Horror Poster AnalysisFor the ancillary task, I have to produce a horror promotion poster as well as a magazine cover. I have analysed various horror posters in this PowerPoint to give me a general idea of typical conventions, what works well and what doesn’t. I have chosen three films that include children as main characters as our project is based on a little girl, this will give me an insight on what I have to do to produce a successful ancillary task.

The PossessionMost promotion posters that have celebrity stars include the name at the top of the poster, being the main focus to encourage more people to see it, however this particular one does not hinting the film doesn’t contain any big stars. Instead, the headline ‘based on a true story’ is used to potentially scare the audience, knowing that it’s true would immediately make the film creepier. The focus is image is of the main character. The film has followed typical conventions of a horror film using a girl as the victim, which is seen often as women are seen to be weaker and more vulnerable. The fact the girl is a child also emphasises the innocence and naivety of the character.

The colour scheme of the poster is very dull using only greys and blacks, however works effectively as it looks stereotypically ‘scary’. Usually, a horror poster uses bright colours such as red to signify blood, death and danger. However on this occasion the title is a neutral colour. The font works effectively as it has almost a ‘worn out’ and ‘scratched’ look, making the poster looked damaged. This reflects the state of the young girls mind as she is unaware of her dangerous state.The bottom corners of the poster also looked worn, and almost as if they’ve been ‘scratched’ for effect.

The butterflies are the main focus of the image, juxtaposing the idea of fear as butterflies are meant to be pretty, harmless insects. The colour also does this as butterflies are known to be bright, eccentric colours however the colour has been taken from the poster to juxtapose this. The young girls mouth is opened suggesting that she is distressed, her facial expression looks possessed to reinforce the title ‘The Possession.’ The image looks as though the girl would be screaming (as seen in the trailer) which would give the audience a sense of involvement as they would imagine the scream when they saw the poster.

The tagline is placed right beneath the title to immediately attract the audiences attention as it is the second thing the audience will read on the poster. It fits in with the colour palette as it is the same colour as the title, and all the text on the page. The tagline stands out from the black background which has been done purposely to grab the audience’s attention as well as look extra ‘creepy’.

The release date is shown in a medium sized font, however not too large as it does not want to distract the audience from the main focuses such as the image and title.

The films website is also advertised however in much smaller font, again not to distract from the main focuses, but still giving the audience a sense of ownership as they can visit the website for any more information.

SinisterAgain, there is no huge named celebrities in the film however instead the tagline is used promoting other famous horror films, which will convince the audience that this film will follow the good reputation of the two that have been advertised. The title is centre frame which is effective as it immediately attracts the audiences attention to the name of the film. The font has a smudged effect, almost as if the font is dripping down the wall, which is stereotypical as most horror posters use edgy fonts. The little girl is dressed in white pyjamas, which highlights her innocence and vulnerability as well as the fact she’s a child. The colour scheme is quite dull however the image of the man is red, signifying blood and danger, the dull colour scheme makes this stand out more.

The black coloured font immediately stands out from the dull white/grey background image. The title is very simple but extremely effective as the font looks as though its dripping down the wall, like blood would do, as well as the name of the film highlighting the horror to come. The tagline appears underneath the heading, which reinforces the title ‘Sinister’ as ‘nothing can save you’ which immediately establishes the genre. The fact that whatever it is has not been named, and is referred to as ‘him’ creates wonder and mystery for the audience making them want to watch the film to find out who he is. The use of fonts are effective as even though they are simple, they fit very well with the focus images

This is the main focus image on the poster. The image of ‘him’ is painted in blood which suggests danger, blood, death, passion and evil. The fact the blood had dripped down the wall fits well with the font used for the title. The image of ‘him’ is frightening which would provoke those of the target audience to want to see it more, even though there hasn’t been much information given about him or who he is. The image stands out extremely well against the white background, making it the main focus for the whole poster. The film tape hints something more to the audience, making them wonder why it’s there or what it’s got to do with the film, making them even more eager to see the film.

Looking at the image, the girls appearance immediately suggests naivety and innocence. Her stereotypical ‘cuteness’ would make the audience wonder why she’s painted the image. Her white pyjamas highlight her purity, emphasising the fact she’s only a young child. The fact she’s only a little girl is very conventional of a horror film as women and young children are often used because they appear weaker than the male, making them an easier target for the villain.

This is obviously a teaser poster as there is no specific release date, this teaser element is used to involve the audience in the distribution process as now they have been attracted to the poster, intrigued to see the film they will then seek the exact release date online or at the cinema. The official website for the film is advertised at the very bottom of the poster, the font is kept very small so that it doesn’t distract the audience from the main focuses of the poster however people that are interested in seeing the film can seek more information by visiting the site, as well as being able to watch teaser trailers and such. This allows the audience to be involved in the digital distribution of the film.

The poster advertises a big named celebrity immediately catching the audiences eye, this will make the audience and fans of the actress eager to see it. The poster’s colour scheme is very dull, using blacks browns and whites which isn’t as typical for a horror poster as usually they include colours such as red to signify blood, evil and danger. The tagline at the top, like with the Sinister poster, is advertising another successful film made by the director of this one, encouraging the audience to go and see it as they will believe this will have as good as reputation as the film advertised. Again this poster features a young child which is a typical horror movie victim as they are seen as weak and an easy victim, as well as women. The title is very plain and simple, but works well against the dark background.

The use of simple fonts works well with the poster as it is as if the font is ‘glowing’ kind of like the mothers spirit. However, the use of the font doesn’t establish the genre very clearly. The name of the main actress appears above the title as that is the first thing the company wants the audience to see, giving the movie ‘star factor’ and a general better reputation. The tagline ‘A mother’s love is forever.’ fits with the title ‘Mama’ hinting to what the film is about however it is mysterious as the audience aren’t sure what’s happened to the mother and child.

The main image is different to that of other horror posters, and is not typical of the genre. Like The Possession, the butterflies have had the colour drained from them juxtaposing with the genre as butterflies are supposed to be harmless and ‘pretty’. The main focus is of the little girl as the light is shining on her face, her appearance appears vulnerable as her expression is sad. The body next to her contrasts with the little girl as it is dirty, dull and grubby looking, suggesting that the women standing next to her is her dead mother. The fact the poster has no release date advertised suggests it is just a teaser poster.