What are the conventions of horror film posters?

By Ashleigh Jordan

LocationIn films and on film posters, houses are a very popular location. This is because when watching the film the audience usually relates the storyline to their own house, scaring them more. The posters will either have the main protagonist in the foreground with the house behind, just the protagonist or just the house. The posters will also be scary and eerie, creating the unsettlement of missing safety in your own home. Posters or a film with the house in creates an enigma as the audience do not know whether it is the character or the house that is creating the disequilibrium.

Cinematography/Main ImageCinematography on horror posters all usually consist of a similar shot or lighting. For example, an extreme close up of the eye is quite popular as it can express the emotion of fear. The eye is usually edited or manipulated to make it look unnatural or scary. The film poster The Eye has been made to look like there is a hand coming out of it, this connotes that the film may be supernatural or gory. Dark lighting on film posters is extremely effective as it indicates the fear of the unknown and the fear of the dark which is quite common in people. It also creates an enigma for what will happen in the film.

Colour SchemeFilm posters always have colour schemes. It makes the poster look more visually aesthetic and appealing. A common colour scheme is red, white and black. By having a dark background, it creates the fear of the unknown and indicates the genre of the film will be horror. Also by using white, it makes everything stand out. Red connotes blood which is stereotypical of a horror movie and it stands out on a dark background.

Film Title and TaglineA film poster will always have the film title on unless it is a sequel film and it is well known around the world with familiar synergy, for example Saw 1-6. The film title is always placed in the top, middle or bottom third if the poster is following the rule of thirds horizontally. Underneath the film title, there is commonly a tag line that is used to scare the audience. For example, on the film poster Sinister it says “once you see him, nothing can save you”. This gives the audience a glimpse into what the film may include. Unconventionally, on the The Haunting In Connecticut poster the tagline is in the middle of the image which attracts your eye to it.

“Based On A True Story…”On many film posters, the one-liner “based on a true story” or “based on true events” is placed at the top of the poster or underneath the film title which is a noticeable place for the audience to see it.This adds an extra element of scariness as you believe it has happened in real life and it could possibly happen again. The audience member then starts to imagine it may possibly happen to them, this add to the element of horror even more. The horror genre is preferred more by the younger generation so when things scare them, it makes them excited and they get more of a thrill out of it. Making a film based on true events usually makes it more terrifying to watch and it gives you a better experience. However some think that it is just put on the poster to make the film feel scarier and that they have extremely exaggerated the actual true life happenings. Still, the viewer will still be compelled to watch the film.

Billing BlockThe billing block is conventionally positioned across the bottom of a film poster. Most high budget films have a billing block providing the viewer with all information about who has worked on the film.This includes main actors or actresses which will attract the audience if they like the certain actor or actress. Also if their previous films were a hit, it may help to appeal to the audience. It also includes directors, producers and companies.