2. Main Image
Title
Awards
Actor Names
Credits
The main image consists of a woman
on a throne with a Victorian-style
dress covered in blood at the bottom.
This image doesn’t give much
information away about the nature of
the film, but hints that it will contain
a lot of gore. The dress is white which
connotes purity and contrasts with
the blood and makes it stand out; the
dress is also ripped to suggest the
character is not pure at all. Her make
up is also reminiscent of a geisha girl,
this connotes that the woman is
innocent and contrasts with the gore
on her hands and dress. The throne
that she sits on suggests that the
woman is powerful and majestic. The
background is black as this is a
conventional colour of the horror
genre along with red which is
another colour in the poster.
The actors names are clearly
visible at the top of the poster so
that fans of particular actors will
be attracted to the film. The main
actress is the largest name and is
spread across the width of the
poster so that it is clear that she is
the protagonist of the film.
The awards that the film have
gained are shown clearly on
either side of the main image to
let the audience know that the
film is critically acclaimed and
will entice them to watch it.
The title is the same off-white
colour of the protagonist’s dress
to create synergy throughout the
poster and also to connote that
the character is slowly becoming
impure because the white is
beginning to turn yellow. The
word ‘excision’ is a surgical term
that means removing a foreign
substance or tissue which
connotes that the film is a gore
horror.
The credits are a legal
requirement for film posters and
state who was involved in the
production of the film including
actors, crew members and
companies involved.
3. Main Image
Title
Selling Line
Credits/Release date
Background
The main image looks eerie and
connotes that the characters involved
in the story of the film will be taken
over by a paranormal force as the
hands are grey coloured and it is as if
they are dragging the female
somewhere. The colours of the main
image are grey and black which are
common colours of the horror genre
and symbolize misery and fear which
are common themes in horror. The
woman’s expression is fearful to
suggest that she is not pleased that
the unknown force is taking her, her
direct mode of address makes it seem
as if she is pleading for help to the
audience.
The selling line is aggressive and
eerie, it uses the word ‘you’ to include
the audience into the film’s narrative.
It mentions death which is a common
theme in horror films because the
victims are usually killed in horror
films.
The background is black as this
colour reflects the instinctive fear of
the dark and is associated with the
horror genre.
The title’s typography is bold and
creepy-looking to create a sinister
vibe for the poster. The word
apparition means a ghostly form of a
person and this reflects the
supernatural element which is
common in horror films.
The credits and release date are small
to make the title of the film stand out
as this is one of the most important
aspects of a poster along with the
main image.
4. Main Image
Title
Credits/Release Date
Background
Selling Line
The selling line brings up the theme
of dying similar to the previous
poster and this shows that death is a
common theme of horror films. This
poster also uses the word ‘you’ to
include the audience in the narrative
of the film.
The background is black, the same as
the two previous posters. This
suggests that black is a common
colour in the horror film genre.
The title has a typography which is
simple so that it doesn’t draw
attention from the main image. The
title also gradually fades to black
vertically which suggests that the
villain will drag you into the dark.
The main image is a creature coming
out of the darkness on a mobile
phone and looks sinister. The eyes of
the creature is cleverly made from
the images of screaming mouths on
Photoshop; this suggests that the
creature’s aim is to cause people to
scream. The creature’s face is a dirty
white colour to reflect the dark and
gritty nature of the horror genre. The
mobile it is holding reflects the title of
the film. The character has a smirk
which connotes that the creature
enjoys killing people.
5. The Conventions…
• There are several features that I have found are common in horror posters that I can use as
guidelines when I am producing my film poster. These conventions include:
• Black backgrounds
• Colour schemes involving colours such as red, grey and black.
• A main image that is shocking and eerie for the audience and will make them want to see the
film.
• Props such as blood and weapons.
• The theme of death and killing in the selling line and involving the audience using the word
‘you’.
• The off-white colour to give the poster a dirty and gritty vibe.
• Awards
• Facial expressions of fear and evil.
• Bold and creepy typography.
6. Inspirational Covers
• I am inspired by movie posters that are
abstract and eerie as opposed to posters that
reveal gore and the main villain in its entirety.
I believe posters should reveal small details to
attract audiences to see the film.
• The following slide shows a variety of
inspirational movie posters.
