This is my second magazine front cover analysis for my A2 media studies coursework on horror films.

1. Magazine Front Cover
Analysis Two

2. I am conducting this magazine front
cover analysis to explore how their
front covers lure in their target
audience and how it is used as a
promotional tool to advertise the film in
the main image so that it has more of a
chance of being a success.
I have chosen this ‘Fangoria’ magazine
front cover that is advertising the film
‘Black Swan’ to investigate the
techniques it uses in order to attract
their target readership.
Introduction

3. The main image is of the film ‘Black
Swan’s main protagonist Nina. It relates
to the main sell-line as it is the name of
the film and the readership will be able
to link the two together and decide
whether or not to watch the film.
Main Image
The main image suggests that the film is of
the horror genre because it shows the main
protagonist with red eyes so you could
assume that she is evil or the antagonist in
this sense. It also suggests that the narrative
will be centred around the ballet of the
Black Swan as that is how she appears to
us.
A symbiotic link is
created between the
main image in the
poster for ‘Black Swan’
and the image on the
magazine front cover as
they are both close up
shots of her face which
signals to the audience
that the film may centre
on her mental state. In both she is giving
direct address to the camera which makes it
more personal for the audience as it looks as
if they are being targeted specifically.

4. The name of the magazine is
‘Fangoria’ which immediately makes
the audience aware that it is a horror
film magazine from the word ‘fang’
being used. This also links to vampires
who have fangs and are used in horror
movies to scare the audience.
The style of font of the masthead is
unique as it is not a typical font;
instead the ends of the name have
flicks coming off of the bottom which
Masthead relates to the idea of fangs and vampires.
However, it is the largest piece of text on the
magazine front cover which is common as it
is meant to stand out above all the others.
The colour red is used for the masthead
which links in with the horror genre as it
could signify blood, danger or evil lurking
around. The masthead would instantly catch
the attention of an ardent horror film fan as it
connects really easily to the horror genre and
would make them want to watch the film.
It is used to maintain brand identity as avid
readers of the magazine will recognise it
straight away if it was sitting on a shelf as the
masthead is original and there aren’t many
like it so that keeps the brand identity of the
horror film magazine going.

5. Sell-lines The sell-lines featured on this magazine
front cover are not very detailed as they
simply name films or actors that are going
to be featured in the articles in the
magazine. Nevertheless, they still reflect
the interests of the target readership as
ardent horror film fans they will recognise
the names listed and will know what films
are going to be advertised inside.
A small, uppercase, sans-serif font is used
on the sell-lines so that they don’t stand out
as much as the main sell-line or the
masthead but can still be read. They are
presented either in black or red which is a
common convention of the horror genre as
that colour scheme is also used on various
posters too.
Direct address is not used in the sell-lines
as the readership aren’t addressed
personally as film names/ actors are just
listed.

6. Colour Black and red are used for the sell-lines
mostly because that colour scheme is
commonly used in the horror genre as it
can relate to death, blood, etc. They are
used for effect as the colours contrast well
on the white background and make the
sell-lines stand out so the audience can
easily read them.
The colours help lure in the correct target
audience as they would identify the colour
scheme and know it is mainly used in
relation to the horror genre so horror film
fans would be attracted to it. The colours
are introduced in the standard, common
way that is expected of a film magazine.

7. Layout
In regards to layout, the text to image
ratio is pretty even as along with the
main image, there are also feature article
photographs presented at the bottom
which balances out well with the amount
of text on the front cover.
The layout of the front cover is used for
effect as their loyal readership will easily
identify the magazine if the layout is
kept similar for each issue so it will be
able to sell more easily.
The front covers’ layout follows general
layout conventions for a film magazine
as the masthead is positioned at the top,
the barcode is placed at the bottom and
the main image takes up the majority of
the frame which is typical for a film
magazine.