Blair Witch

Lionsgate’s 2016 attempt at a surprise Blair Witch revival didn’t exactly reignite the franchise, but there’s always TV! Reports indicate that the newly-branded Studio L is working on a small-screen iteration of The Blair Witch Project, along with a number of other adaptations.

December is officially upon us, and so is year-end list-making season. We’re kicking things off by looking backwards and forwards: By ranking the finest teasers, trailers, and coming attractions of 2016. To qualify, only the trailer had to be released in this calendar year; you’ll see trailers below for movies that haven’t even been released yet and can’t be judged next to the films they represent. That’s as it should be; beyond their function as pieces of advertising, trailers should stand alone, as bite-sized entertainments and even, in a few rare occasions, as works of art. Here are the ten trailers of 2016 (plus a few honorable mentions) that came closest to that lofty ideal.

Released in 1999, The Blair Witch Project quickly became one of the most profitable independent films of all time. It wasn’t technically the first found footage horror film, but it’s still the most famous of the bunch. Everyone knows the Blair Witch name (and the names Heather, Josh and Mike), but did you know that directors Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick’s wildly successful horror flick didn’t even have a script? That’s just one of the facts featured in the last episode of You Think You Know Movies!

Y’know those back to school ads for Staples? The ones that repurpose the Christmas standard “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” to celebrate children going back class? I always hated those ads as a kid. Going back to school was not a time to celebrate. It was a time for grief and mourning.

2016 has been the year of pop culture surprise releases — some, like Lemonade and 10 Cloverfield Lane, have been pretty great, which makes us even more hopeful for Blair Witch. Originally marketed as The Woods, the sneaky sequel to the found footage horror classic is set to hit theaters next month, taking audiences back to where it all began…but judging by these new TV spots, heading back into the woods of Burkittsville seems like a pretty terrible idea (in a good, spooky way, of course).