Everybody loves movie trailers. It used to be you’d get to the theater early so you could be sure not to miss the previews, but nowadays the theatrical showcase of a trailer is most likely the second time (at least) you’ve seen said trailer. In the days of the internets, most studios opt for online trailer debuts ahead of their theatrical premieres—most often to ensure that the first footage from a certain highly anticipated release isn’t some grainy version someone shot on their iPhone.

But regardless of the venue, trailers can still be an artform unto themselves, used to further hype anticipation for an already beloved franchise or introduce a new concept, character, or story to audiences for the first time. Through the art of editing and music choices, trailers can evoke a wide range of emotions, and 2015 saw its fair share of spectacular movie trailers.

With the year now coming to an end, Adam Chitwood and Matt Goldberg combed through the trailers that were released over the past 12 months and singled out the 15 very best ones, ranking them all the way up to the best trailer of the year. Take a look below.

15. Macbeth

Justin Kurzel’s astounding visuals are one of the strongest parts of his adaptation, and so it was wise of The Weinstein Company to play up the look of the film and also try and maybe cash in on the Game of Thrones crowd a bit with the bloody royal intrigue. Shakespeare can be a bit dense to modern audience that can’t push past the Elizabethan dialogue, but this trailer made the Bard’s play come off as both modern and firmly in its original time period. - Matt Goldberg

14. Midnight Special

The trailer for Mud filmmaker Jeff Nicholas’ studio debut Midnight Special is a swell example of a trailer that can illuminate a film’s focus rather than obscure it. In addition to the intrigue inherent in the sci-fi premise, the trailer reveals that what this young boy’s powers are and where they came from are not the crux of the film—what the boy represents to the world at large and his relationship with his father, played by Michael Shannon, is the central thrust. And telegraphing that in this trailer makes the movie that much more appealing, as it’s not simply raising plot or mythological questions, but making the film intriguing from a character standpoint. – Adam Chitwood

13. Aloha

Great trailers don’t always mean great movies, and there are few better examples than the first look at filmmaker Cameron Crowe’s romance/drama/comedy/weird satellite thriller Aloha. Despite a few moments of delight and solid chemistry, the movie itself doesn’t really know what the hell it is. This trailer, however, is spectacular. Crowe has a knack for needle-drops, and the use of Cold War Kids here is downright perfect. It’s an infectious, heartwarming trailer that promises a film full of emotions and signature Cameron Crowe moments. Which makes the fact that the movie itself was such a letdown that much more of a bummer. – Adam Chitwood

12. The Hateful Eight

While the teasers for The Hateful Eight were good, this final trailer edges them out because it just lets Tarantino’s dialogue sing. His words are music to the ears of his fans, and while there’s definitely edginess, vulgarity, and violence threatening to bust down the door, we’re lured in by the fun dialogue and dark comedy. I also love the use of the tagline, “No one to trust; everyone to hate.” - Matt Goldberg

11. Deadpool

I’m not sure if this red-band trailer will win over people who weren’t already familiar with Deadpool, but for everyone who’s been waiting since X-Men Origins: Wolverine for Ryan Reynolds to get a true, R-rated shot at the character, this trailer was a nice bit of payoff. It showed what director Tim Miller had in store by being raunchy, bloody, and, most importantly, funny. The superhero genre is diversifying, and it looks like it will finally branch out into some delightful, self-aware territory if Deadpool is as successful as this trailer. - Matt Goldberg

10. The Revenant

Even if you’re not a fan of director Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s work, it’s though to look at the trailer for The Revenant and not find the film appealing. It beautifully accentuates Emmanuel Lubezki’s naturalistic cinematography while ramping up the tension by previewing the film’s viscious bear attack scene. Chaos, uncertainty, and cold hard looks from the cast reign supreme here, but it’s the imagery that really stands out, offering a tease of some truly unforgettable shots that make up Iñárritu’s violent revenge tale. – Adam Chitwood

9. Creed

I love that it takes over half the trailer to even show Rocky. Rather than take the shortcut and rest on the Rocky franchise, we’re invited to care about this young upstart first, and then we see our beloved Rocky Balboa. From there, what was a tense trailer takes off, and we’re treated to great images like Adonis and Rocky working on the speedbag side-by-side and Adonis jogging through the streets of Philly. - Matt Goldberg

8. Spotlight

How do you sell a movie where the audience already knows the ending? Take a lesson from the trailer for Spotlight, which highlights the intensity of the investigation into the Catholic Church’s sex abuse cover up. The trailer makes the journalists into crusading heroes, but doesn’t try to present tired clichés like bricks through windows or highlighting paranoia. It’s a shoeleather journalism story, and this trailer makes it look riveting. - Matt Goldberg

7. Magic Mike XXL

Now this is how you play to your film’s audience. Steven Soderbergh’s surprisingly reflective Magic Mike was a huge success in theaters, and for the sequel, Channing Tatum wanted to move the franchise into a more fun-loving direction. That was clear from the very first teaser trailer, which utilized a perfectly timed “Pony” cue and some insanely smooth dance moves to hype up the Magic Mike fanbase for its sequel, aptly named Magic Mike XXL. The film’s first theatrical trailer is pretty swell too, but this teaser wins out for being choreographed as tightly as one of the film’s many dance sequences. – Adam Chitwood

6. Queen of Earth

The trailer for Alex Ross Perry’s psychological thriller Queen of Earth could easily be mistaken for a trailer released sometime in the early 1970s. From the tangible photography to the ominous voiceover narration, this thing takes a cue from other classic films in the genre by selling this 2015 film as being of the same ilk. There’s a quick set-up before the narration takes over and explains the plot and themes of the film, while footage of the cast of characters offers even more reason to be intrigued. And it concludes with a rundown of pullquotes read aloud by the narrator. Unique, haunting, and above all exciting, this is thinking outside the box. – Adam Chitwood

5. Captain America: Civil War

Even though this trailer is jam-packed with superheroes, we clearly understand that this isn’t The Avengers 2.5. This is Captain America’s story with his personal stakes at the center, and rather than just using Bucky Barnes as an intro, he becomes a symbol for Cap’s old life, which is arguably his greatest weakness—he hungers for the past and the complexities of the modern world are trying to take that away. Enter Tony Stark, who understands the need for a compromise, and you’re playing a trailer that certainly sells us on the action, but more importantly, conveys the character stakes that have been built into the MCU. - Matt Goldberg

4. The Witch

I had already seen filmmaker Robert Eggers’ terrifying horror film The Witch when the movie’s first trailer hit and it still creeped me out. The moody, atmospheric preview slowly builds tension throughout its runtime before crescendoing into an explosion of terror, echoing the structure of the movie itself. It’s a horror film unlike anything we’ve seen in a long, long time, and the trailer is appropriately unique as well. If this trailer doesn't effectively terrify you, I'm not entirely sure you're human. – Adam Chitwood

3. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

While it may not be our top trailer of 2015, it was in arguably the most inescapable trailer of the year. It debuted in primetime, and no one could stop talking about it afterwards. It was dissected, remixed, remade, adored, and understandably so. It’s a top-notch piece of marketing meant to invoke feelings of love and nostalgia for a franchise that needed to reach your heart more than your brain. Star Wars surpasses logical reasoning skills and your need to know about the plot. It needed to make you reach out and care about the characters and get chills when Han Solo says, “It’s true. All of it.” It needed to make the most jaded Star Wars fan a believer again, and it succeeded. - Matt Goldberg

2. Hail, Caesar!

The Coen Brothers always have great trailers for their films, and Hail, Caesar! is no exception. While we’ll probably get another one before the movie opens on February 5th, this one released back in October is fun, peppy, quickly conveys the plot, and makes the picture look like an absolutely blast and yet unmistakably Coen. No one needs to sell me on a Coen Brothers film, but if they did, this trailer would do the trick. - Matt Goldberg

1. The Nice Guys

Here I thought we’d seen all the best trailers of 2015, then in mid-December along comes the red-band trailer for The Nice Guys, blowing everything out of the water. Writer/director Shane Black describes the 70s noir as a “spiritual sequel” to his excellent Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and indeed that vibe permeates this trailer while also giving audiences something fresh in the form of a dynamite Ryan Gosling/Russell Crowe pairing. The comedic chops of these two actors are decidedly on point here, with Gosling alone delivering at least two belly laugh-inducing moments within the span of this trailer’s three-minute runtime. Delightful, hilarious, subversive, tantalizing—The Nice Guys preview has all the qualities you’d expect from the best trailer of the year. – Adam Chitwood