Connotations of posters from horror genre

1. Conventions of Horror Film
Posters
Ellie Aitken

2. Lighting
Usually the lighting on horror film posters is very low, as it adds mystery
and uncertainty. Low lighting also signifies that the location is isolated, a
common convention in horror. In contrast, high key lighting on the
background is sometimes used for audience’s to recognize the isolated
locations such as, the woods or forest with a blur of mist. An example of
this can be seen in the ‘Friday The 13th’ poster shown below. The use of
this lighting conforms to creating a juxtaposed feeling of tension,
suspense and fear. This is interesting when thinking about our own film
being located in an isolated woods.

3. Font
Posters usually have bold script or serif font to make the writing stand out.
These fonts are very formal and the bold effect makes them stand out. In
focusing on horror, it has become common for font to be almost child-like.
This type of font may not be in a straight line and would be very informal in
comparison to the serif and script font. The child-like fonts used on horror
posters suggests chaos and paints a distorted picture, very unsettling
amongst an audience. Popular colours are red, as it is bold and connotes
danger.

4. Protagonists
It is quite common for the main character/s of the film to feature on the poster, as
this is a key selling point. However, focusing on horror, audience’s might not want
to know too much about the film, and the director also might not want to give
too much away, creating anticipation. Therefore, horror posters aren’t too
detailed in terms of characters, with creates mystery and interest. Often, the
villain is on the poster as they usually look the most fearful and alarming.
Moreover, shadows/silhouettes are often used which can be alarming amongst an
audience because they are uncertain as to what kind of threat they pose. Horror
films commonly don’t use big Hollywood stars, this is because horror audiences
might not get scared if they recognize the actor. Applying these ideas to our film,
we think that having characters on the front of our poster might take away the
horror element.

5. Colour code
In horror films, colours are often used to help indicate the mood and feelings
of the film. Colours such as black, red, brown, grey, and white are colours that
are often featured on posters. These colours connote stereotypical codes and
conventions of iconography that are associated with horror films and help
signify a visual picture of horror, darkness, and terror. As well as this, the
colours tend to be very dull and don’t ‘call out’ for attention, demonstrating
fear and loneliness. This is a characteristic of a person who is lonely – maybe
a character in the film. For example, the villain of the film wouldn’t want
much attention from people with the exception of their victim.

6. Iconography
The most effective movie posters are iconic, presenting the themes in the film
without giving too much away. They often use imagery, or a simple graphic to
establish the film’s plot. Combined with an eye-grabbing design, this can be
an incredibly effective way to gain attention and create interest at once. For
example, on a horror poster the use of low key lighting foreshadows that
there will be darkness and terror portrayed through some sort of villain. This
conveys a sense of anxiety and fear for audience’s. The poster shown below is
of the slasher ‘Psycho’. The image o blood indicates that the film is a slasher,
and the shower drain foreshadows the infamous shower scene.

7. Other connotations
The slogan of the film is usually always featured on film posters
as it gives a clue as to what the film is about, without giving it all
away. The tagline has to be very catchy and has to keep the
audience guessing. For example, our tagline is a rhetorical
question which will make audience members think about the
question and how it might relate to the film. The release date
helps promote the film so that an audience know when to go
and see it. Lastly, institutional information is usually in a small
font at the bottom of the poster so that it doesn’t take any
attention away from the main image. It includes information
about the cast and production