It is rare that a two-minute clip can fundamentally change how you feel about a city, but the under the skin movie trailer did exactly that for Glasgow. Most trailers try to sell you a plot. They give you the "In a world..." setup, introduce a conflict, and tease a resolution. Jonathan Glazer’s 2013 masterpiece took a completely different path. It didn’t want to explain anything; it wanted to infect you.
I remember the first time I saw it. Scarlett Johansson is driving a white van through the rain-slicked streets of Scotland. There is this screeching, dissonant violin score by Mica Levi that sounds like a panic attack put to music. It feels less like a marketing tool and more like a fever dream. Honestly, it’s one of the few trailers that actually captures the soul of the film without giving away a single damn thing about the ending.
Why the under the skin movie trailer broke the marketing mold
Traditional Hollywood marketing is obsessed with "the hook." Usually, that means showing the biggest stars doing the biggest things. While Scarlett Johansson is front and center here, she isn't "Black Widow" Scarlett. She is wearing a cheap faux-fur coat and a dark wig. She looks... wrong. Not ugly, just out of place.
The trailer utilizes "hidden camera" footage, which was a huge part of Glazer's experimental process. Most of the men Johansson interacts with in those clips didn't know they were being filmed for a sci-fi movie at the time. They were just random guys on the street being approached by a beautiful woman in a van. That raw, documentary-style grit creates a massive contrast with the surreal, "black room" sequences where men sink into a liquid floor. It’s that jarring jump between the mundane and the impossible that makes the under the skin movie trailer so effective even a decade later.
The sound of total discomfort
If you strip away the visuals, the trailer still works because of the audio. Mica Levi’s score is widely considered one of the best of the 21st century. It doesn't use traditional melodies. Instead, it relies on "The Void" theme—a three-note descending sequence that feels like a predator approaching.
When you watch the trailer, pay attention to how the sound design prioritizes ambient noise. The sound of windshield wipers. The muffled roar of a nightclub. The crunch of gravel. These sounds are hyper-real, making the sudden bursts of alien screeching feel even more invasive. It’s a sensory assault. Most people who watched it back in 2013 or 2014 didn't even know it was an alien movie; they just knew something was deeply, fundamentally "off."
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The bait and switch of 2013
There was a lot of chatter when this first dropped. People saw Scarlett Johansson and expected a sexy sci-fi thriller. The trailer leans into that—briefly—showing glimpses of her undressing. But then it pivots. It shows her falling on a sidewalk. It shows a baby crying on a beach while the tide comes in. It shows a man's skin collapsing like an empty balloon.
It was a bold move by A24 and StudioCanal. By refusing to explain that she plays an extraterrestrial harvesting humans for meat (a detail much more explicit in Michel Faber's original novel), the trailer forced the audience to experience the world through her eyes. To her, Glasgow isn't a city; it's a hunting ground. The trailer reflects that cold, observational distance.
What the critics saw that we missed
Film historians often point to Glazer’s background in music videos—he did "Virtual Insanity" for Jamiroquai and "Karma Police" for Radiohead—as the reason the trailer feels so rhythmic. Every cut in the under the skin movie trailer happens on a specific beat of Levi’s percussion.
- The flash of the "black room."
- The shot of the eye.
- The motorcycle rider in the rain.
It’s edited with the precision of a high-end commercial, but the "product" it’s selling is existential dread. National outlets like The Guardian and The Hollywood Reporter noted at the time that the film was a "polarizing" experience at festivals like Venice and Telluride. The trailer leaned into that polarization. It didn't try to appeal to everyone. It only wanted the people who were okay with being deeply uncomfortable.
Dealing with the "Nothing Happens" complaint
I’ve heard so many people say they watched the trailer, got hyped, and then hated the movie because "nothing happens." That’s a valid take if you’re looking for Independence Day. But the trailer actually warns you. It shows you long, lingering shots of trees. It shows the protagonist staring at herself in a mirror.
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The pacing of the trailer is a microcosm of the film's pacing. It starts slow, builds a sense of unease, and then ends on a high-pitched note of uncertainty. If you go back and watch the under the skin movie trailer now, you’ll see it’s actually incredibly honest. It tells you exactly what kind of movie it is: a slow-burn, visual poem about what it means to be human, viewed through the eyes of something that isn't.
Hidden details you probably missed
There’s a quick shot of a man with a facial disfigurement. This was Adam Pearson, who has neurofibromatosis. His inclusion wasn't just a "freak show" moment; it’s the emotional core of the story. The trailer hides his face just enough to pique curiosity, but in the film, his scene is the turning point where the "alien" starts to feel empathy.
Also, the "Black Room" sequences? Those weren't CGI. Glazer and his team actually built a massive tank of black liquid (water mixed with ink) and filmed the actors sinking into it. The trailer gives you a glimpse of this practical effect, and because it’s real, your brain registers it as "physically possible," which makes it ten times scarier than a digital explosion.
How to watch it today for the best effect
If you're revisiting the under the skin movie trailer or seeing it for the first time, don't watch it on your phone with the sound off while you're on a bus.
- Put on decent headphones. The binaural elements of the score are lost on phone speakers.
- Watch the "Official Teaser" rather than the full theatrical trailer if you want the purest experience. The teaser is shorter and relies almost entirely on the music.
- Look for the high-definition 1080p versions on YouTube or Vimeo. The film was shot using "OneCam" digital cameras hidden in the van, and the grainy texture is part of the aesthetic.
The movie eventually found its cult status, but the trailer remains a masterclass in "vibe-based" marketing. It proved that you don't need a narrator to tell you what to think. You just need a haunting melody and a shot of a woman looking at her own reflection as if she’s never seen a face before.
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Actionable steps for film buffs
For those who want to dive deeper into how this specific brand of "lo-fi sci-fi" works, start by comparing this trailer to Glazer’s more recent work, like The Zone of Interest. You’ll notice the same clinical, detached camera work.
Next, find the "making of" clips specifically about the van scenes. Understanding that the men Scarlett was talking to were real people who had no idea they were in a movie changes the way you view the trailer's tension. It’s not acting; it’s a social experiment captured on film.
Finally, listen to the full soundtrack by Mica Levi on a streaming service. It’s a standalone piece of art that explains the "alien" mindset better than any dialogue ever could. Once you’ve done that, go back and watch the trailer one more time. You’ll see it’s not just a commercial—it’s the first chapter of the story itself.
Everything about this film and its marketing was designed to strip away your comfort. From the weird, shaky-cam footage to the terrifyingly beautiful shots of the Scottish Highlands, it’s a reminder that sometimes the most alien thing in the world is just another person standing right next to us.