1. The following slides are going to be based on conventions of a horror poster. The first
slide will be an annotated horror poster, with the typical conventions. Slide two will
also be annotated but with the explanation of the conventions, highlighting there
meaning and reasons to that specific poster.
Posters are a huge part of a films advertisement to promote the film and draw an
audience in. They posses various conventions but portray them in differing ways
relating to the specific genre of the film. Therefore, due to my media coursework task
going to be a horror trailer, I thought it would be vital to analyse horror posters to
understand how the horror genre is promoted and advertised.

2. Conventions of a horror
poser Selling point
Film title
Tag line
Main image
Billing Block

3. Analysis of conventions of
a horror poster Tag Line: This heightens fear for the audience, as it
creates sense of realism. It causes the audience to
put themselves into the shoes of the protagonist
Film title- The title is what sums up which makes them even more scared.
the content of the film. It straight
away shows the audience that it is Main image: It is Clear to see that the
going to be about something protagonist is the victim. It also relates
supernatural and someone being to the stereotype of a female being
possessed. The first part of the title, weak and defenseless against the villain.
‘The’, is smaller than the second part Her leaning backwards connotes pain ,
putting emphasis on the fact that it is as if the hand coming out of her mouth
a ‘possession’. The bold word also is torturing her. The hand also creates a
highlights to the audience that it is sense of her being possessed which
going to fit within the horror genre, relates to the film poster and the title
which can therefore dram that ‘The Possession’. These elements will
audience in. Furthermore, title of the entice an horror audience as these are
poster is simple, with it not being the common aspects of a horror film.
main appealing aspect of the poster The hand is what provides the audience
and stealing the attention from the that the villain is something
main image. However, due to it being supernatural , due to it appearing
bold and all in capitals still allows it inhuman and being unseen.
to stand out and the white color
causes it to stand out from the
darkness of the rest of the poster.
Billing block- This part of the poster is
very small to make it that last aspect the
audience will look at. This isn't an
element of which will be intriguing to Release date- This part of the poster is in the font colour of red.
watch the film and allow the audience This may be suggestive that elements of the film are death and
gain an insight into the content, unlike danger. This is due to the colour red being representative of these
the title or main image. themes