2. I chose to further explore the mise-en-scene elements of these three posters as they are very similar to the kind of poster I wish to create for my
promotional package. This is because each of these three posters focuses solely on the antagonist and their weapon of choice. The antagonist and the
weapon are also the only prop and character that will feature in my film poster. It is clear from these three posters the typical costume of a Slasher
antagonist. Each of the three well-known slasher killers are presented on these posters in dark coloured clothing and appears to be a form of baggy overalls.
This helps to portray the killer as someone ordinary who can blend into the background before striking his victims. It also allows the killers masculinity to be
presented and portray them as someone who would not be easily avoided or escapable. Leatherface’s costume particularly, in the Texas Chainsaw poster,
really shows the type of killer that Leatherface is and also slightly informs the audience of the narrative of the film. This is because, from the low angle shot,
it appears as it Leatherface is wearing overalls or some sort of apron. Both his shirt and his overalls appear to be dirty with what looks like paint on the
straps of his overalls and the top right corner underneath the strap. This clearly presents the idea to the audience that Leatherface thinks of himself as an
artist or a craftsman. This reflects the fact that in the narrative of the film, he removes his victims faces and creates masks. The similarities between the
costumes of these three Slasher antagonists clearly reflects how a conventional Slasher antagonist should be represented throughout the sub-genre. Each of
these three antagonists are also presented on these posters wearing the most recognisable part of a slasher costume; the mask. This is a feature necessary
of any costume for a Slasher antagonist as it’s a clear reflection of the sub-genre. If a horror fan was presented with antagonists from three different sub-genres,
they would instantly point out the Slasher antagonist due to their mask. These three antagonists all wear full face masks with no aspect of their faces
being visible. This allows the Slasher antagonist to carry out their torment without being recognisable. It also adds to the terror and fear generated by the
antagonist among the audience as they have no idea who the killer really is and they would never be able to recognise them on the street. Although each
antagonist wears a mask, we can clearly tell the huge differences among them. This allows the antagonist to be recognisable to fans who will instantly know
which classic Slasher antagonist they are from their masks. It also helps to reflect the narrative of the film in some cases; My Bloody Valentine the miner and
Texas Chainsaw a mask made of his latest victim’s face. It also means that no dramatic make up is required for Slasher antagonists to make them scarier.
3. In each of these three posters, the lighting is very dark and dismal with a single spot of light coming from somewhere in the frame. This allows the
audience to instantly know that the poster is promoting a horror film. It also allows for one specific part of the frame to be clearer and emphasised as
the spotlight hits it. Unlike the other two posters, Friday the 13th uses backlighting to emphasis Jason and make part of his mask visible. This increases
the fear created by Jason as the backlight creates a sort of silhouette and suggests to the audience that he is emerging from the darkness and coming
for them. It also suggests to the audience that Jason is blocking the only escape for the victims in the film. In the other two posters, a spotlight is used
to emphasis the weapon. The posters for My Bloody Valentine and Texas Chainsaw are very similar in terms of their layout and composition. Both of
these posters use a spotlight coming in from the left hand side of the frame to emphasis part of the antagonist, but mainly his weapon. These two
posters would have chosen this feature as it is clear that their aim was to draw the audiences attention to the weapon, with it appearing to be the
biggest item in the frame. This is because in Slasher horror films, the weapon used is one of the most important part of the antagonist's costume and
the narrative itself. Each Slasher antagonist has his own unique weapon that adds to his recognisability and separates him from other Slasher killers.
This is also why the only prop that features on these three posters is the weapon as it is the only prop that is really important. Also, the weapon is an
extremely important convention and reflection of the Slasher sub-genre. If the weapon didn’t feature on the poster, the audience couldn’t be sure that
the film being promoted will be a Slasher worth watching, featuring a huge amount of blood and gore. The weapon is also an important reflection of
the narrative of the film. For example, in Texas Chainsaw, as the name suggests, there is a huge emphasis of Leatherface’s choice of weapon. The same
with My Bloody Valentine, where the weapon choice of a Pitchfork creates a link between the antagonist and the location of a mine within the film. The
importance of the weapon in reflecting the narrative in these two films could explain why the posters attempt to draw the audiences attention to the
weapon. Although the Friday the 13th poster doesn’t use lighting to emphasis the weapon, it is still clearly visible to the audience.
4. Each of these three posters feature dark colours dominating the frame, with the colour red featuring somewhere on the frame. However
some put more dominance on red than the others, with Texas Chainsaw only featuring a very pale red through Leatherface’s costume, and
My Bloody Valentine having a much more dominance of red in the poster’s colour scheme. The use of red on Slasher film posters seems to
be a common convention that I have identified through comparing different Slasher film posters. Although the lighting on these three
posters is very dark, we can still clearly see the setting of the image. The setting of the Friday the 13th poster is much more visible due to the
use of a long shot. This suggests that the location of a lake is a significant part of the narrative of the film. It also instantly informs the
audience that this horror film will be a typical Slasher featured in an isolated location of a lake and woodland area. The importance of the
location in this narrative is further anchored by the strapline. In the other two posters, the setting of the image isn’t as clear as the frame is
mainly dominated by the antagonist. We can still identify the location of the My Bloody Valentine poster from the corners of the frame. In
the top right hand corner there appears to be a rocky wall. This reflects the location in the narrative of a mine. The fact that we can
partially see the image is set in a mine helps to anchor the image and bring the prop and the costume of the antagonist together as it
informs the audience he is a miner. The setting in the Texas Chainsaw poster is not very clear as the background is black. However the
spotlight allows the audience to assume that the image is set in a basement of some sort with minimal lighting coming through a window.
This links again to the narrative of the film as Leatherface’s ‘work area’ is in the basement. The setting of the film poster is important in
giving the audience a further insight into the narrative of the film.
