How LONGLEGS Became a Marketing Nightmare (In a Good Way!)

It's been too long since a horror movie had a clever marketing campaign that captivated an audience. The last horror campaign that stood out was in 1999 when The Blair Witch Project was released.

The innovative campaign blurred the lines between reality and fiction, planting newspaper stories and handing out leaflets about missing people. Of course, none of this was real, but it was a brilliant way to market the movie.

While many creative horror campaigns have occurred in the years, crafting the same hype without giving too much away has undoubtedly become more challenging. Trailers tend to reveal too much, and social media spoils everything, making it challenging to generate anticipation about anything.

But if you’ve been anywhere around the horror community lately, you’ve likely paid attention to the marketing campaign for Neon’s new horror movie, LONGLEGS, which has taken the concept of horror marketing a step further.

Breadcrumbs - mysterious teasers, cryptic messages, fake blog posts, and creepy phone calls - have paved the promotional path to LONGLEGS, handing Neon its biggest opening ever and the best launch for an independent horror flick in a decade.

Neon's marketing strategy for LONGLEGS is a textbook example of creating a captivating campaign soaked with eeriness. The campaign started with a series of cryptic teasers and posters that spread across social media like wildfire, offering a glimpse into the sinister world of LONGLEGS.

On January 5, 2024, Neon dropped an unexpected 30-second clip featuring a man calling 911, saying, "It's my daughter. I gotta be quiet and that's not my daughter," before cutting to a chilling image and displaying a cryptic code with no other context. At this point, no one knew what movie it was for. A week later, another clip was released, showing someone unearthing something. When brightened, the next image evoked Valak and became truly nightmarish. Again, there was a code but no movie title.

Neon then started releasing posters. One particularly eerie poster read, "The Horn family. Former family of 4. Mother got it worse. Father said she needed it most. No signs of forced entry. November 14, 1992." This messaging set a perfect tone, drawing in horror enthusiasts without revealing too much.

Finally, a trailer revealed that the codes spelled out "LONGLEGS," the name of the movie. People realized the codes in the previous videos contained satanic messages, including "Hail Satan," "hell awaits," and a Bible verse referencing Satan.

Despite the unsettling imagery in the posters and teasers, the actual plot of the movie remained a mystery. Instead of graphic images, the promotional materials used shadows, silhouettes, and eerie pictures, which don't openly reveal everything but leave much to one's imagination.

A standout element of the campaign is the viral marketing website, TheBirthdayMurders.net. The in-universe website details information about the serial killer LONGLEGS, described as a “Satan worshiping psycho” who has terrorized families throughout the Pacific Northwest for nearly three decades.

The site presents itself as a crime page by presenting LONGLEGS as a historical figure. Interactive elements such as crime scenes and coded messages encourage audiences to engage with the content and feel like a detective actively.

That naturally evokes strong emotions—fear, curiosity, and the thrill of solving a mystery. The website taps into these emotions by framing the LONGLEGS narrative within an actual crime context, ultimately building a loyal fan base and anticipation for the movie.

The best thing about this site is its 90s - style website quality. Upon opening it, visitors might half-expect to hear the familiar sound of an AOL dial-up.

People often spend hours poring over the details as they try to decipher the mystery, though they are likely not alone in this pursuit.

What’s even more intriguing is how the website was initially discovered…

Traditional marketing has often been a long tradition in the horror genre and a brilliant move to blur fiction with reality; Neon placed cryptic ads in actual newspapers such as The Seattle Times.

The print ad reads like a cypher, and once decrypted it would reveal that readers should visit TheBirthdayMurders.net.

An even creepier strategy was a billboard that displayed the phone number of the area code 458. Those who called the number were met with a pre-recorded message from the serial killer LONGLEGS, in a creepy tone saying, "There she is! What's your name, Little Angel? Nice to meet you. Ohhh.... I'll be. Waiting."

The message was meticulously designed to instill a sense of genuine unease, to make you feel like LONGLEGS was speaking to you from the shadows, right in your home. That creates a thrilling experience in real - time, heightening the sense of realism.

Ultimately this led to countless viral moments, as those who called the number posted their reactions on social media. The disturbing nature of the call, combined with the excitement of sharing it online, created a wave of anticipation for the film’s release.

The number is 458.666.4355. Dial if you dare…

Neon's approach to promoting LONGLEGS is a breath of fresh air in the movie marketing industry. Instead of relying on more conventional promotions such as BTS and interviews, the studio has created a real-world feel, especially on social media, sparking intrigue and curiosity.

Neon has orchestrated a multifaceted viral marketing strategy for LONGLEGS that is brimming with mystery, enigma, and eeriness. The unsettling horror campaign has sparked discussions and theories and fostered a sense of collaboration among the horror community, effectively turning them into active participants.

We know LONGLEGS is a movie, yet the essence of familiarity its promotions rely upon, primarily through interactive websites, phone calls, and print ads, allows horror fans to enter a space that evokes fear and dread, ultimately building a community around shared experiences.

This approach has significantly amplified word-of-mouth promotion and created a dedicated fan base even before the film's release. The use of traditional marketing has struck a chord with horror enthusiasts, blending old with new to create an immersive experience that's both innovative and nostalgic.

Its brilliant blend of traditional and digital media makes the LONGLEGS campaign stand out in horror marketing. It uses everything from interactive websites and social media to newspaper ads and billboards, crafting an immersive experience beyond the cinema screen.

The result? A new benchmark for horror marketing in the digital age. It’s not just about scaring audiences anymore. It’s about drawing them into the film’s world, making them active participants in the story. This campaign truly puts the audience at the heart of the narrative.