Every fall, the advertising world takes an eerie turn, and billboards and ads take on a spookier and bolder turn. The world of scary and spooky ads is born. Ones that are highly clever and oftentimes somewhat spooky. These grab attention and can sometimes cause frights that match the ones in horror movies.
From 3D billboards that make your jump out of your skin to horrifying experiential ads, we’ve compiled some of the spookiest campaigns that show just how creative out-of-home (OOH) advertising can get.
There are only a few movie franchises that are truly known for their creative spins and surprising turns of fate, like Final Destination. The plot of many of their shocking movies was transformed into the real world by their marketing team into an unforgettable installation.
A mall in Paris hosted this installation, and it featured a shattered billboard and a mannequin part to reveal a scene of a victim just barely escaping death.
This scene was full of chaos for viewers in the mall, with cracked glass, bent metal, and a scene of destruction. This allowed the film to break the fourth wall and manifest in reality. OOH was used to create a campaign that truly made the audience feel immersed in the scene and in the vibe of the upcoming movie.
Netflix upped its spooky game with an interactive digital billboard in Milan for the film A Classic Horror Story. Using motion technology, the billboard tracked pedestrians with a sensor, and as they walked by, the film’s villain turned his head to follow them with his eyes.
To add to the fear factor, the billboard came to life with an actor hidden inside the installation. As passersby walked by, the actor jumped out to create a truly shocking experience!
This was not just a regular spooky out-of-home ad; it was a performance that bridged horror and the real world.
While many horror OOH ads and general marketing are subtle and mysterious, Longlegs took it to a whole new level. Rather than displaying bright and scary visuals or live actors jumping out at passersby like the previously mentioned campaign, the visuals included obscure messages and a phone number.
Whoever was curious enough to explore what this meant was met with an unsettling voice after dialing the number. The voice whispered lines from the film without any explanation about what they meant or what was going on.
Less is more, and this campaign proved that horror is often found in suspense and the quiet moments; that’s when the biggest scares occur.
Why Horror Works in OOH
OOH gives horror marketing the space to be in the real world and take what is typically confined to the big screen into the streets and into the hearts of viewers. Whether it’s an experiential format, a huge digital display in Times Square, or a sequence of ominously placed bus bench ads in town, these campaigns pull audiences in and leave them hooked.
Photo via @LLLLITL on X
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