A movie gimmick is an unusual idea intended to enhance the viewing experience of a film, and thus increase box office sales.
Sensurround, a method for enhancing sound pioneered for the 1974 film Earthquake, was abandoned as it sometimes resulted in damage to movie theatres.
Examples include 3-D film and the use of split screen, which was originally achieved through the use of dual projectors in cinemas.
[2] For the 1959 film The Tingler, which concerns a creature growing at the base of the spine that can only be killed by screaming, some cinemas installed vibrating devices in the seats which were activated at random during one of the film's scenes, with a voice encouraging the audience to "Scream - scream for your lives.
This article related to film or motion picture terminology is a stub.