Conventions of a horror poster

There are a variety of codes and conventions that are tied to media publications that define them and differentiate them from other publications.

In particular, film posters of the horror genre predominantly employ the use the colour scheme of white, red and black. This is to convey a sinister quality, thus helping to promote the product of a horror film. Sometimes a lack of colour can be effective too as it could connote death or a sense of emptiness.

 

The horror poster often has edges that are considerably darker compared to the centre of the poster, the purpose of this is to put more focus on the central image, and to also add a shadow effect. I plan to incorporate this using a vignette effect as I believe in following the conventions of a horror poster. Furthermore, most posters, regardless of genre, follow the rule of thirds. This involves having the title of the film positioned in either the top or bottom of the poster, the main image placed in the middle, and the billing block and release date situated on the bottom of the poster. By applying the rule of thirds to my poster, it will make it much more attractive and approachable for my film's target audience, compared to a poster that does not follow the rule of thirds (below).

 

The poster displayed on the left does not follow the rule of thirds, therefore it looks slightly unprofessional and displeasing to the eye. Although the person who created this poster may have decided to be unconventional for artistic reasons, I feel with movies and their products and publications, you have to persist with the codes and conventions as your aim is to please your target audience. The poster of Behind Enemy Lines shows the importance of positioning in posters; in my opinion, I think it is very busy and that there is a lot happening in the lower half of the poster. There are several images used, if the creator of this poster wanted to fill the entire frame, they should have chose one large picture as several little ones may be overlooked by the audience.

 



 





Other key conventions of a poster include a release date for the film. This is a vital piece of information as it is used to create intrigue. It is typically situated at the bottom of the poster, and is in a much larger and bolder font than the billing block as it more important for the audience to read. Often, when the release date is not known when the advertisement is produced, "coming soon" will be put on the poster instead. This means that those who take an interest in the film will have to wait until it is released, therefore making them excited to see it. This will most likely result in the audience researching the film and regularly checking the film website to see when it will be released.

 

Lastly, but certainly not least, we have the main image. This will always reflect something that is significant to the narrative, be it the antagonist, protagonist, location, or weapon. The image will generally feature some form of horrific imagery, which may be obvious or subtle. The image will take up the whole frame, and when it doesn't there should be a blank space of colour to emphasise the main features of the image. For my poster, I plan to establish my main image through a wide shot in the centre of the poster, and have the remainder to be red blank space. This will produce a sense of enigma, and also an unsettling atmosphere, which is typical to the psychological horror genre.