Poster Analyses

Friday the 13th

This is the poster for the first ‘Friday the 13^th’ film. The fact that it is a poster for the first film shows that the audience are unaware of the plot and characters and what they look like. This factor allows the creators to add mystery to the poster and play with how much they give away. It also means that there is a small amount of pressure to make this first poster have an impact on the audience to captivate them first-hand.

Focusing on the layout, the composition of this poster outlines the character of the villain as the main feature. Having just the one character in the middle of the poster emphasises his importance and shows the audience his significance in the film. This feature could symbolise his dominance as a character, as he is the only one present and also to make him seem intimidating towards the audience. The setting behind the villain is the forest which indicates a desolate setting which is perfect for a horror film as it gives the sense of no one is there to help the victims.

The shots used for this poster and the use of camera angles are used in a way to reflect the character in the poster to be the ultimate villain. The camera has typically been placed low down and uses a high angled shot to capture the villain in a way to make him seem taller, therefore more intimidating. The light from the background shines lightly through the trees and therefore creates a silhouette effect on the character. This added with the mask has the effect of mystery on the villain’s identity, and can also play on the audience’s mind regarding ‘who can you trust’ and ‘you aren’t safe’.

The most dominant colour in this poster is black which is typically conventional in the horror genre as it conforms to death, mystery, sadness, loneliness and fear. The darkness helps a lot with creating the mood of being isolated and afraid. Also the shadow covers most of the character and makes half of his face unable to be seen. This adds to the mystery of who the villain actually is, and who to be afraid of.  Also red is used in the title, indicating blood and death and to help the title stand out more to the audience.

The costume and props used in this poster includes some quite iconic props. For example the mask worn by the villain is iconic because it is a hockey mask. This will then be remembered by the audience throughout the other films, and makes an image for himself. The fact that a mask is used is to protect the villain’s identity and to perhaps create the suspense of who the villain is and will he be uncovered in the film? Another prop used in this poster is the blade in his right hand. A villain is nearly always paired with a weapon, so for the character to be holding a weapon immediately tells the audience that he is a villain and is dangerous. It also indicates that the use of this weapon means that the film may contain blood and gore and typical conventions of the horror genre.

The Ring

This poster is for ‘The Ring’ and was made in 2002. The focus of the film is a video tape that mysteriously causes death to anyone who views it within a week. The ring appears on the screen and then people begin to die, so to tie in this factor of the film to the poster, the ring has been shown on the poster.

The content of this poster isn’t typically conventional in terms of the horror genre, as the villain isn’t shown, neither are the victims. The only thing present besides the title and tagline is the image of the ring. This tells the audience that this image has a huge significance in the film as it is what the audience needs to focus on the most.

The colour scheme helps with this factor as well, being only black and white, a complete black background and then the white ring and writing makes the title and image stand out. Also the connotation of the white/blue colour of the ring symbolises supernatural and paranormal happenings as it used in most posters and films to indicate the use of ghosts and spirits and possessions etc. The simplicity of the poster adds an eerie effect to the poster, and supports the idea of how mysterious it is that a ring could be so dangerous. Also, there are faded white lines going across the poster, which simulates the idea of watching a video tape.  This ties in with the film and gives the audience a subtle hint as to what kind of thing they are about to see. It is very cleverly done.

The font used for the title is all in lower case and looks handwritten. This could be to emphasise the creepiness and how children are also affected in this film. The lower case could represent how smaller and insignificant details could have more of an effect on the audience as it is more left to their imagination and subconscious that is frightening, rather than bold  letters and bright colour and blood and gore which is fear being planted into the audience’s minds. This poster leaves a lot to the imagination.

Also, the idea of this film being an image which causes death when viewed could play on the mind of the audience in the sense that once they have finished watching the film, they themselves could feel like the victims as they have been exposed to this image a number of times throughout the film. It then leads them to question the film and leaves them with the feeling of telling themselves ‘it was only a film…’ which supports the purpose of horror films which is to scare the audience.

Nightmare on Elm Street

By looking at the poster, it is clear to see that the colour red is a dominant factor. This colour has many connotations and is good to use when signifying danger, death, blood and fear. The light outlining the villain in the poster is tinted red, connoting that the figure is the villain. Another key use of red in the poster is the font colour. This technique has been used for many other horror posters as red stands out as evil more than most colours.

Another good point to notice is the composition of the figures in the poster. The victim is in the foreground and looks vulnerable with her shoulders up. She has also been blacked out so she can’t be seen, which could signify that she is in no position to be saved as she isn’t standing out. Also, the fact that she is lower down could symbolise the inferior position she has in terms of the villain having more power, and she is weaker. Typically, the victim is female which conforms to Propp’s character types as having a stereotypical ‘damsel in distress’.  The villain’s pose over the girl is intimidating and sinister, which is a good indication of his status as the villain. The hat and bladed glove is also a good signifier as to which character he is, and becomes iconic to the audience because of it. The fact that he is silhouetted with the red light behind him acts as a good mask to cover his identity and adds an element of mystery to his character. He has been placed behind the victim to create tension and make the audience feel anxious for the girl in the front as she can’t see him, but the audience can.

The setting is also a good point to address, in terms of it being a hallway of a house, with no escape if the villain is blocking the way out. This adds to the vulnerability of the victim as she has no escape from him. Also, a hallway could resemble an alleyway, which is a stereotypical setting for bad things to happen in horror films, which demonstrates a typical convention of the horror genre being present in this poster, along with other ones.

The type of font being used for the title of the film has some dirty effects in terms of looking grubby. As the fans will know, Freddy Krueger’s costume resembles this grubby effect, which could demonstrate a link to the title and the villain. Along with the colour red being a dominant factor in his costume too, it plays a key part in the whole poster to balance it out and portray to the audience that blood and danger features a lot in this film – a typical horror trait.