)
R | 81 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
A creature from outer space crash lands in a small town and starts killing people.
Directors: Don Dohler, Dave Geatty | Stars: Tom Griffith, Jamie Zemarel, Karin Kardian, George Stover
Votes: 2,252
"If you have guts... he wants them!"
I don't know if this is an official tag line from the movies first release. It is included on the DVD box though and it's great, so I'm including it regardless.
36. The Stuff (1985)
R | 87 min | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
A delicious, mysterious goo that oozes from the earth is marketed as the newest dessert sensation, but the tasty treat rots more than teeth when zombie-like snackers who only want to consume more of the strange substance at any cost begin infesting the world.
Director: Larry Cohen | Stars: Michael Moriarty, Andrea Marcovicci, Garrett Morris, Paul Sorvino
Votes: 18,465
"Are you eating it ...or is it eating you?"
37. The Howling (1981)
R | 91 min | Horror
After a bizarre and near deadly encounter with a serial killer, a television newswoman is sent to a remote mountain resort whose residents may not be what they seem.
Director: Joe Dante | Stars: Dee Wallace, Patrick Macnee, Dennis Dugan, Christopher Stone
Votes: 40,143 | Gross: $17.99M
"Imagine your worst fear a reality."
I haven't seen this one either but I like the over the top tag line.
38. The Beast Within (1982)
R | 98 min | Horror
A young woman gets raped by a mysterious man-creature, and years later her son begins a horrific transformation into a similar beast.
Director: Philippe Mora | Stars: Ronny Cox, Bibi Besch, Paul Clemens, Don Gordon
Votes: 4,539 | Gross: $7.74M
"He was on the verge of becoming a man... EATER!"
Gruesome.
39. The Sentinel (1977)
R | 92 min | Horror
A young woman moves into an apartment in a building which houses a sinister evil.
Director: Michael Winner | Stars: Cristina Raines, Ava Gardner, Chris Sarandon, Martin Balsam
Votes: 11,909
"She is young, she is beautiful, she is next..."
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