POSTER OVERVIEW

The following posters are made to promote the horror films within the supernatural/possession sub-genre. I will be comparing the posters by finding the common feature in each of them which will allow me to establish repeated patterns.

All six posters follow the general convention of a film poster such as; large title font, which is the most important text in the frame, a main image which also dominates the poster signifying that the person in image is the main character in the film, a slogan that attach the image and also anything horrific imagery that will show that it is a horror film.

We see a repeated pattern of the character in the image looking directly at the camera which gives a connection between the poster and the audience because they will feel that the image is aiming right for their attention for example ‘The woman in Black’ poster the main image is a close up of the character looking directly at the camera, though his face is very faint the focus is on the colour of his which is bright blue, making it even more interactive. There is also another image, except this time it is a horrific imagery that gives the audience the idea that this is in fact a horror film poster; the ghostly image is behind the main image which gives the impression that the next victim is the audience. However ‘The Possession’ poster has no direct eye contact with the audience because the main image is facing the opposite direction, though the horrific imagery that is presented in this is a distort hand reaching out from someone’s mouth. The suggestion is that in supernatural/possession films the main focus is that the supernatural element of the narrative is the very significant in order to carry out a successful horror film of this sub-genre.

With all the posters, there is a variety of camera shots used; long, close up and medium close up shot. This shows that within the genre of horror there are many different types that can be found in order to suite each fan. When a medium/close up, it is because they want to focus on the main image but also its surroundings so that it will give the audience an idea of what the film will involve for example with the ‘Insidious’ poster the main image is of a young child, in the background of this a house; though the main attraction of the poster is the character of the poster, if the audience were drawn by the main they will want to gain more information of the film so therefore their attention will then lead to the background which is of house.

Along with the typography of the font, they are all uppercase however not all of them are serif; for the poster which use serif fonts, they seem as if they appeal to an older audience because they look professional and sincere which therefore shows that the following films are authentic which gives a feel of fear for the reason that it will give the idea that the film is very petrifying which will then fulfil its full a horror potential. However posters such a ‘The Woman In Black’ and ‘Insidious’ use a sans serif typography which give them a slight different fell to the poster due to the fact that it does not distract you from the main image of the poster which is of a significant character in the film. For instance with ‘The woman in black’ the main character is important on the poster because he is a famous actor who known worldwide, so therefore this will allow the film to gain a wider audience whether they are horror film admirers or not they will be open to go and watch the film simply because of the actor that is placed on the poster. Together with the ‘Insidious’ poster, the main character is placed on the poster because throughout the film he is the most significant character consequently the typography does not stand in the way of the audience getting to know the character before they watch the film. There is a common pattern which has been followed though all of the posters, which the destruction of the typeface. For instance with ‘The Possession’ poster the typography looks like scratched surface; this gives a basic tendency possession sub-genre films because usually when someone is possessed by an evil spirit they tend to scratch a piece of equipment or even do damage to their body having said that, the poster illustrates a characteristic of a person being through the use of the typeface. This is also presented in the ‘Sinister’ poster, where the typeface looks like the colour of the font is saturated down the walls, which gives it a supernatural atmosphere.

All of the following supernatural/possession horror posters feature a tagline. This helps to entice the audience because their curiosity of the film develops which them will convince them to watch the film. For instance the tagline for the devil inside reads ‘No soul is safe’ this contradicts the main image which is of a nun because they are seen as holy people so for that tagline to say is definitely going to terrify the audience meanwhile a holy person cannot save themselves from an evil spirit how is an ordinary person going to do that. So unquestionably it will place the fear into the audience. Alongside with the ‘Insidious’ tagline which reads ‘it’s not the house that’s haunted’ this gives the impression that perhaps the child on the poster is the demented one, he may have been possessed. This has also picked on something that may come as a surprise to the audience because children are seen to be innocent beings and to be involved in something this evil is fear-provoking. The tagline also leaves a sense of curiosity in the audience because they are left with the unknown, it provokes them to go watch the movie in order to find out what exactly is haunted.