Horror Themed Posters

Posters are a crucial  element in the advertising segment of film distribution. They inform the audience about the premise and atmosphere of the film. This poster, advertising the independent Australian horror film The Loved Ones, is an excellent example of this. The basic plot of the film surrounds a rejected female prom date who kidnaps and tortures the man who "broke her heart." The poster is unusual as it does not appear, at first, to be a horror film. Its primary colour scheme consists "girly" colours, mainly pink, purple, red,   and lavender blue. The connotations of these colours are generally ones of affection, comfort, warmth, childishness and perhaps innocence. This gives the film an additional edge, as it plays on a conventional teenage activity; going to a prom, being turned into something hellish. Near the bottom of the poster, the colours become darker and more typical of a standard horror poster, and one first notices the blood on Lola's hands. The photograph depicting the couple indicate the target audience; young adults.


In this case, a song, the same one of whom I analyzed the music video for, has been transformed into such a similar poster. The tag line, which is very typical of a film, is a a lyric from the song. Show Them All You're Not The Ordinary Type. Although the song is very upbeat and has nothing to do with murder, it can be alternatively interpreted as demonstrated by this poster. Interestingly, when the song was first released, it was believed that it was about murdering a bandmate that left the band. However, the band refuted this, stating that this was not the case. Anyhow, the title gives a 'horrific' impression. The lyrics of the song also feature typical words associated with the horror genre. May your feet serve you well/And the rest be sent to Hell. This can been seen in poster via the hand print, perhaps suggesting a person attempting to escape from the 'Hell', be metaphysical or intrinsic. The birds may in contrast suggest a release or a flight from danger. If I retreat/ Words, wars, and symphonies/ Make room we're taking over here would seem to support this.

This is probably my favorite film poster. I like the fact that the tag line 'orders' the viewer to think about 'something frightening', indicating that the film holds a similar premise and that the film may be more that it appears in terms of just simple killing. The poster's colour scheme is very effective. The monochrome background is a brilliant contrast to the blood red title with the devils numbers written inside. The child's shadow being in the shape of a wolf suggests an unharnessed evil. It combines both the attributes of a warrior and the devil. Furthermore The wolf's residence is a forest, dark, impenetrable and lonely, antithesis of reality.  The wolf was especially evil in the folklore, literature, and Church teachings of medieval Europe, as seen in the story of "Red Riding Hood." Early Biblical sources present a contrast between the wolf symbolizing bloodshed and destruction versus the symbol of the wolf and the lamb lying down together representing peace and the coming Messianic rule, connecting to the "childlike" and more pleasant qualities, as reflected by the poster. Also, the use of a noun indicates importance, "it may be The Omen" and highlights the danger associated with it. It also makes it personal to the viewer, creating a sense of fear with in them.