The main codes and conventions that horror posters use

1. CODES AND
CONVENTIONS
OF HORROR
MOVIE POSTERS

2. THE EYE
 One of the first conventions that is commonly used in horror movie posters is
the extreme close up of the perpetrators eye. The eye is usually edited to create an
unnatural and spooky look, drawing the audience in due to it being so un-usual.
Cropping the image of the eye to fit the page also adds mystery to the poster. This
leaves the audience wondering who's eye it is and why its so creepy. The editing
enhances the effectiveness of the poster. Looking at the likes of "The Darkness"
movie poster, in which the pupil is dark blood red and there is a silhouette of a dark
male figure with the red bloodshot effect edited into it and the silhouette image of a
male in the pupil. Other posters with an eye as their main feature often include
disturbing features such as tears of blood, hands and fingers coming out from
beneath the eyeball and even fire and flames on the eyelids and eyeballs. Although
this disturbs and bothers audiences, it does however attract their attention.

4. THE HAUNTED HOUSE
 Many other movie posters include a haunted house as its
main feature. Often it would be situated in the background,
behind the main character from the film, and other times
simply on its own. The house symbolises mystery and are
often situated in a foggy and gloomy locations in the
moonlight. They are often traditional looking houses that
have the potential to be haunted. The posters that feature a
house like this often make viewers feel uncomfortable and has
them wondering if its the people that live in the house that are
dangerous or if its them that are in danger from spirits in the
home.

6. THE USE OF MASKS
 Another huge tradition when it comes to creating a horror
movie poster is the the use of a mask. A mask can add so
much doubt to a humans brain and as soon as they set their
eyes on an image of someone in a mask, their brains straight
away go into overdrive. They think about who’s under the
mask, what they are hiding and why they are hiding. Some of
the greatest horror films such as “Scream” and “IT” revolve
around someone in a mask.