geezer teaser

English

Etymology

First known reference to the term was in a March 2021 Vulture article, in which film distribution executive Adam Champ attributed it to a client.

Noun

geezer teaser (plural geezer teasers)

1. (film, neologism, derogatory) A film, most often an action film released direct to video and primarily distributed via video on demand (VOD), for which older, well-known male actors ("geezers") are billed in lead or co-lead roles and prominently featured (teased) in promotional material, but only appear sporadically during the film itself. [from 2021]
   • 2021 March 31, Joshua Hunt, quoting Adam Champ, “The King of the Geezer Teasers”, in Vulture‎^[1]:

     One of my clients calls it a ‘geezer teaser’: You have Bruce Willis at the intro of the movie, so people are like, Great, this is a Bruce Willis movie. But he’s actually a secondary character who shows up sporadically.

   • 2022 January 6, “What Is a Geezer Teaser? And Why Do They Make Money?”, in No Film School‎^[2]:

     These low-budget affairs are called Geezer Teasers. They're genre movies that star older actors and cater to the direct-to-video (or streaming) market.

   • 2022 November 20, Kelly Lawler, “Free your mind: The best free streaming services, ranked”, in Detroit Free Press, page E.1:

     5. Crackle
     Good for: Fans of classic TV, British television, geezer teaser action movies
     Crackle is a collection of on-demand TV and films, with a few originals included in a library that leans heavily on BBC content such as “Midsomer Murders” and such classic shows as “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” “What's Happening,” “The Little Rascals” and “Barney Miller.”

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see geezer,‎ teaser.