Horror Film Poster

Research and AnalysisBy Harry Appleyard

Mist – Connotations of mystery. Creates a wintry atmosphere.

Tree without leaves hidden in fog. Symbol of death?

Serif font presented in red, fading from bright to dark, resembling blood. Capitals possibly used to attract male audiences.

Link to website, giving target audiences the chance to keep up-to-date with the promotion of the film through use of other media.

An exact date for the film’s release is not shown, suggesting this is an early poster, possibly first released in 2004.

Girl wearing old, dirty clothes and only partially visible amongst the fog. Appears ghost-like. Eye level suggests she holds the same level of power as those viewing the poster.

Girl appears to walking towards the tree. Possibly a significant part of the plot.

Cast and crew names as well as production

company logos.

Target audience often interested in horror stories based on true events.

Character’s identity is hidden, creating connotations of mystery. Friend or foe?

Woodland – Common setting for horror films. Often linked with mystery.

Surrounded by darkness. Vulnerable, lost and afraid.

Red and white stand out well from the background, drawing attention to the Blair Witch symbol and text.

The documentary and footage are not described, encouraging audiences to see the film.

Production companies shown and website address, which unlike other movie website names, does not featuring the word “film” or “movie”, suggesting the film or the Blair Witch is real.

Font appears jagged, resembling branches of trees.

Direct address, creating personal relationships with viewers. Camera shot used is eye level, suggesting the character holds the same amount of power as the poster’s viewers.

Eye shine and blood suggest the doll is living. Dolls are commonly associated with the horror genre. Cracks could be linked to the doll’s old age, but may have been used to resemble veins.

Font written in large capitals, which are likely to attract male audiences more than female audiences.

Tagline used to give ideas about the film’s plot. Death often associated with the genre.

Certificate is “R”, indicating this is an American poster. In the UK, the movie is rated 15.

Like many other posters, this includes names of cast and crew, but not a release date, suggesting this is an early poster.

Font appears to be moving/fading, seeming faint and ghostly, suggesting the film will relate to the paranormal.

Lighting varies, giving various connotations. Brighter light on the left could be linked to positivity and the light on the right could be linked to mystery and dark themes.

By Georgina Cross

C- The colours on the magazine are very stereotypical to this kind of supernatural horror movie. For example, the colour red connotes the death and destruction that it in the movie. As well as this, it could show the amount of blood that is included in the movie. The dark green colour in the leaves shows that the movie has been shot in some woods which is very stereotypical in a horror movie as they are usually set in similar locations.

F-The font used on the cover on this magazine is not very conventional to the usual magazine promoting this genre. This is because the font is quite normal looking. However the word ‘demon’ is written in a different font which makes it stand out from the rest of the writing on the magazine cover.

I-the image that has been used on the front of the magazine cover is really effective because it is set in the stereotypical location for a horror movie, in the woods. As well as this, because there is a field that looks quite abandoned, one man being stood in it makes it look quite scary and like the person with the camera shouldn’t be there.

LL- The language used on the poster is quite simplistic and uses key words that would relate to the horror movie genre. As well as this, the layout is also quite stereotypical of a horror magazine as it has the main, quite dark images spread across the page with the writing over it.

C- The colours used on this poster are quite different from the previous one because they are much darker and are full of browns, blacks and grey. This connotes the darkness of the movie and it also makes it seem quite mysterious. As well as this, the face on the poster is filled with similar colours which makes it hard to make out.

F- The font used on this poster is quite stereotypical of the horror genre. The thin letters makes the poster look cold and eerie and it also gives a hint to the audience as to what kind of scary movie it is. For example, by the font I would guess that this is a movie that is based around paranormal events, similar of that which we intend to base our trailer around.

I- The main image on this poster is very mysterious as you can’t really make up the main features on their persons face making it difficult to work out what will be going on in the movie. This is good because it keeps the audience interested and makes them want to read it.

LL- The layout is, similar to the last one, stereotypical of the horror genre as the main image takes up the writing on the top of the image. There is not much language used on here and therefore it is makes it seem mysterious as you do not know much about it.

C- The colours used on this poster are similar to the others and are quite dark, using blue’s and other dark colours. The white of the face in the middle makes it stand out from the rest of the page, this is similar to the teeth as they stand out because the inside of her mouth is black and so is the surrounding area.

F- The font used on this magazine is once again similar to the previous ones at the letters are thin and look very cold. As well as this, the tinge of light on the tops of the letters makes it stand out from the rest of the poster, even though the main image is the most eye catching aspect.

I- The main image on the page is the most eye catching aspect. The way that the face takes up the majority of the page is similar to that of the conventional poster for the genre. As well as this, the special effects have been added in really well, especially the glass shattering around it.

LL- There is not much language used on the page but the line at the top of the poster, ‘rest in pieces’ coincides with that in the picture. The layout is similar to that of every other horror poster as there is a background image with the writing layered on the top.

C- The colours on this poster are similar to that which you would find on the conventional poster for this genre. The dark colours such as blue, black and grey add a eerie and mystical feel to the poster itself. However it is different from the conventions in the way that they use orange as the colour for the texts to most probably connote the colour of a pumpkin that you would see on Halloween.

F- The font on this is once again similar to that of the conventional horror movies as it is long and thin. However the word ‘Halloween’ is written in a slightly thicker font which makes it stand out from the page and the conventional poster of the genre.

I- The main image on the page is once again a face that takes up the majority of the page. The colours used on the faces gives a dark and cold feel and it makes the audience question who this face belongs to. As well as this, the knife that is being held up by his face shows that the movie has some violence and may be gruesome.

LL- The language used on here is conventional to that of the genre and also has the tag line written at the top. As well as this, it also has all of the extra information at the bottom of the page which is also conventional to that of the genre.

Bradley Clarke

ColourFontImageLanguageLayout

Bright lighting on one side of child’s face, showing innocence, but the other side of her face is hidden. This is the only light source on the entire image, showing she is the focus.

Majority of space is taken by darker colours and the mother figure.

Mother is dirty, showing possible neglect. Or possibly emphasising how long she has been dead.

Bradley Clarke

Butterflies have connotations of lifelines and playfulness, much like a child, but in this image they are colourless and possible not alive.

Serif font shows femininity and correlates with the name of the movie. The glow around the lettering shows possible purity but it is not bright showing that the subject may not be as pure as it seems.

Lack of text helps keep the enigma codes.

The girl is holding onto the mother, showing there is a strong bond, even if the mother is deceased.

Pitch black takes up the majority of the poster, signifying evil, darkness and mystery.

Colour purple has connotations of mystery and magic. Possibly hinting that there is something to do with these themes in the film.

Tag line is a good example of an enigma code, leads the audience to wonder why this man is going to this house.

The silouette is in a beam of light showing that his identity is secret. The light surrounds him showing his purity.

ColourFontImageLanguageLayoutBradley Clarke

ColourFontImageLanguageLayout

Blood on the saw leads the audience to believe that it was used to sever the hand from its owner

Savage cut from its owner showing it was forced. Blood trickles and spatters also show that they were probably still alive.

Dirty fingers to show that possible imprisonment in a dirty place. Also shows that its owner might not be pure.

Custom font which is in a dark red, with the red giving connotations of danger and blood, and the darker nature giving meanings of evil and darkness.

White background could have connotations of purity but this contrasts with the bloodied saw and the cut off limb.