This document analyzes and summarizes key elements of several horror movie posters. It discusses how the posters use techniques like mise-en-scene, prominent actors, taglines, and implied danger to attract audiences. Specific posters analyzed include Mirrors, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Sinister, The Last House on the Left, and The Exorcist. Common horror conventions used in the posters include dark color palettes, blurred or hidden faces, references to blood and violence, and ominous settings.

1. Horror Posters
Nicole Stell

2. ‘Mirrors’ is a horror film released in 2008.
It was directed by Alex Aja.
The top of the poster mentions that it was
directed by the same people who made
another famous and successful film. This is
to attract the other films fans. It gives clues
to the audience about what to expect.
The face in the middle of the poster is
suggesting what the film is going to consist
of. It’s blurred to suggest the speed of the
scream.
The mise-en-scene is very dark which implies
mystery and the unknown. This attracts the
audience as they want to find out what is
happening where they can’t see.
The film features Kiefer Sutherland and
they mention this in a big font above the
title. This ensures that all fans of the
actress come to see the film.
The title is written in a red font. Red has
connotations of blood, danger, violence
and passion. The letter ‘R’ is mirrored to
add effect to the title.

3. This poster is from a remake of the 1984 film ‘A Nightmare
On Elm Street’. This version was directed by Samuel Bayer.
The mise-en-scene is dark around the edges but tinted
red in the middle. The light flows in through the window
creating a red glow, almost suggesting that the windows
are red with blood. Red has connotations of
blood, danger, passion and evil which suggest different
things about the film. The characters are in a narrow
and confined hallway implying that the more vulnerable
character is trapped. This appeals to the audience
because they can see a clearly dominant figure and the
camera is tilted up towards it. The dominant character
does not have a visible face, making the audience
intrigued to find out more about him.
The vulnerable character on the poster is a young
female; a typical convention in horror films. The
fact that she is in a pool of blood up to her waist
suggests that she is getting smaller and weaker.
This makes the audience want to know how she
will survive.
The tagline is short yet still effective. By saying
‘You’ it makes the audience involved with the
film. It also gives a clue as to what the film is
about.

4. The film poster for ‘Sinister’ is very effective
and attracts the target audience by using a
range of horror conventions.
At the top of the poster, there is a sentence
reminding the audience that it is made by the
producers of two other successful horror films.
This gives the audience a hint of the genre of the
film and what is to be expected. Any fans of
‘Paranormal Activity’ and ‘Insidious’ will be drawn
to the film.
The character on the poster is a child which
reflects the vulnerability of her and her
situation. The fact that she is looking down,
suggests that she fears what is around her. Her
face is not seen which adds mystery to the
character almost like she is hiding her identity.
Also children are typically innocent and people
empathise with them.
The blood on the wall suggests what happens
in the film. Blood suggests danger and
violence. The face in the blood is a hint of
what is to come, and suggests another
character is dominant.

5. ‘The Last House On The Left’ is a horror film
directed by Dennis Iliadis. The poster uses
dark mise-en-scene as a typical horror
convention to have connotations of the
unknown, because we can’t see beyond the
main focus of the house. The only lit area on
the poster is coming from behind the
house, which leads the audience directly to it.
The sky is black which is typically when
horror films are set around.
The word ‘House’ is in a red font to make
it stand out. The colour red has
connotations of danger, blood and evil.
The word ‘House’ looks smudged, almost
like it has been scratched out by
someone.
The tagline is very powerful and asks the
audience a rhetorical question to get them
involved with the film.

6. ‘The Exorcist’ poster uses the well-known
directors name ‘William Friedkin’ to help
attract fans of his other films to this one.
The full moon shows the time of
day, and the use of night time is a
typical horror convention.
The mise-en-scene is mainly dark with only
one beam of light coming from a room in
the large house. This light frames a
silhouette of a man. His identity is disguised
which leaves the audience asking questions
about him.
The bars in front of the house suggest that
someone is trapped within the grounds of
the house. This implies that there is danger
around because, the bars have links to
prison and prison suggests danger and
violence.