HORROR POSTER ANALYSIS

GENERIC CONVENTIONS – HORROR POSTERList of Generic conventions in horror posters:

- Black, red and white colour scheme throughout to stick with the idea of good vs evil with danger and violence etc

- One large image usually the main protagonist or antagonist is used to link the film back to their storyline and remind who will be starring in the film

- Release date is commonly placed towards the bottom of the poster in bold writing to promote the increase the hype for the film

- Taglines are used to give extra info about the film and hint at something within the film to make the viewer feel more engaged

- Low key lighting is used a lot with the images to disguise the character and to make them feel more intimidating/scared depending on who it is

- Credits are necessary on every poster as it explains who basically made the film and who is starring in the film to give them the appreciation that they want for making the film

YOU’RE NEXT (2011)

Background:The background that has been used for this poster is a gradient with dark colours around the edges of the poster and then the bright colour bursting from the middle from behind the main image making the images which is drawing the readers attention straight to the image making them feel anxious and on edge straight from the beginning. This background is very straight forward and easy to create, and is very effective in creating the sense of a horror film poster. The dark colours that have been used are very intimidating and menacing creating the scare factor that comes from this poster. These colours are part of the main thing that allows us to realise that this is a horror film as a thriller sub-genre. The gradient from white in the middle to dark around the edge reflects the way in which events will steadily become more dark and sinister as the movie plays out and is suggesting that the character on the front of the poster is going to be the main reason for horror throughout the film.

Props:The characters clothing such as; black hoodie and a wolf mask suggests that this character is the main reason for fear and horror throughout this film. Furthermore, the height and size of the person symbolises an adult, and with the dark colours and blood on the mask reveals that he is treacherous and dangerous to approach, this heightens the sensation of danger and fear for the audience.

Typography:“You’re Next” has used an effect to make it look like it has been scratched on something like a chalk board, when you think about this, the sound associated with it is something that your body naturally doesn’t like and makes you shiver making you feel on edge, this also creates enigma of audiences becoming suspicious and to start questioning the title of who is next. The two colours used on the poster being white and black are complete different opposites; the colour white is associated with heaven, innocence and purity and usually has a positive connotation whereas black is associated with power, fear, strength, death, evil and aggression; the ideas of two different colour opposites links to Roland Barthes theory of good vs evil.

Iconography:The colour connotes stereotypical codes and conventions of iconography that is seen in other horror posters and that are associated with the film. For example, the colours that are used such as black and white fade with a dirty effect signifies a visual picture to the person viewing of; horror, darkness and fear, and this is what allows the audience to associate the film to evil and a psychopath. The use of low key lighting foreshadows how dangerous this character really is during the film. This signifies that the film doesn’t challenge the typical conventions of horror films as we can see it use good vs evil, and the shadows reinforce the danger associated with this character, and what part he will be playing during the film.

Themes:The themes that we can pull from this poster are; stalker this is signified by the main character on the front with a mask hiding his identity right in the centre of the poster. This is then juxtaposed with the feeling of anxiety and fear as you can see from the low key lighting that has been used for this effect.

Summary:Overall from this poster I can see that it has followed the main conventions of horror posters very well and definitely creates a feeling of fear when looking at this poster. The lighting is very well used and the text that has been used at the bottom gives of a very eerie and peculiar feeling.

SINISTER (2012)

Credits are typically used on all posters because they allow the people who made and directed the film to get the credit they deserve, and is usually written in a very small narrow font so that it doesn’t take any focus away from the main poster. Not just only is it to give them credit but the use of credits is a legal requirement that needs to be used, so the way this is done would be to make it as small as possible so the credit is still given but it doesn’t affect anything around it or the poster in general.

The title used isn't very large but is still very clearly shown as being the main aspect on the page so that the viewer knows exactly what the film is called and to get a hint at what the film could link to. The font that has been used has also been carefully chosen to match the idea of the film so that they link but also to make it much more interesting than a boring serif font. The shadows dropping down off the writing also adds a very sketchy and scary effect that isn't commonly seen on posters making it unique

The use of having/including one main image as the focus point of the poster is so all attention is drawn to the character so the audience can relate and see what is going on. Also because it gives a very good and clear idea about what the film will include and what the protagonist or antagonist will be like, if there is the use of several images then the poster could end up looking crowded and unprofessional.

For this poster there is no specific release date that is placed on the poster, as you can see they have written ‘coming soon’ this could be to build up hype for the films actual release date and get people discussing about the film and get them guessing about when it will drop, this would build up a lot of hype and suspense for the film because a lot of information is being kept from the audience which keeps the films relevance and interest alive until the actual release date is revealed, as revealing everything about the film all at once then the waiting period will make its audience lose interest.

The typical colour scheme that is used commonly within horror posters is the use of red, white and black, and as you can see these colours are used here to give the same effect which would be to represent the idea of good and evil throughout the film and red could link to death, love, violence, danger etc. And this would be the reason why these colours are used, because they give the common representation of a horror film but also they look good together when they are used right.

Low key lighting is another convention that is used a lot on posters, but here it hasn’t been used that much, this could be because they don’t want to antagonist to be disguised in any way so that everyone can see what they are capable off which is a lot suggested by the choice of clothing being white and the setting also being white like she wants to stand out.

Tagline may be a very small feature that might not always be something that is seen as being very important but the tagline could arguably be one of the most important things on the poster, as it is meant to give/tell a little about what the movie will be on, while indicating the differentiation within the film as well. This tagline is very direct as it is talking to you, and makes the viewer feel uneasy, as it links to the idea of death and nothing can save ‘you’.