Horror Movie Poster Analysis Amber Thomson

The GrudgeThere is a limited colour palette and the most prevalent colour in the poster is black which implies danger, death and gives the impression she is surrounded by darkness. ‘The Grudge’ is written in the colour red which has connotations of blood. The font of the title looks distressed which is a typical horror story convention. Since the background is black the title stands out. ‘Sarah Michelle Gellar’ is mentioned which would appeal to her fans and would draw more attention to the film. By hiding most of the face and only showing her eye makes her look more mysterious and suggests that she is hiding something. The eye is the most vulnerable part of the body so by only showing that it could imply that she is vulnerable. By having the eye wide shows fear and could indicate that she is watching us. The tagline ‘It never forgives. It never forgets’ would attract an audience as they would want to find what ‘it’ is and why it never ‘forgives’ or ‘forgets’. The white colour of the tag line stands out and is very noticeable in contrast with the black background. The release date is made very clear as it is written in red which also stands out against the black.

The UnbornIn this poster the female doesn’t look very old and is wearing little clothing showing that she is a stereotypical vulnerable victim which would attract a larger male audience. The young boy shown in the mirror would also make the audience wonder who he is and why he is there. The position of the boy in the mirror makes it look as though the audience is the boy and is watching the women. The colours in this poster are drained which gives the impression that the has been drained out of somebody. The tagline ‘evil will do anything to live’ suggests that whatever the ‘evil’ is merciless. The title ‘the unborn’ is written in white shadowed writing which could imply that the antagonist is a ghost or spirit.

Paranormal Activity

In this poster the young girl is turned away from the camera which keeps her identity hidden. Since she is the only person in shot it could suggest that she is the main character. The hole in the wall could imply there is another world beyond her bedroom which is most likely ‘the ghost dimension’ mentioned in the title. The title ‘Paranormal Activity The Ghost Dimension’ reinforces the fact that there is a supernatural element to the film as there is a ‘ghost dimension’. The red colour of the title is a trademark of the paranormal activity films as they are used in every film. The tagline ‘for the first time you will see the activity’ could make the audience more likely to see the film as they are going to be more involved. The lighting is a blue colour which gives the impression there is a supernatural element.