Six different slasher posters

1. POSTER OVERVIEW

4. General Similarities; Use Of Colour.
All six of these posters successfully promote the slasher genre. They all share familiar conventions and
similarities to highlight to the target audience which genre of horror is being portrayed.
Use Of Colour: Firstly, each of the posters have a similar colour scheme, they all feature dark and gloomy
colours; mirroring the genre and how slasher is a dark and fearful type of horror, it could furthermore link to
how slasher horrors tend to be featured at nighttime, in an outside/ forest setting, Most dominantly, the
colour red is featured throughout each poster, this symbolises the gruesome deaths and blood which will be
shed in each of the films; typical of a slasher. The colour red connotes danger, death and blood which will
create fear and excitement for the crazed slasher target audience. In particular, the ‘You’re Next’ poster has
the colour red splattered across the film's title, as if it is splurging out to its audience, as if the killers are
coming to kill the audience as well as its victims in the film. In the other posters such as ‘I Know What You
Did Last Summer’ the colour lingers around the image of the killer (similar to the poster of ‘Hostel’) this
symbolises how the killer is dangerous and craves the blood of its victims, the lingering and mistiness of the
colour red could mirror how the killer will lurk and crave for more and more blood and gruesome killings.

5. Another commonly used colour is orange, highlighted prominently in the ‘Halloween’ poster. This
symbolises fire/flames. A fire breaks out slowly then very rapidly and if not controlled quick enough it
becomes deadly and uncontrollable, this could mirror the chase for more victims which fall to Michael
Myers. Furthermore, conventionally in slashers it takes a little while until the first victim is killed, however
once the first character is killed, the crave for more and more deaths continues, similar to an overpowering
fire.
The use of the colours black, grey and dark blue symbolizes the darkness and fearfulness of the
antagonist. It could also mimic the gloominess of the setting, perhaps the concealed identity of the killer or
the unfortunate tragic death of the characters. The use of dark colours also has more of an effect on the
audience; it makes the slasher appear more fearful and threatening.
General Similarities; Use Of Colour.

6. Image; Antagonist
All six of the images fill the frame, making the image stand out and attract the audience's attention. In
each of the posters the antagonist is featured.
They appear in their signature costume, appearing big, bold, masculine and striking, this is to create fear
for the audience and introduce them to the crazed killer which will be featured in the slasher. It is also
common for the antagonist to wear a mask, this is apparent in these six posters, this again adds to the
fear as it strips away the identity of the killer; making them appear more threatening and powerful. Their
eyes are also unable to be seen to hide away their emotions and making them appear inhumane. The use
of a mask also creates individualism to the slasher film, making it stand out from the others and allowing
the mask to be recognisable to the name of the film. Unlike the other five posters, in Hostel we are unable
to see the antagonists face, yet his fearful dominance comes from his chainsaw and his body language,
making it equally is fearful as the masks used in the other posters.

7. Image; Antagonist.
Costume: Each of the antagonists costumes are dark, they cover up all of his skin again showing how he
is stripped from ‘the norm’, making him stand out and appear more inhuman. They each wear a big, puffy
black jacket- this adds to the bulkier and muscular physique of the killers, making them appear more
dominating and larger in their power.
Another common costume feature is black gloves. It adds to the fearful look of the killers as it makes their
hands look larger and more threatening. Gloves also connotate untraceable dna; showing how this killer
will never be able to be traced for the terrible killings he carries out. It could also indicate how it protects
the killer from his hands being affected by the cold weather, as most slashers are set outside; allowing him
to kill to his full potential. The PVC gloves used in the Hostel poster give a more sinister and spine chilling
effect, making his killings appear more brutal and gory.

8. Image; Antagonist
The body language used by the antagonists are bold and strong. ‘Friday The 13th’ and ‘Halloween’ have
a very similar stance, they stand still with their legs parted and hands either side; yet it appears
threatening and dominating; as if they are ready to pounce towards the audience. As there arms hang
beside them with a small gap between their arms and body, it could highlight their muscular physique.
Similarly, the body language of the antagonist in ‘My Bloody Valentine’ is an action shot of him attacking
someone with a pick axe. It mirrors the 3D effect as it makes it look like he is attacking the audience
looking at the poster as the weapon bursts through.
The ‘Youre Next’ poster uses simple body language yet in a sinister and freaky approach as the animal
masks appear frightful enough to scare the audience off. This is similar to the stance of the antagonist in
the ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ poster. The simplistic body language emphasises how he is just
another human and how he is able to cause so many killings all by himself.

9. Image; Setting.
Setting: There are two main settings which feature across the six postes. One being the setting of a
forest, the connotations of a forest are mystery, fear of the unknown and isolation; perfect for a crazed
killer to lurk and pounce on its victims. Forests are perfect for hiding, therefore the antagonist living in the
particular forest would have an understanding of the ultimate hiding places to await its killings. They are so
wide spaced there's noone to hear the victims scream and no one around to save them.
In the posters, the forest appears like a silhouette due to the back lighting used in the Friday The 13th
poster, this makes even the trees appear frightening and intimidating. The low angle shot also makes the
trees appear dominating and powerful as the stare down and the victims and swallow up their screams.
Although the size of the trees are fearful, they are thin trees, making the antagonist appear even larger
than nature; adding to his power and control over his surroundings; even the size of the trees can’t handle
his presence.
In Halloween there are plenty trees to be seen which lurk around the isolated house; highlighting how the
house is in the middle of nowhere also similar to the point above; there's lots of places for Michael Myers
to lurk and await his victims.

10. Image; Setting.
Another commonly used setting is an indoor gloomy room such as, You’re Next and Hostel. The room in
Your Next links to the room from the film inside the mansion surrounded by forest again linking to the
setting of isolation. Back lighting is again used in this poster to emphasise the darkness of the setting and
how the killers lurk in the dark rooms of the house. The use of the door arch way could symbolise the line
between life and death. The setting in Hostel is an underground setting, the walls appear scratched and
battered; mirroring the type of torture the victims will be put through. The marks on the floor could be
puddles and streaks of blood, adding to the fear. The oldness of the walls could also highlight the length of
time the antagonist has been torturing people in his chamber. The red tint from the light symbolises blood
and gore; the fate of the victims. The fact there are no windows or doors around highlights again the
isolation and how there is nowhere to run and none to hear them scream. There is a coldness to the
setting, this may be due to the concrete walls and flooring, this would be fearful for the audience as it
really is a terrifying and unknown setting no one can save them from.

11. The Title; Colour.
The title of the film sits either in the middle of the poster or towards the bottom. This is effective as it
grabs our attention allowing us as an audience to see the name of the film quickly and easily identify it is a
new upcoming horror film. Similar colours are used across the six posters, either red, orange or white are
used on the slasher titles. The effect of the red allows us to connotate blood and gore; associated with the
slasher sub-genre; this allows the attention to be quickly grabbed by a slasher target audience.
A bright orange is used in the Halloween poster to symbolise fire, how Michael Myers will be igniting
flames this halloween. It is a bright eye catching colour; making the slasher title stand out compared to its
competition.
The final three posters use a white coloured font, this could highlight the innocence of the victims being
tortured or it could symbolise the ruin the killer will make as the colour white strongly contrasts to the deep
colour of red. This is emphasised in the Your Next poster as a splattered blood effect decorates the white
title.

12. The Title; Font.
The fonts used are highly impacting and eye grabbing. The larger and bolder fonts used in Halloween and
My Bloody Valentine could mirror the dominance of the killers in the slasher films and their powerful
impact they have on their victims. Or, it could mirror their physical boldness and how they are large,
overpowering males.
This contrasts to the slick font used for Friday The 13th however, the slicked edges to the font could mirror
a blade, and how Jason is able to quickly slice through his victims like a professional. The sharp finish to
the letters could mirror his love for killing and how he takes pride in his tortures.
The bold, smeary font from Hostel mirrors a smeared blood effect, this adds to the idea of torture and
mass amounts of bloodshed.

13. The Title; Meanings.
Friday the 13th: It also allows the actual film title to stand out as Friday the 13th is a well known day for
bad luck in society, people already fear this day; therefore to make a slasher film set on this day creates
extra on edge fright.
Hostel: The word hostel means a suitable place people can stay when they visit places around the
country/world. The fact a slasher film uses the word hostel creates fear to those who often stay in hotels
and hostels and may haunt them for life next time they stay in a nearby hostel, as they will always relate
back to this film.
You’re Next: The direct address used for this film title makes it personal for the audience, and makes them
fear for their lives as well as the lives of the victims in the film. It also adds to the power the antagonist has
and how he can never get enough of killing and torture.

14. The Title; Meanings.
Halloween: A celebrated time of year, although the costumes can be fearful and scary, the time of
halloween is fun for everyone. In particular children; the use of the title Halloween would create fear and
foreboding around the next upcoming Halloween as everyone would make reference to the slasher film.
I Know What You Did Last Summer: The effect of the words ‘I Know’ are heart racing and adrenaline
pumping as the characters in the film would want to know how they know what they do and who it is that
knows what has happened.
My Bloody Valentine: The connotations of ‘Bloody’ mirror the gruesome attacks the killer will make
throughout the film and contrasts to the delicate loving idea of Valentine’s Day.
In conclusion, each of the six posters titles highlight fear for the audience just from the name, this allows a
slasher target audience to be easily attracted by the film posters and get them excited to see the film.

15. Institutional Information & Taglines.
Five of the six posters include institutional information, all positioned at the bottom of the poster; this
highlights it is the least relevant piece of information on the poster and the size of the font further enforces
this. Furthermore, it is the largest piece of text on the poster therefore to place it at the bottom is a
commonly used place, so that it does not block the image or dominate the poster.
Surprisingly, only four of the posters include a tagline. Taglines are effective in a horror poster, as it is
another way to draw the audience in and give them hints to the type of film it is and what sort of narrative it
will include. The most commonly used position for the tagline is at the top of the poster, or close to the title
of the film. This is so it can easily grab the audience's attention. The tagline should be short and snappy to
leave the audience wanting more. For example ‘They will hunt you’ is the tagline of You’re Next the use of
the direct address both from the tagline and the image, scares the audience looking at the poster making
the killers look even more fearful. The word ‘hunt’ is also a very brutal word used to show their attack,
making the audience sound like their prey. Overall, the use of a tagline will be important in the make of my
film poster as it adds extra excitement and intrigue to my upcoming slasher film.