What's the world coming to if you can't make a joking threat against an entire city anymore?
This Friday won't be a beautiful day for the film "A Beautiful Day." That's when it was set to make its world premiere at Muskogee's Bare Bones International Independent Film and Music Festival, according to an AP report, until the movie's producers went for a unique marketing tactic that bit them in the butt, and prompted event organizers to yank the flick from the schedule.
When you're an indie filmmaker, you want exposure for your labor of love in the form of positive reviews, word of mouth and an FBI investigation. Wait, cut! You don't want that last part.
But that's what the team behind "A Beautiful Day" got when it posted a teaser trailer for its horror film " yes, despite that flowery, Harlequin-esque title, this one gets shelved in the scare bin " on YouTube. Only it wasn't a conventional trailer with, oh, say, scenes from the movie. Instead, the clip " titled "Warning, Muskogee, OK" " unspooled images of dark forests underneath synthesized narration that warned, "People of Muskogee. Open your eyes. April 25th is a day you'll come to remember." Not vaguely ominous enough? "The end is coming" also figured into the plug.
Rather than gleefully marking the date on their calendars, viewers alerted authorities, the report stated. And who can blame them? We love movie trailers, only when they promise adventure and fun and laughs, and not the potential of endangering the lives of our entire community. (Besides, didn't Larry the Cable Guy already do that a couple months ago with "Witless Protection"?) We also love movie trailers that make it clear that they're movie trailers " a muy importante distinction not made by producer James Bridges, said Muskogee police spokesman Brad Holt.
"They didn't mention anything about a movie," Holt said. "It sounded like a threat."
Bridges told the press he wasn't trying to unnerve anyone.
"We were trying to actually promote our movie," he said.
Mission accomplished! Still don't wanna see it, though.
