Paranormal activity

Here I have uploaded a poster advertising the horror film 'Paranormal Activity.' I am going to discuss the elements of this poster that are important and that

would appeal to the target audience.

Film title

This is the film title for the paranormal activity poster I chose to analyze. This suits the horror genre as the colours used are black and red which are stereotypically negative, dark, dull colours used for this genre. Also the font being faded and out of focus suits the genre as it has a look of blood and fear. The aim of this title is to scare the audience as the target audience would be people who are interested in horror films. The language used ‘Paranormal’ would frighten the audience as they understand that the situations in the film are out of the ordinary. This film title is similar to other media products due to the colours used and the bold, capital writing used. This is good because the audience would be instantly aware that it is a horror film and be drawn in due to their interest in the genre.

Image

This is the image from the paranormal activity film poster. The image is not in colour but has a blue tint to it. This blue colour is often used in horror movies and is a feature that is common and well-known in horror films. The image isn’t very clear which gives it a mysterious feel and worries the audience. The position of the characters in the poster is alarming as they look worried and are facing the door which has an unknown shadow on it. These features don’t give too much away to the audience but make them want to find out more which is the purpose of the image. The frightened expressions on the characters faces would make this image appeal to the target audience of horror film lovers. The way this image actually shows the location and not just a close up image of one character would be a unique selling point of this horror film. The time written in the bottom right hand corner shows the audience that the image is from a film and that the characters are being watched and filmed in their own home. The audience would want to know why.

Quotes

‘One of the scariest movies of all time’ a quote that would draw the audience in and make them want to watch the film if they like the horror genre. The use of intensifiers such as ‘scariest’ would interest the audience and make them wonder why and want to find out. ‘Nightmares are guaranteed’ – the word ‘guaranteed’ would reassure the audience that the film is up to the standard of their liking. These quotes create questions in the audiences minds that can only be answered by watching the film and finding out more. The quotes don’t give too much away about the characters or the storyline.

Tag lines

These tag lines ‘what happens when you sleep?’ and ‘don’t see it alone’ would appeal to audience members that enjoy horror films and like the fear of the unknown. Similar to the quotes at the top of the poster, these tag lines also create questions in the audiences minds as they will want to know why they can’t see it alone. The tag line ‘what happens when you sleep?’ will scare the viewer as it is a rhetorical question that will make them think and want to find out more.