How Paramount & Neon Synced Sound and Touch for Horror & Sci-Fi Trailers

Over 78% of film trailers are watched for the first time on mobile devices with muted audio or sub-par phone speakers. In a crowded digital feed, capturing a moviegoer's emotional attention within the first three seconds is the difference between a ticket sale and a scroll.

For two tentpole releases in Q1 2026—a supernatural psychological horror and a hard sci-fi thriller—marketing teams partnered with Aura to pioneer synchronized tactile trailer distribution.

The Challenge: Mobile Trailer Fatigue

Standard 2D video ads suffer from steep drop-offs after second 5. Audiences have become desensitized to standard visual jump cuts. The studio needed a sensory anchor that bridged physical theater acoustics with personal mobile viewing.

The Strategy: Haptic Jump Scares & Sci-Fi Thrills

Using Haptic Studio, the post-production audio team designed dynamic tactile tracks over a 48-hour sprint. For the horror trailer, subtle low-frequency pulses mimicked a creeping presence before an explosive maximum-intensity shockwave coincided with the climactic jump scare.

“When audiences held the phone and felt the creature's breathing synchronize in their palm, the physical immersion made people gasp in a way video alone could never replicate.”

The Data: Measurable Box Office Uplift

Key Learnings for Trailer Houses

Tactile design is not about vibrating continuously. The power comes from dynamic contrast—complete silence makes the sudden kinetic hit visceral and unforgettable.