There are times when a movie trailer is great. The scenes chosen work, the suspense builds and the title screen works wonders. Those trailers, like the one for “Wicked” (2024) can create a great deal of buzz surrounding a movie. More often than not, they have the perfect music to match. However, there can be a lingering disconnect between the two. To show this phenomenon, VALLEY has found some of the peculiar music-movie matches from the past.
“The Social Network” (2010)
About 15 years ago, David Fincher directed “The Social Network,” a film about the creation of Facebook. It starred actors like Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Dakota Johnson. During the trailer, a chorus version of “Creep” by Radiohead plays in the background.
The song works for the first minute because there is a montage of posts on Facebook. “Creep” discusses wanting to feel perfect, and social media is the place that proliferates that feeling. However, it doesn’t work over the actual movie scenes. The film itself is less about being an outsider and more about Jesse Eisenberg playing Mark Zuckerberg (who thinks he is better than everyone).
Since the protagonist is more Jordan Belfort, and less underdog, this song doesn’t make sense for the trailer. Sure, it might’ve enticed audiences back then to watch it, but it wouldn’t be so successful now. “Creep” just doesn’t match the overall mood of the plot.
“Candyman” (2021)
This film came out almost 30 years after the first of its franchise. Starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris and Colman Domingo, the plot recreates the horror of “Candyman” (1992). As horror trailers go, one would expect a creepy, classical song or another from a minimalist genre.
Not “Candyman” though, the trailer plays a slowed version of “Say My Name” by Destiny’s Child. Yes, the pop group that birthed Beyoncé. What does the all powerful musical trio have to do with horror? This writer is asking herself that very question.
The trailer gets points though for the sound effects played over the scenes. Those elements create suspense and an uncomfortable feeling for the audience. With that being said, “Say My Name” is a love song made by the 2000s pop baddies. It’s not made for a story about the boogie man.
“The Housemaid” (2025)
The last, and most recent example of this phenomenon shows up in “The Housemaid” trailer. This psychological film is based on a novel written by Freida McFadden. It stars Sydney Sweeny and Amanda Seyfried. As a thriller, its trailer must have an eerie song playing, right?
Nope, the creepy scenes are filled with Sabrina Carpenter’s “Please, Please, Please.” This is a strange choice to say the least. The song, when it came out last year, made some of us pop fans hope Barry Keoghan wasn’t like other men. The music video incorporated a bunch of references to movies and music, causing the reference cycle to spin again.
What about this song screams psychological thriller? This writer guesses that since it was popular, and the novel was popular, they just slowed it down to bring in audiences. Still, VALLEY isn’t scared of a fun pop song, in fact, we love them. So, maybe this trailer just loses some points for not matching the mood.
What are your thoughts on movie trailer music? Let us know on Instagram @VALLEYMag!
