2022 saw cinema come back in full force, blasting out of a global pandemic with a hunger to tell dynamic stories, and the best trailers for 2023's movies reveal a continuation of that trend to an even greater degree. From continuous installments in big MCU franchises with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to intimate and compelling thrillers like Inside, there's something from each genre made for every taste. With fewer restrictions on production over the past year and so much variety to choose from, 2023 is shaping up to be a spectacular time for movies.
2023 has already started strong with Avatar: The Way of Water, and boasts a lot of tentpole blockbusters like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse later in the year. While first looks have already been given to movies like Mission: Impossible - Day of Reckoning, Part One, audiences might have to wait until Super Bowl 2023 to see trailers for others like Dune: Part Two. The best trailers of 2023 reveal just enough to entice while also not sacrificing spectacle, a key formula to generating hype for both exciting franchise firsts like the intriguing 65 and lasts like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
Cocaine Bear
Exploding off the screen with one of the most ostensibly creative trailers of the year, Cocaine Bear is a delightful bate and switch. While it might seem at first to be a grotesque gore fest, it's actually a ridiculous comedy. Director and star Elizabeth Banks takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to a 500-pound black bear's cocaine-fueled rampage through the forest, throwing in a ragtag group of eccentric misfits for it to take on as it goes.
With the so-bad-its-good corniness of classic '90s horror movies like Lake Placid, Cocaine Bear remembers lessons from Snakes on a Plane from the '00s and doesn't go overboard. Its special effects are much improved from those genre staples, and it has some genuinely frightening moments to sell its wild premise. Cocaine Bear is crashing into theaters on February 23rd, 2023.
We Have A Ghost
Hot on the heels of his winter wonder Violent Night, David Harbour is back doing dark comedy in We Have A Ghost. The trailer shows Anthony Mackie's family moving into a new home where they aren't the only resident; it turns out they "have a ghost," and his name is Ernest, but once he goes viral, chaos ensues. Soon the world (and the CIA) all want Ernest, and the key to his future might be found in his mysterious past.
Harbour's strength has often been his physicality, and he gets to pull out all the slapstick stops here, while playing off of two hilarious characters played by Jennifer Coolidge (fresh from The White Lotus) and Tig Notaro (a psychic and CIA ghost hunter, respectively). The trailer makes it seem like a little Beetlejuice mixed with Casper and the right balance between quirky and spooky. Audiences can set their spirits when We Have A Ghost debuts on Netflix on February 24, 2023.
Scream 6
Continuing the success of 2022's Scream, Scream 6 is a direct sequel to the movie's events while operating as the sixth installment of the franchise overall. It leaves Woodsboro and the last Ghostface killings behind, focusing on a new chapter for the survivors in New York City. Spooky It-Girl Jenna Ortega of Wednesday fame stars alongside Courtney Cox and other actors from previous Scream films, all at the mercy of a new Ghostface wielding a shotgun.
The trailer is intriguing from the start, and with oversight from franchise creator and writer Kevin Williamson in the role of executive producer, it seems darker and grittier than the previous films. Ghostface definitely seems more violent and aggressive, indicating that the detour the franchise took from its more comedic roots has become the main thoroughfare. Scream 6 is set to terrify on March 10th, 2023.
Inside
There's a pervasive feeling of dread from the very first moments of Inside's trailer, and it only gets worse as hints of the story unfold. Willem Dafoe is a thief of rare and high-end art, but one heist leaves him trapped in a luxury New York City penthouse that rarely has visitors. While his surroundings offer the latest in high-tech automation, he quickly realizes that he'll need to be inventive if he's going to escape, which leads to Dafoe having some very Green Goblin-esue scenes.
Inside is essentially a one-person play, but what better actor than the always-arresting Dafoe to go on this harrowing journey with? The automated home becomes the perfect prison, particularly as temperature controls malfunction and food become scarce. Inside has the walls closing in on March 17th, 2023.