Fright Flicks - Trading Card #76

Poltergeist (1982)

Those hands belong to Steven Spielberg, who had a grand old time working with DIRECTOR Tobe Hooper.
 

Jaws (1975) - Newspaper Ad [San Francisco Examiner]

June 11, 1975

This teaser ad hyping the upcoming release of Jaws is one of what, at time of typing these very words, is close to ten or so dozen examples of why I started looking at every page of an archived paper. Because this teaser was not nestled with all the other movie ads in the Entertainment Section. No, this ad was 'hidden' in either the Business or Sports section. Or between to two. Just so eyes that might not bother checking the Entertainment Section might see and take note of it.

I have no idea when the very first teaser ad for Jaws appeared in either the San Francisco Examiner or the Oakland Tribune. But, since I am going through every available edition archived ad Newspapers.com, I should be able to find and archive it here. It is my favorite movie of all time, after all.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - Newspaper Ad [Oakland Tribune]

June 10, 1981

Although I am incapable of NOT remembering the pop culture and box office juggernaut that was Raiders of the Lost Ark, since it was a massive hit. I have no memory of seeing the film on the Big Screen. Because... I did not see it until it was on home video.

Why? No idea. It baffles me that I was uninterested in seeing the film. While I was all kinds of excited and eager to partake the likes of Friday the 13th Part 2, An American Werewolf in London, Wolfen, and Escape from New York. Yet I still gave one of the most iconic fantasy-adventure films of all time a pass. Weird.

Come to think of it, I was more excited and determined to see Brian De Palma's Blow Out on the big screen than this film. Again... weird.
 

Poltergeist (1982) - Newspaper Ad [San Francisco Examiner - May 21, 1982]

How can it be that I gave Poltergeist a pass during its big screen release? There was even a controversy about the PG rated film being far too graphic and scary for its rating. This was my kind of movie, to be sure. So, why give it a pass?

Because Poltergeist fell victim to my habit of reading the novelization before seeing the film. I did not much care for the novelization, so I figured the movie would be underwhelming. I was wrong, of course. Poltergeist became a cultural touchstone for a countless number of Gen X kids. But for me, it was not to be. So it goes.

Jaws (1975) - Newspaper Ad [San Francisco Examiner - April 25, 1975]

Here's an ad alerting San Francisco filmgoers of their chance to see a Major Studio Preview of the soon to be released 'Super Thriller' Jaws at 8:30 on Saturday night. While The Great Waldo Pepper, which was in general release at the time, was shown before and after Jaws, I don't known if the screening was considered part of a double-bill. 

Chances are good that it was, as the idea that a schlocky thriller like Jaws would go on to draw huge crowds, and become a pop culture phenomenon, seemed ludicrous. They also did not clear out theaters after each showing like they do now. If you bought a ticket, and there was room, you could stay for as many showings as you liked.

Well, that is how I remember it being back then, at least.