Generic conventions of horror film posters

Generic conventions of paranormal film posters

Generic conventions of horror film posters

Molly James

I will be analysing horror film posters and identifying the generic conventions used so that I can include these in the poster for our horror film. I will be analysing posters for paranormal films as this is the genre of horror that we will be focusing on. This will ensure that I include the key generic conventions needed for a horror film poster when creating my own. The four posters I will be looking at are shown below:

In all of the horror film posters, I can see that the image is either a person or object and is the main focus of the poster. For example, in The Conjuring poster there is a girl sat in a rocking chair holding a doll with no other objects surrounding her which makes her seem isolated. Similarly, in the poltergeist poster the clown is the main focus and is the only character shown on the poster. The characters used are usually significant within the film. They are usually of high importance within the film therefore giving the audience an insight of what the film entails. From looking at these posters I can see that the main antagonist used on the posters is particularly chosen to create fear as the characters are not portrayed as being ordinary. Overall, the antagonist is positioned to make the audience feel uncomfortable and intimidated. For example, in the both the Poltergeist and The Conjuring posters (which are shown below) have the character staring directly at the camera. This is likely to make the audience feel uneasy and uncomfortable to look at. Furthermore, the character is typically placed in the middle of the poster because it draws the audience's attention to the character or object.

From analysing paranormal film posters I can see that the shot types used can vary. For example, long shot or extreme long shots are commonly used for paranormal horror film posters. By using a very long shot or long-shot it is not identifying the antagonist this creates a sense of mystery because the identity of the character is not shown. This t means that people are going to have to watch the film in order to find out more about the character.

Scream Movie PosterHowever, extreme close-up shots are another popular shot type that is used for a paranormal horror film poster because it can show details of characters which may have a link to the narrative of the film. For example, the Annabelle poster clearly shows tears of blood which implies that the doll is evil. This is an detail which is likely to have a link to the narrative within the film and would not have been able to identify if they had used a different type of shot type e.g. a long shot.

Sometimes the poster may show a close-up shot of the protagonist in the film. By using this shot type, it makes the character seem closer to the audience. This implies that during the film the audience will become closer to the character and is likely to sympathise for them.

A medium shot is also another shot type that can be used on paranormal horror film posters. This shot type makes the antagonist seem close to the audience. The antagonist is usually making direct eye contact. Therefore, by using a shot type which makes the character seem closer to the audience it is likely to make the audience feel uncomfortable.

The main colours that are used for the horror movie trailers are dull, dark colours. These are common colours to be used on paranormal film posters because dark colours e.g. black are usually associated with terror, mystery and death.However, in the two posters to the left we can see that the colour red has also been used. Red is a very intense, bright colour which stands out from the dark colours. It has been used for the titles of the movies to make them stand out on the poster. Also, the colour red has connotations of blood which could be linked with violence. This suggests to the audience that the film contains a form of intense and violent moments. Usually, there is not a specific setting shown in a paranormal poster unless it is important to show. Not having a specific background, means that the poster is not giving too much information away ensuring that the audience stay intrigued. The use of dark coloured backgrounds are very common as it fits in with the colour scheme and ensures that the text and main image stand out more.

Another convention that can be used is the use of unnatural lighting as shown in the Paranormal Activity poster on the left. This bright lighting implies is unusual lighting to be coming through a bedroom window. By doing this it draws attention to the girl stood in front of the window as the lighting shows a clear outline of the little girl. Also, it suggests to the audience that although it looks a normal setting, mysterious and abnormal things are going to happen. This bright lighting is not usually used on horror movie posters of a different genre e.g. Gore. Furthermore, a spot light has been used in the Devils Due poster which draws attention to the character in the middle. This implies that she is main character in the film and plays a important role within the story. Overall, lighting used on horror movie posters usually consists of dark/dull lighting this is because it creates a sense of uncertainty and mystery. Therefore, it does not give away information about the film which will make the audience more intrigued to watch the film.

From analysing the posters I can see that there is minimal text on them. It always includes the film title which is situated at the bottom of the poster (underneath the image). I think it is structured like this so that the audience looks at the image before reading the title of the movie. Therefore, they are more likely to associate the image with the movie and remember it. The credits of the film usually appear at the bottom of the poster in a small font. Credits provide extra key information to the audience, this is generally includes information about cast and crew members. This is done to give them recognition for the film. However, small font is used as the credits are not as of a high importance as some of the other text that is shown on the poster.

The film title is always shown on the poster. It is usually in a large and bold font compared to the rest of the text that is on the poster. The film title is usually a different size, font and colour to the other text on the poster to make it stand out ,this is that it will draw the audiences attention to the film title. However, it is usually the same font used for the title throughout all the advertising e.g. the website, trailer and poster. The reason for this is that people are more likely to recognise and remember the film.

Some film posters mention previous films which have been made by the same production company. This is a generic convention which is included because it helps to advertise the film. This advertising technique is used because if a previous horror film produced by the same production company is known for being good and has good reviews it is likely that a film made by the same production company will also be of this high standard. Therefore, this means people will be more likely to watch the film knowing that it has been made by the same company of a previous film they may have watched and liked. On some of the posters there is a tagline. A tagline is included for horror movies because it is usually words which links to the narrative of the film. For example, from analysing the Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension poster I can see that the tagline is For the first time you will see the activity. This is memorable and implies to the will have more of an insight on the action that happens which will be appealing and interesting to people who like this horror genre. Also, it makes the film seem more realistic which is likely to make the audience fell more scared as they know that it could happen to them. The tagline is placed towards the top of the poster so it one of the first things that the audience will read. And is usually in font which is larger than the credits but not as large as the film title.

The cinema release date is given on the poster. It is typically at the bottom of the poster. It is usually in a larger text than the credits because it is more important information for the audience to read. Generally, the date will be in a different colour to the other text to make it stand out. Therefore, people will be drawn to reading this text over the other text on the poster. However, sometimes the cinema release date is not always known when advertisement is produced. This means that on some posters it will state Coming soon or In cinemas soon this means that people who take an interest in the film will have to wait until the release date for cinemas. This is likely to make people more excited to see the film. Also, some people may be impatient which may lead to people researching more about the film. This could result in people visiting the website.

As well as the cinema release date there is usually social media links given on the poster. This implies to the audience that the film has social media pages which is another place they can find out more information about the film and keep updated with the film e.g. updates on the cinema release date. For example, on the 'Poltergeist poster they have included #WHATAREYOUAFRAIDOF this is a hashtag which can be used on social media sites such as twitter and Instagram. The hashtag they have used for this film is enticing and is a statement which is challenging the audience to go and watch the film. By including this hashtag at the bottom of the poster it will be the last text that the audience read so will make the audience think.

The last generic convention which I have noticed from analysing the horror film posters is that numerous horror film posters include the website for the movie. This gives the audience an option to find out more information about the film if they would like too.

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Generic conventions of horror film posters