61 HOST 2 (1) pp. 61–74 Intellect Limited 2011 Horror Studies Volume 2 Number 1 © 2011 Intellect Ltd Article. English language. doi: 10.1386/host.2.1.61_1 KEYWORDS hype marketing publicity trailer tag line Craven Hooper Friedkin BETH KATTELMAN Ohio State University ‘We Dare You to See This!’: Ballyhoo and the 1970s horror film You Won’t Believe Your Eyes! You’ve Never Seen Anything Like It! We Dare You to See This! ABSTRACT In the 1970s, several young, innovative directors released horror films that benefited from the techniques of exploitation marketing. These films became infamous not only because they delivered a level of violence and brutality that had rarely been seen by audiences before, but also because they were attached to brilliant marketing schemes hearkening back to the ballyhoo techniques used in vaudeville and the sideshows of the early twentieth century. This article examines the marketing campaigns for The Last House on the Left (1972), The Exorcist (1973) and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) exploring how these campaigns helped to drive the controversy surrounding the films, and also how they influenced audience reception. Throughout the ages, pitchmen have known that some good, effective ballyhoo could help them sell almost anything. Phrases such as those listed above have long been a part of sales campaigns promising to deliver an original, unique, bizarre and/or terrifying product to expectant audiences. Those looking for