Top 5 intriguing taglines for horror movies in 2020

1. Saint Maud – March 27

Jean-Paul Sartre may have been onto something when he wrote “Hell is other people.” At least, that might be the case when it comes to Rose Glass’s feature debut Saint Maud.

In Saint Maud, a nurse charged with caring for a terminally ill cancer patient becomes obsessed with saving her soul from eternal damnation. Or, at least, that’s what the trailer suggests. In classic A24 fashion, the trailer for this film is heavy on mood, but light on plot points, choosing to intrigue brave horror fans without revealing what frights will await them.

Thanks to this intentional (and appreciated, if I can wax editorial for a moment) lack of storyline, eager film lovers have to turn to the tagline to try and tease out some meaning. And boy is it a threatening one.

Upon first glance, “Your Savior is Coming,” sounds like it should be reassuring. Horror films are filled with protagonists desperate for a savior to swoop in at the last minute and deliver them to safety. But what if you don’t think you need saving? Suddenly the same phrase is more threatening than comforting. And that threat can become outright horror if your alleged savior refuses to believe you.

Throw in the fact that this particular “savior,” Maud, seems to think she’s actually possessed with her Lord’s spirit (“It’s like he’s physically in me”), and you’re looking at a recipe for religious terror on a biblical scale.

What are some of your favorite movie taglines?  Do you think taglines help or hurt films? What are some of the worst taglines you have heard? Let us know in the comments.