An analysis of the film poster for the horror film 'Drag Me To Hell'. Please follow the link to my blog for more horror media and conventions.

1. I have decided to analyse this poster because it involves an element of the supernatural which establishes to the target audience the kind of villain that is in the film. The poster conveys the horror and pain that can be expected in the film in a simple yet effective way.

2. It is clear from the poster that the character shown is the victim. The film has followed the stereotypical horror convention of having a female victim as they are seen as weaker than men and therefore defenceless against the villain. Her facial expression coveys pain, like the hands are torturing her and also a sense that she is possessed. These elements attract the target audience of a horror film because some of the most iconic horror films, such as ‘The Exorcist’, include elements of the paranormal. The mise-en-scene, such as the costume, hair and make up, of the character suggests that she is an average person. This makes the film even more scary because members of the target audience can imagine themselves in this position.

3. The hands are the element that tells the target audience that the villain in this film is something supernatural because they appear mummified and inhuman. They are grabbing at the female victim and pulling her down into the fire, an element that connotates hell and the devil. This element combined with the hands reinforces the title as it appears they are dragging her down to hell. The orange and red tones of the fire are a contrast to the other dark colours and therefore the fire becomes one of the main focuses of the poster. This is done purposely so that the symbols and connotations associated with fire also become a main focus of the poster as well.

4. The setting in the background is an average suburban home which once again heightens the target audience’s fear as it is another reminder of how average the victim is. This means that the audience can relate to this character and thus they become more involved in her situation and feel more empathy for her. The house is surrounded by darkness which suggests that it is the victims house as darkness signifies evil and the unknown that is lurking which you cannot see the. The presence of the setting in the poster as well as the minimal lighting in the house combined with the dark and gloomy weather surrounding it, hints that something bad may happen there.

5. The tagline reads ‘Christine Brown has a good job, a great boyfriend, and a bright future. But in three days, she’s going to hell.’ This is a hook for the target audience because it already supplies them with lots of questions such as ‘Why is she going to hell?’. This also informs the audience of the character’s name and in turn, the audience is becomes more involved as they are beginning to find out more about her just by the poster. The title font is very simple as not to steal attention from the main image but it still stands out because it is all in capitals and the white stands out against the fire in the background.

6. The credit block is at the bottom and is the last element of the poster that the target audience looks at because it is in the smallest font and blends into the background. The credit block acknowledges the cast and crew involved in the production so the target audience can see whether a reputable actor or director etc are involved with the film. This is a teaser poster as it says ‘coming soon’ rather than stating an official release date. This indicates that the audience will have to be proactive to find out more information about the film and look out for more information or media, such as official posters and trailers, of the film. The names of the production and distribution companies are shown so that they can stake their claim in the films revenue as well as advertise their company on the official media products. The official website for the film is stated under the credit block. This is so that the film can generate more interest through other media technologies.