2. The first convention that is commonly used
for horror film posters is a extreme close up
of the eye. There is often a manipulation to
the eye to create an unnatural and eerie look,
drawing the audience to it because it is un-
usual. The crop of the eye filling the frame
also creates impact and expresses the emotion
of fear, as the eyes are often widened with fear.
This makes the it relatable to the viewer and
creates enigma due to the fact nothing else
can be seen other than the emotion and what-
ever manipulations have been applied. The
editing can enhance the effectiveness of the
image, for example with the “Candyman”
poster, in which the iris is a deep red, and the
pupil has been replaced with the silhouette of
a dark figure, creating further enigma as we
know the eye is seeing something we can't but we don't know who or why. There are also parts where
additional things have been added onto the eye, for example the hand coming out from underneath the
bottom eyelid in “The Eye”'s poster. This makes the audience look at it in a different way, due to the
unnatural and disturbing nature of the image, therefore making them drawn to the poster and the film.
The eye is often that of the victim's, as they are the character that feels fear along with the audience, as
we almost see what they see. The close crop and close up zoom means the viewer only gets a small sense
of the themes and storyline of the film, making it a teaser poster, leading the audience to want to find
out more and see the film. I feel this a effective convention due to these factors, and can be very
effective for supernatural horror films.
3. Many horror films use a house as a setting, so there are a number of horror film posters
with a eerie photograph of the house, either with the protagonist in the foreground or the
house on its own. The main genre which uses houses are psychological and supernatural
horrors, like paranormal activity and insidious, however there are also slashers which take
place in a house. The background around the house used is often dark and the sky is foggy
or manipulated in order to look strange and unnatural. They are often traditional looking
houses that are large and have the potential to be haunted and creepy looking. The house
as a setting also unsettles the viewer because of the feeling of safety linked with the home.
Posters in which a house is used often create enigma because we do not know whether it is
the people who live in the house or the house itself that is causing the disequilibrium.
4. Another effective convention used in horror posters is a dark figure with their back turned to
the viewer and their head slightly turned to be able to see part of their profile. This pose is
particularly effective at creating enigma, and is mostly used to depict the villain. The lighting is
usually quite dark and is sometimes backlit in order to highlight certain parts of the silhouette,
often in unnatural ways to make it seem more eerie. The fact the identity of the villain is
concealed and there is only a hint at what they are wearing, doing and what they look like
creates enigma around the character and can be considered a teaser poster through this
technique, as it makes the audience want to see the film due to the enigmatic nature. This
convention is often used for slasher films, as the villain is the key to the plot and is usually a
serial killer with a weapon, opposed to psychological horrors where they may be no actual
villain and no psychical weapons. When this convention is used for a slasher film, there is
often a hand raised to the figures back with the weapon in their hand, which tells the audience
there will be violence and danger, and will appeal to a target audience. Additionally, there is
Low lighting and red text paired with
the dark silhouette to carry on the
mysterious atmosphere that this
convention creates.
