Why are they called "Trailers"?

If you've ever wondered why movie previews are called "trailers" even though they're shown before a film, you'll be interested to discover that their name was once more accurate. When trailers were first introduced in the early 1910s—the first one being for a Charlie Chaplin movie—they were shown after the movie, hence "trailing" it. However, advertisers quickly realized that audiences were leaving immediately after the feature film ended, so the "trailers" were moved to the preview position. Despite the shift, the name "trailer" stuck, retaining its original, now ironic, name.

Did you know that Alfred Hitchcock was one of the first directors to personally appear in his own movie trailers? Hitchcock pioneered the use of engaging, sometimes humorous, introductions to his films, making the trailers almost mini-movies themselves. His trailers for films like "Psycho" and "The Birds" are particularly famous for their unique style and Hitchcock's charismatic presence.