The first trailer for the new movie was released on February 5, 2015. A "Slate Magazine" writer said that the trailer made the movie look too much like the first one. James Hibberd of "Entertainment Weekly" said that the trailer "retains and amplifies several elements from the original". He also gave praise that "the modernizing doesn’t result in, say, the family’s daughter being kidnapped by ghosts in Snapchat". Brad Miska of Bloody Disgusting said that "while every fiber of my being wants to reject it, [the film] actually looks pretty insane", and praised the trailer's last scene. A "Polygon" writer said that the trailer looked similar to the first movie, but that it "looks great, as a horror movie".