This document summarizes and analyzes three horror movie posters: Rosemary's Baby (1968), I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), and Hostel (2005). For Rosemary's Baby, the poster sets a chilling tone through its use of a green color and silhouette imagery that hints at something being out of balance with an innocent child as the cause of fright. For I Know What You Did Last Summer, the poster creates mystery through its use of blues and a faceless threatening figure, suggesting the threat of "backyard horror" in everyday life. It also plays on teen horror movie tropes. For Hostel, the poster contrasts the warmth of yellow lighting with the weapon-w

1. Horror Movie posters
By Hibah Jan

2. Rosemary's Baby
The female’s face is the only
thing on the poster that is a
clear image, this may suggest
that the woman is the victim, a
common convention of horror
films.
This is a silhouette of a pram
signifying the child will be the
villain or cause of fright in this
film. We see children as
innocent being yet this turns
that idea on its head.
Black is a common colour
used in horror as humans
beings back in primal days
fear the unknown as we are
unaware of what lurks in the
dark. We are also at a
disadvantage without one of
our senses
This links to Religion
which was used a
great deal in the
“cycle of horror” films
based on religion, as
people feared the
idea that there was
something more
powerful then good
/religion
The green
background could
symbolise illness or
something out of the
ordinary
1968 ‧ Horror Drama film/Thriller ‧
2h 16m
The angle of gaze
shows the woman
looking up at
something the
viewer can not see,
this puts in the
element of the
unknown as we as
a viewer are
unaware of what
she see’s.

3. Rosemary's Baby
• This poster sets a chilling tone, the green
make you feel as though something is out of
balance.
• I like the idea of using different layer to show
how the story is not as simple as the often
over used cliché in other horrors.
• Over all this poster creates mystery and fear,
as an innocent being in used in a menacing
way.

4. I Know What You Did Last Summer
1997 ‧ Horror
Slasher/Thriller ‧ 1h
41m
Another popular teen lead film.
Teens are usually shown in
different categories: a sweet
innocent girl, a not so innocent
girl, an annoying male jock etc.
The faceless figure sets the
tone of mystery, it is also a
human figure suggesting
backyard horror(threat in
everyday life). It is also in red
symbolising blood, death and
danger. The weapon is also
shown, possibly suggesting
the gore in the film.
Female lead, commonly
seen in horror. They are
normally put at risk and
usually the last to
die/live. Females are
frequently linked to
purity and normally one
of the teenagers will
follow this characteristic
Sex appeal, often
females are shown
as sex objects that
are used to bring in
audience. Phrase suggests death (or
coming back from the dead)
and a secret that threatens
the teens lives.An obscure title draws
in the audience and
creates a question in
which the viewer will
not know the answer
until you watch the
film.

5. I Know What You Did Last Summer
• The use of blues on the poster creates a cold
strange tone , this throws the viewer off as
they wonder what has made these characters
seem so on the edge.
• The use of teens in horror is something that
has been used plenty of times in many horror
movies but this seem as though it may offer
more then one simple victim, as suggested by
the expressions on the teens faces.

6. Hostel
A weapon(in this case
a saw) suggests the
gore to come but is
also a staple of
“Torture Porn” horror
films. The way the man
is holding the saw also
shows he is getting
ready to kill as he is
starting it up.
The villains face is
masked so his identity is
hidden although we can
see that its a male.
Villains in horror movies
are often males as they
have been seen as the
more corrupt gender.
The quote encourages
people to watch the film
and see if it truly lives up
to these words. It also
gives an opinion from a
trusted source.
The background is dirty,
old and seems like a
restricted location such
as a basement or lair.
Although the title
shows that the events
take place in a hostel
showing that safe
places are a danger
too.
The title is blurry and
faded at parts possibly
suggesting a mental
disability or psychological
damage as it is scratched
and dented too.
2005 ‧ Horror
Mystery/Thriller ‧ 1h 35m
There is again the
use of darkness to
stick the fear of the
unknown.

7. Hostel
• This poster uses yellow lighting which is
frequently associated with warmth. This is in
contrast to the weapon and masked figure.
This could symbolise how a hostel is seen as
warm and welcoming but this film will change
the viewers views of a once trusted place.
• The use of a human villain makes the film
possibly more scary as it shows how the real
monsters are humans.