Movie Gimmicks

Movie Gimmicks aren’t all bad… or are they? Many people just want to go see a movie and could care less about hype. There are several people out there that will hate anything with a gimmick involved with it (many of them are regulars on our Twitter). Are all gimmicks really that bad? Most gimmicks are over with before they can be replicated, and others seem to linger like a smelly fart in a hot room. Modern day gimmicks like IMAX and viral marketing are used all the time. Of all the things that can be considered a gimmick there is one constant truth, you usually have to pay more to see the movie. Paying more usually means caring less when it comes to movies because at the end of the day we came to be entertained, not to have a pocket draining and life changing “experience”.

Meet the Movie Gimmicks

1. Movie Gimmicks – 3D – Adding another ‘D’ to a movie has been professed as the future of movies since it’s clumsy creation in 1922. Modern 3D films today are higher quality, cause less headaches, and no longer rely on colored images and glasses for the effect.
2. Movie Gimmicks – Illusion-O – This was made famous by William Castle, a man that has become the movie gimmick king of sorts. These are special glasses used to see ghosts in the movie 13 Ghosts (1960).
3. Movie Gimmicks – Percepto – Another William Castle piece… of crap.   Castle would have devices built into the theater’s seating that would vibrate at random times causing the audience to jump.  In the movie ‘The Tingler’ where this was used, a small bug would enter your spinal cord.  The vibrations were meant to simulate the creatures attacking the audience.
4. Movie Gimmicks – Sensurround – In the 1974 movie ‘Earthquake’ a special sound technique was employed that would make things really loud.  By ‘special technique’ I mean they cranked up the speakers, a LOT.  The sound was so great in fact that it reportedly cracked the ceiling in one theater causing plaster to fall into the audience.
5. Smell-O-Vision –  For those of you that thought Smell-O-Vision was just a reoccurring joke in Bugs Bunny cartoons, think again. Smell-O-Vision was the real deal, but was only used for one movie to date.  In the 1960 film ‘Scent of Mystery’ theater staff would activate 30 different smells when cued by the film’s soundtrack.  Are you ready for more?  Smell-O-Vision wasn’t the only smell gimmick out there.  It had direct competition with AromaRama and Variety Magazine called it ‘The Battle of the Smellies’

Movie Gimmicks may be covered but do you have any ideas for a top 10 or whatever number list?

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