A2 MEDIA STUDIES

1. Horror Film Poster Analysis
#2
The Conjuring (2013)
This specific poster promotes “The Conjuring”, a horror film
that belongs to the paranormal sub-genre. When watching the
horror film, audiences will be frightened by what happens in
the film. Being based on true events although heavily
exaggerated, paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren
work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their
farmhouse. This escalates further and further when the mother
becomes possessed by the main evil entity that is trapped
within the home. I have chosen to do an analysis on this poster
as the sub-genre that this film belongs to relates heavily to
what I am producing for my project. Although it is not an
example of a film that incorporates the use of found footage,
the reason I chose this was that it was an excellent example of
what a paranormal horror film is.
Discussing the content, the main image keeps mostly within standard poster conventions by taking
up a vast majority of the poster frame, only to be separated by a border that only occupies a small
fraction compared to the main image. The border has been made in order for more text to be
available and visually understandable without having for it to stand out over the image that is being
used here. The image itself has been given a filter in order to look more vintage and old-fashioned,
as the film is primarily based in the 1970s. The lighting used has been made available from the
match that the main model is seen to be holding up; this helps for her facial expressions on her face
to be clearly seen and any other details about her upper body that need to be noticed. The use of
the hand being slightly out of focus is used so that the woman’s face is the clearest part of the poster
and for the audience to focus on mostly.
Looking at the character that the poster focuses upon, we can deduce she is a protagonist or main
character, given the fact that she is the only visible person that can be seen on the poster by the
audience. She is seen to be holding up a lighted match that is obviously being used to lighten up a
dark space of some sort, possibly a room or basement. This also indicates that the horror will take
place within the dark or at night, as most horror films will generally do. The facial expressions that
are seen on her face show that the character seems to be lost and confused. She may have
wondered into where she is by mistake, or have been led there by something such as a noise. The
wrinkles on her face indicate that she may be over middle age, giving rise to the possibility that she
be a mother, and that this characteristic may play an important part in the film. Her mouth is slightly
open, suggesting that she has been frightened by something unseen, also showing that she is
panting along with her heart rate increasing by what she is witnessing. The clothes that are visible

2. show that she is nightwear, signifying that the action will mostly take place at night. The use of the
vintage floral pattern helps to indicate further that the film may not be set in present times.
The title of this film is “The Conjuring”. A ‘conjuring’ involves the performance of tricks which are
seemingly magical, without using any hands and relates to the paranormal activities that take place
within the film. The text itself is the biggest on the poster and positioned more towards the top of
the frame, keeping in with standard poster conventions. It is given the colour white in order to make
it stand out amongst the dark background of the main image. The use of the candle light acting as
though it is lighting up the letter ‘i’ in the title gives the masthead an eerie effect to it. Other pieces
of text include taglines and some institutional information. The use of the text at the bottom of the
main image, “Based on the true case files of the Warrens”, acts as a shared understanding that the
reader will automatically have an awareness of who the Warrens are and what the story is all about,
prompting the audience to find out more about them in order to gain a sense of a backstory before
watching. The use of mentioning the director’s previous efforts at the top will help sell the film as
viewers will therefore have high expectations of this film and will want to see it. This will also bring
in fans of the director’s previous work too. The last piece of text at the bottom reads, ‘coming soon’.
It is quite bold looking, and in black and capitals, in order to reinforce that the film will be out soon,
despite no specification on an exact date of release.
In conclusion, I think this poster is very simplistic yet effective when it comes to efficiently promoting
the film, “The Conjuring”. It looks professional and refined and is definitely able to attract its
audience through the conventions and layout it has used.