Print Based Analysis- Horror Film Posters

The Conjuring Film Poster



 

In this simplistic yet effective film poster, the image is centralised and is therefore immediately  the main focus point for the audience. The girl sitting on the rocking chair in this extreme long shot is facing away from the audience. The fact that we cant see her face adds an element of mystery and horror because it suggests that she perhaps has something to hide- a typical trait of a horror film protagonist. In contrast you can see the dolls face that she is holding which seemingly has a cynical, guilty smile on her face which has a creepy and uncomfortable effect to it especially as she is a doll. The girls clothes look very ragged and old fashioned which gives her a ghostly, lifeless look which could be suggestive of her role in the film.

The overall look of the poster is very dark and eerie which is predominantly because of the small variety of dull colours used. Stereotypically, dark colours are used in the promotion of horror films to portray the dark themes that are apparent in such films.

 The main background colours used are black and a grey/white colour. A large proportion of horror films revolve around darkness and such themes, so the dark low-key lighting that is used in this poster clearly connotes the horror genre.

All of the text has been cleverly put in a white font. Not only does this stand out against a dark background, but the colour white connotes life, death and ghostly persons. The text on the poster has been kept to a minimum- only giving you essential information so that your attention isn't deterred away from this or the image.

At the top of the poster it reads 'From the director of Saw and insidious.' This association with other well know, successful horror films will entice the audience and make them interested in not only the poster but the film also as they are aware of the directors previous work.

Text that is in bold on the poster includes the title of the film 'The Conjuring', 'Coming Soon' and 'Based on the true case files of The Warrens.' It is important for all the pieces of text to be in bold because it is essential information that needs to catch the readers eye. Furthermore, the fact that the audience is given the information that this film is based on a true case file immediately heightens the horror element in this film as it makes it more true to life and therefore making the audience want to watch it.

Insidious Chapter 2 Film Poster

   This film poster is even more simplistic than The Conjuring as it features a lot less text which I think makes it more effective. This is because I find myself immediately drawn to the image and the title of the film which presumably was the creators intentions.

The background image has been produced in a grey scale effect which makes the overall look very dark and sinister. The predominant colours are black and grey- which are colours often associated with the horror genre because of their obvious dark and scary connotations. Similarly to The Conjuring poster, the person in the image is looking away from the audience which equally suggests a element of secrecy to the film. The child also looks as if it is heading towards a dark abyss which adds the element of the unknown, especially for the audience which adds in the fear factor that horror films aim to achieve.
The image is of a small child which seems to be an apparent theme throughout the horror genre. The use of such a vulnerable person (a small child) creates a juxtaposition for the audience. This is because the innocence associated with children is put into question when it is put into a situation typical of a horror film.

The slatted wooden floorboards are not the main focus point of the film poster, however I think they have particular significance. Often in horror films there are moments of silence where the antagonist is seen to be hiding from someone. This is often unsuccessful though due to such things as squeaky floorboards which gives them away to the protagonist.

I think that the poster acknowledges the audience by involving them through various techniques. Firstly, in the tag line 'It will take what you love the most' the word 'will' stems under deontic modality which shows a real certainty that what they are suggesting, will definitely happen. Also the second person pronoun 'you' immediately directs itself at the audience which isolates each reader into thinking that the poster is directed at them. This is effective because it really grips the reader and makes them think which is one thing that a horror film, I believe aims to achieve.

The lettering of the title is very bold and predominant on the page which could come across as quite intimidating and powerful as it takes a lot of dominance over the page. The white writing stands out against the black background making it easy for the audience to read, whilst one again signalling connotations of ghostly figures that could be apparent in the film. 'SI' and '2' are in a bold red colour which makes them stand out compared to the other text whilst suggesting that in particular 'SI' is of particular significance in this film. The blood like red colour connotes danger and horror which indicates to the audience that this will be prevalent in the film.
The date is also in red at the bottom making it stand out. more importantly though, this poster indicates that the film will be released on Friday the 13th. This is a date that is widely known as being unlucky, therefore the release date is furthering the genre of this film by adding another element of horror.

Finally, I think that the uses of #INSIDIOUS is important on the film poster because it involving a wider mass audience by including social media on the poster.

 

Sinister Film Poster

 

Similarly to the other film posters, this one also only feature one character on the front who we assume to be a lead protagonist role in the film. Once again, you cannot see her face suggesting she has something to hide and is perhaps a more sinister character (as suggested in the film title), which contrasts with the innocence and vulnerability that is associated with girls of her young age. The background colours used are not black and dark like the other posters; instead the backdrop of the poster is white with a cracked effect in the wall. The colour white connotes purity and innocence- two things that are often associated with children. However, in this horror film it would perhaps suggest more ghostly and supernatural themes.
The girl on the cover is in pyjamas which I think could either be representational of night time or her state of mind. We often associate horror films with darkness, therefore leading to them often being set in darkness or at night time. Furthermore, you often see children in pyjamas when they are in hospitals, so in this psychological horror film, hospitalisation and her state of mind come into question in the film.
Slatted, wooden floorboards are also featured in this horror film. So as mentioned in the previous analysis of Insidious, this could be representational of a part of the film where an antagonist character is trying to hide from the protagonist.

 

'From the producer of Paranormal Activity and Insidious' is featured at the top of the poster and it is becoming apparent that this is a common techniques that film posters endure. Sinister, through this technique, has been associated with highly accredited psychological films. Therefore, this association with such films immediately puts a first good impression of the film in the readers minds.                                                           

 

The blood that is being scraped along the wall by the girl instantly gives away to the audience the genre of this film; horror. The fact that there is a demonic face within this blood makes the image even more impacting and terrifying, especially as it looks like it is looking straight at you. The image directly coincides with the strap line ' Once you see him, nothing can save you.' The use of the second person pronoun once again directly addresses each audience member which involves them in the film straight away and immediately adds an element of fear before they have even watched the film.