Analyzing Horror Movie Posters!...

Scream 4

Advertises the production company; Ghost Face

Black backgrounds are typical on horror posters, here it helps the scream mask stand out

The image is simple, the scream mask alone is enough to sell the film as its part of a big franchise.The scream mask is also iconic within the horror genre

Two short sentences emphasize the fact that it’s a new film from the franchise. Text is red which connotes blood.

The release date is also in red, and again connotes blood.

Name of the film ‘Scre4m’ is the biggest text on the poster, this makes it eye catching. The number ‘4’ replaces the letter ‘a’ to reinforce the fact that it’s the 4th film in the series

InsidiousMain image is of the main character; a young boy who is possessed. The boy does not look normal, he looks evil and disturbed. Little evil children are a popular villains in horror films.

In the background of the image is a traditional house. These types of houses feature in almost all horror films, because of this the images connotes a haunted/spooky house.

The strap-line promotes the directors and stars of the film.

Release date stands out from the rest of the text as it’s a bigger font.

Here the production company is promoted as we are shown the names of other successful films they have produced – paranormal activity.

The name of the film is the biggest text on the poster, this makes it stand out. The name is also vertical, this along with the rest of the horizontal text makes an image across the boys body.

OrphanThis head-line creates mystery, the font of the text is plain and white, this creates even more suspicion.

The image on the poster is of the villain; Esther. She’s wearing Victorian style clothing and her eyes are black, this informs us that theres something very evil about her which increases our suspicions.

The name of the film is very eye catching. It looks like it has been scratched in using a nail. Also the font of the text is very childlike, this corresponds with the image on the poster

The strap-line is very similar to the headline, however in this case its a question towards the audience, this emphasizes the mystery around this strange girl.The sentence is also in red, this connotes blood and suggests that there may be a death in the film.

Paranormal activityThe headline on this poster is a review of the film, this helps promote it.

The image on the poster is taken from the actual film. In it we can see a recording of the two main characters in fear of something, we can't however see what is making them scared, this raises suspicion and creates mystery.

This text is a question, the purpose of it is to scare the reader.

The strap-line is informing the audience, it gives them information on what to do if their local cinema is not showing the film.

The name of the film is big and bold, its in the colour red, this connotes blood and may suggest that blood is drawn during the film.

The Grudge

This sentence refers to the mysterious girl in the image as ‘it’, this informs us that although it looks human its actually something else (something inhuman). It also creates mystery as we want to find out what ‘it’ is.

The image on this poster is very mysterious, all we can see is what appears to be a section of a girls face, her eyes are black and wide open, this informs us that theres something wrong with her – she may be possessed. The image is also in black and white, this is very effective as it increases the impact of the image.

The strap-line promotes the directors, producers and stars in the film.

The name of the film is bold and in red, which represents blood. The colour of the name also contrasts the rest of the poster which is in black and white. The font is very effective as it re-enforces the genre of the film.