Codes and conventions of horror movie posters

horror poster conventions

1. Codes and conventions of horror movie posters By Mahfuza

2. Colours Horror movie posters usually contain the colour black, which identifies it as part of the horror genre. If a poster is of an eye, like the movie ‘Unforgettable’, then they usually exaggerate this image. For example, editing it to make the pupil of the eye more bigger to create tension and fear. This is to show that the character is traumatized and frightened of something. The colour of the eye is more noticeable as it is edited brighter for the colour to be noticed. The titles tend to be white / cream / yellow / red depending on the sub-genres and the plotline. It could even be blue. It varies a lot.

3. Setting and layout Many horror film posters include the setting of the movie in the poster. For example the ‘Insidious’ poster and ’The Last House On The Left’. These settings are often houses/old mansions and are very old, dark and gloomy. It creates the atmosphere of horror because of hour scary the house looks itself. A dark and empty house is scary, especially f you are on your own. This also creates mysteriousness. The poster usually consists of the victim at the front and the killer at the back, or just the killer itself. Usually this is a close up picture. T he main image is of either a person or an object.

4. Camera, editing & mise - en -scene Usually, for example, if the main image is of a house or a person’s face, a low angled camera shot is used to create a scary atmosphere and to create suspense and tension. The addition of low-key lighting creates this effect more and identifies it as the horror genre. This tells the audience what to be scared of in the film and hints at what the problem is. The weather attributes to this effect. It is usually a dark, gloom and rainy atmosphere, maybe with lighting sometimes.

5. Codes and conventions of a psychological horror movie poster Sub - genre conventions - Mahfuza

6. Colours Most psychological horror posters follow the colour code of red, black and white. This is a convention of horror posters, where red connotes blood, danger and killing, black connotes darkness and death, and white connotes pure, which could mean that it’s always a pure / good person who gets attacked or possessed, or whatever the plot is related to. The title could have separate words in different colours and fonts to show the distorted mind relating to a psychological horror movie.

7. Lighting The background is often dark, if not black with grey tones. The low key lighting tends to come from one side of the poster. Little lighting creates enigma and climax. It adds to the code of the poster relating to horror and psychological because horror movies are based in the dark/ the majorit y of the action happens in the dark.

8. Layout and font The poster usually consists of the victim at the front and the killer at the back, or just the killer itself. Usually this is a close up picture or a close up of the eye to be recognised as a psychological horror sub-genre. The font tends to be either white or red which relates to the common colour convention of the genre, and this also makes the titles and credits (if any) stand out in the poster. For example it the poster said ‘featuring Wes Craven’ then the targeted audience would be more likely to watch it because they know who the actor/actress is and will then be persuaded to watch the film. This creates a mass audience and shows that a poster can be successful in order to get people to watch a film.

9. Camera, editing & mise - en -scene Close up shots are usually used, for example the close up of an eye. This acts as a direct mode of address to the audience and makes them want to watch the movie as it creates an enigma of finding out who the character is and what the plotline is. Close ups also show the characters feelings and emotions which makes their target audience want to find out more. As with the eye example before, they are edited. This creates enigma as the original image then becomes unnatural and the target audience would want to find out more. They would ask questions such as ‘why is the eye like this?’ ‘What is scaring them?’ and ‘What is the plotline to the movie?’