By 
Movie posters are supposed to sell you a promise: tone, genre, maybe even the kind of night you’re about to have at the theatre. Sometimes that promise is a little generous. Other times, it’s a flat-out lie. From posters that suggest a completely different movie to marketing that hides the real stars, themes, or even the genre itself, some films went out of their way to mislead audiences before the lights even went down. This list looks back at movie posters that totally lied, whether by accident or design—and how those glossy one-sheets set expectations the movies never even tried to meet.
Drive (2011)
The poster sold a slick action thriller, but the movie was a quiet, brutal, and meditative crime film.
The Cable Guy (1996)
Marketed as a broad Jim Carrey comedy, it turned out to be dark, uncomfortable, and unsettling.
Bridge to Terabithia (2007)
The poster promised a whimsical fantasy adventure and blindsided audiences with emotional devastation.
Kangaroo Jack (2003)
The poster made it look like a talking-kangaroo comedy, despite that being a brief dream sequence.
Snow Dogs (2002)
Another “talking animals” bait-and-switch that barely delivered on what the poster suggested.
Mother! (2017)
Posters implied prestige psychological drama; audiences got surreal, biblical chaos.
Adventureland (2009)
Marketed as a raunchy comedy, it was really a melancholy coming-of-age story.
It Comes at Night (2017)
Sold as a monster horror film, it was actually a slow, paranoid psychological thriller.
Click (2006)
Advertised as a goofy Adam Sandler comedy, but turned unexpectedly dark and emotional.
Colossal (2016)
The poster implied quirky sci-fi comedy, masking a story about abuse and alcoholism.
The Village (2004)
The marketing leaned into monster horror, while the film focused on isolation and deception.
The post Movie Posters That Totally Lied to the Audience appeared first on Den of Geek.
