Horror Poster Analysis (3)

Halloween is an American Horror film surrounding the mentally insane ‘Michael Myers’. It was directed by John Carpenter and was released on the 25^th October 1978. The prominent colours that stand out immediately are the dark orange and pitch darkness surrounding it.  This blackness connotes the darkness and fear. The harrowing title ‘the night he came home’ is a classic horror phrase allowing the audience to immediately identify with the horror genre. The image itself also gives of a clear horror vibe. Halloween is the first hint. A holiday dedicated to horror… Couldn’t hit the nail any harder! The creepy pumpkin mask from the darkness is another clear indicator to the audience that this is indeed a horror. The use of a mask and its associated horror is a good indicator for the film. Then comes the staple prop of every horror from scream to…well Halloween, the knife. The biggest symbol, by far, that screams horror. This immediate use of iconography instantly appeals to its target audience, its bland background and stereotypical, conventional features make it easy to associate with the horror genre.

Horror Poster Analysis (2)

Shaun of the dead is another comedy horror released on the 24^th September 2009. It was directed by Edgar Wright, and written by both him and Simon Pegg. The dominant colours in this image are both red and black. The connotations of both of these colours immediately allow the audience to get a sense of feeling for the movie. The red obviously connotes evil and death while the black compliments nicely with darkness and despair. The text however is the next big clue in also understanding that the film is a comedy too. ‘A romantic Comedy. With zombies’.  This phrase is so ridiculous that to see it as anything other than funny banter would be stupid. This silly sentence is the first hint that the film to come will be a comedy. Another hint that this is a horror is once again the text itself. ‘Shaun of the dead’ not only has a bloodied hand in the title, but also has a zombie holding up a critics review. If that doesn’t scream horror satire, I’m not sure what does. The Image is also a very good indicator into what the film is all about. Three average people wielding typically British things as weapons, all whilst in a tie?  The clear use of props, conventional to the genre, and the general gore mise en-scene screams comedy-horror and when coupled alongside a few hundred zombies trying to squeeze into the frame it’s made extremely clear that the film will be a comedy fuelled, zombie splatting couple of hours.  The bright lighting is also a good indicator that it is a comedy as the lack of darkness leads the audience to believe it can’t be all conventional scare. We also have Propp’s conventional character types, with the guy at the front as the protagonist, his helper on one side, and the eye candy on the other, conforming to Laura Mulvey’s male gaze theory. The fact it is also made by Working Title also adds a sense of authority to the movie as they are well established, following Andrea Bazin’s ‘genius of the system’.

Magazine Cover Analysis (3)

Entertainment Weekly Magazine is a Film and Television magazine. The image used here is interesting as the colours help to give a good flow to the magazine. Once again the title is placed behind the main image which is a good editing decision as it allows the audience upon first glance to see the main point now interest before anything else. The Blue is also good as it complements the yellow font, which is made even more powerful as the colour allows it to stand out, thus drawing the attention of the reader to their specific subject of choice. The main image is constructed well. The mid shot and body language shows intimacy between the characters and lead us to believe the most emphasised character is our protagonist (right) while the other plays a key role within the narrative of the piece.  We could also say that the character (left) could appeal to Laura Mulveys male gaze theory, to try and attract a broader male audience, while the same could be said for the protagonist (right) and women. 

Magazine Cover Analysis (2)

Total Film Magazine is a film magazine. The colour used here is very interesting and works very well. The greys, blues and whites help give the magazine a sense of uniform. This is good as the movie in question/ being promoted is represented by a uniformed character, helping to push the intrigue onto him and the film he represents. This magazine also utilizes space well as it is not cluttered, boring the reader with pre-paid ad’s everywhere, whilst still highlighting points of interest without interfering with the main image, and story it represents. The background is also good. The shadow adds a layer of mystery to the magazine that readers will be keen to uncover. The image is good as well as it appears controversial (Someone depicting a historical person or ideology) that readers will be keen to find out about.  The bottom text also works well. By pitting top actors against each other they invite a broader audience in (The actor’s fans) all hoping to see their favourite the champion. The mise-en-scene of the image is also done well. The German uniform and eye patch establishes him as our comic book antagonist and draws the reader in. 

Magazine Cover Analysis (1)

This is the front cover of Empire Magazine, a British Film magazine.  The font used here is very interesting as it is unlike any other issue. A real usp for Empire is the creative control both the journalists and editors have. The fact that each issue is designed differently means that each month their audience receive a new and fresh experience.  The positioning of text and images is also key in quickly helping to establish this as an entertainment magazine.  The fact the main image is place in front of the head title means that the audience’s attention is drawn straight to the photo, allowing them to make instant links to the industry and reach there designated target audience much faster than those who have no focus. The size of the image also helps as it hits you straight away.  This is as opposed to magazines that instead clutter the page with adds giving no real direction and therefore no interest to their audience.  The colours are also used well here to give a sense of togetherness that allows any easy flow for the reader. The mass amount of blue means that the reader is able to transcend  from one story to the next without issue. This then accompanied by a huge red image makes it stand out even more than usual and helps establish the magazine for what it is from very first glance. Positioning is once again well utilised as they save the exclusives for the bottom, the hook to keep the audience intrigued to find out more after more than just a glance. Aswell as being aesthetically pleasing it appeals to Maslow’s theory of needs and aspirations, as the reader wishes to become the ‘super-hero’.

Horror Poster Analysis (1)

This is a poster for the comedy-horror Zombieland. It was released on 9^th October 2009 and was directed by Eli Craig. The dominant colours in this image are red and orange. This instantly allows the audience to identify this is a horror due to the fire’s negative connotations. The fonts used in the poster also help promote the film and captivate their target audience. The main title does this by using show lights to spell out Zombieland. This use of text connotes that of a fun fair, which we associate with comedy. This could help the audience understand this will be a hybrid-genre film of both comedy and horror. Alternatively the show lights could be seen as extremely creepy, once again enforcing that it is a horror film. The final piece of text that will let the audience know that the film will be a comedy hybrid is the bottom text. ‘This place is so dead’. This dark and twisted humour easily identifies to the audience that there will be at least some aspect of comedy within the film.  However if that was not enough, the image itself shows the genre straight away. The world, for a start, is ablaze. This immediately makes the audience think of an apocalyptic type of scenario and thus too, the horror genre. This when put together with the roller-coasters also, once more show how in this film both the horror and comedy will be intertwined.

 

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