HORROR FILM POSTER RESEARCH

HORROR FILM POSTERS
Part of my FMP involves producing a poster for the proposed film. In order to produce one that both represents what the film is and is unique, I need to look at previous film posters to evaluate what makes a good horror film poster.

A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010)

CONVENTIONS OF HORROR FILM POSTERS
CLOSE-UP OF THE ANTAGONIST'S FACE
Throughout the many years of cinema, there have been a lot of generic patterns of how horror film posters have been presented, such as posters with a large close-up of the antagonist's face surrounded in shadow.

Annabelle (2014)

 This presentation of the poster immediately shows the audience what the villain looks like and gives an indication of the atmosphere of the film.
A lot of film posters conform to this layout, which proves that this type of poster appeals to a lot of people. This type of layout is a popular choice of layout for film-makers for several reasons. Some of these reasons could be as follows:
> It is a conventional approach to horror posters, making it easily recognisable as a horror film to the audience.
> It clearly presents the main villain of the film, which could incite the first sparks of fear in the audience.

One Missed Call (2008)

> It has a aesthetically appealing look to it.

Orphan (2009)

There are other ways in which horror film posters are laid out, but a lot of posters lean towards this layout. This would suggest that it is a popular design layout and one I could consider when designing mine, although, in order to produce something unique, I could also steer clear of this layout.















DARK COLOUR SCHEME
The pattern of using a dark colour palette in horror film posters stem from the fact that the films themselves are often very dark in atmosphere and context. Many of the colours used in the poster reflect the content of the film- for instance, black and other darkened colours are often associated with shadows, night and fear.

Mama (2013)

 Poltergeist (1982)

Different sub-genres are associated with different colours. Slasher films, gore horror, and other sub-genres of that ilk commonly use colours such as red and black. The red is associated with blood and death and the black is associated with fear and shadows.

In regards to my project, my idea resembles that of a supernatural or psychological horror. This is when the antagonists are portrayed as spirits/ghosts. For my poster(s), a dark colour scheme could be used to reflect the themes in the proposed film.