It is loud. It is messy. Honestly, the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes trailer is a masterpiece of 1970s anti-marketing that probably shouldn't have worked, yet somehow it birthed a franchise that refuses to stay buried. You watch it now and you’re immediately hit with this grainy, high-contrast chaos that screams low-budget ambition. It doesn't try to hide the fact that the "monsters" are literally just groceries being rolled across a floor.
The 1978 teaser starts with that iconic, booming voiceover—the kind of dramatic narration usually reserved for high-stakes political thrillers or actual horror films like Jaws. But instead of a shark, you’re looking at a salad ingredient. It’s ridiculous. It’s meant to be.
Most people don't realize how much the trailer relied on pure, unadulterated camp to sell a movie that had a budget of less than $100,000. John DeBello, the director, basically bet the farm on the idea that if you play a joke straight enough, people will show up just to see if you’re actually serious. Spoiler alert: they were, and they weren't.
The Calculated Chaos of the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes Trailer
When you pull apart the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes trailer, the first thing that jumps out is the pacing. It’s erratic. One second you’re looking at a helicopter crash—which, fun fact, was a genuine $60,000 accident that they just kept in the movie because they couldn't afford to redo it—and the next, you’re seeing a tiny tomato "attacking" someone in a bathtub.
The trailer leverages that "so bad it's good" energy before that was even a recognized genre. It leans heavily into the parody of 1950s creature features. Remember The Giant Claw? Or The Killer Shrews? Those movies were trying to be scary. DeBello and his team knew they couldn't compete with the likes of Star Wars or Close Encounters of the Third Kind, which were dominating the box office at the time. So, they went the other way. They went cheap. They went loud.
The music in the trailer is a huge part of why it stuck in people's brains. That theme song, written by John DeBello and Costa Dillon, is an earworm of the highest order. It mimics the dread-inducing scores of the era but replaces the intensity with sheer absurdity.
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What the Trailer Gets Right About Satire
Satire is hard to market. Usually, trailers try to explain the joke. This one doesn't. It treats the "Great Tomato War" with the same gravitas as a documentary about World War II. You see shots of the "Special Task Force"—a group of misfits including a master of disguise who dresses like a giant tomato (and fails miserably)—and the trailer presents them as humanity's last hope.
It’s a specific kind of 70s humor. It's dry. It's irreverent. It also happens to feature a lot of screaming.
That Infamous Helicopter Crash
If you’ve watched the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes trailer, you’ve seen the helicopter. It’s a real Hiller UH-12. During filming at Miramar, the pilot lost control, the tail rotor hit the ground, and the whole thing burst into flames. It was terrifying.
Amazingly, nobody died.
The crew didn't stop filming. They couldn't afford to. In the final cut of the trailer, that footage is used to signify the "scale" of the tomato invasion. It adds a weird layer of authentic grit to a movie about sentient fruit. It’s one of those rare moments where a low-budget production gets a "million-dollar shot" through pure, dangerous luck.
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Why We Are Still Talking About a 48-Year-Old Teaser
The longevity of the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes trailer isn't just about nostalgia. It’s about the shift in how we consume "bad" media. In the late 70s, you’d see this trailer on a grainy TV screen and wonder if you were hallucinating. Today, it’s a blueprint for viral marketing.
It also served as a launchpad for things nobody expected. George Clooney? Yeah, he was in the sequel, Return of the Killer Tomatoes. That movie actually had a bigger budget and more polished marketing, but it never quite captured the raw, DIY energy of the original 1978 trailer.
The Legacy of the "Killer" Branding
- The Cartoon: In the 90s, this R-rated parody was somehow turned into a kid-friendly animated series.
- The Merchandise: From lunchboxes to video games on the NES and Game Boy, the brand expanded because the original hook was so simple.
- The Remake Rumors: Every few years, someone in Hollywood talks about a reboot. Usually, they want to use CGI. That’s the mistake. The whole point of the original was the physical absurdity of a real tomato sitting on a sidewalk.
How to Watch It Today Without Cringing
If you're going back to watch the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes trailer on YouTube or a boutique Blu-ray release like the one from MVD Rewind, you have to adjust your brain. Don't look for the plot. There isn't one that matters. Look for the technical "fails" that are actually wins.
Look at the lighting. It’s inconsistent. Look at the extras. Half of them look like they’re trying not to laugh. That’s the charm. It’s a group of friends in San Diego making a movie because they thought it would be funny to see a tomato chase a car.
There’s a lesson here for modern creators. You don't need a massive budget to create something that lasts half a century. You just need a premise that is so undeniably stupid that people can't help but talk about it.
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Actionable Steps for Cult Cinema Fans
If this trip down memory lane has you craving more 70s schlock, don't just stop at the trailer. Here is how to actually dive into this subculture properly:
1. Track down the "Director's Cut" extras.
The behind-the-scenes footage of the helicopter crash is much more intense than what you see in the trailer. Watching the raw footage gives you a real appreciation for how close the crew came to disaster.
2. Compare it to the sequels.
Watch the Return of the Killer Tomatoes trailer immediately after the original. Notice how the tone shifts from "parody of horror" to "meta-commentary on product placement." It’s a fascinating evolution of 80s filmmaking.
3. Support physical media.
Streaming services are notorious for losing these "niche" titles. If you find a copy of the 2-disc deluxe edition, grab it. The commentary tracks by John DeBello and the crew are essentially a masterclass in how to make a movie with zero resources.
4. Host a "Bad Movie" night.
The Attack of the Killer Tomatoes trailer is the perfect "opener" for a marathon. Pair it with The Toxic Avenger or Killer Klowns from Outer Space. These films represent a specific era of practical effects and "we’ll fix it in post" attitudes that CGI just can't replicate.
The reality is that Attack of the Killer Tomatoes succeeded because it was honest about what it was: a joke. It didn't try to be The Godfather. It tried to be a movie where a tomato eats a dog. Sometimes, that's exactly what the world needs.
Keep your eyes on the produce aisle. You never know when a salad might turn on you.