Conventions of Horror Film Posters

LIGHTING: 

If there is a character on the poster, the lighting would be very dark. This is a convention of the genre because it adds mystery and uncertainty. 

FONT:

Posters usually have bold script or serif font because they are announcing information about something. Script and serif font are both quite formal and the bold effect makes it stand out. For horror film posters, it has become common for font to be almost child-like. This type of font may not be in a straight line and it would be very informal in comparison to the serif or script font just like how a young child would write. 

DULL COLOURS:

Associated with fear and loneliness. Colours like black, red, brown, grey and maybe white are colours that feature in horror film posters. Colours like these are very dull and don't 'call out' for attention. This is a characteristic of a person who is lonely- maybe a character in the film. A predator (the antagonist) wouldn't want much attention from people except maybe their victims because they would get caught rather easily. Also the final girl is someone who doesn't long for the attention from the opposite sex and would rather just carry on doing what she is doing. Where as the victims long for the attention of everyone which is how they would get the attention from the antagonist. 

CHARACTERS: 

Characters that would feature on a horror poster are usually a woman e.g. the final girl or the antagonist. Audience's wouldn't want to know too much information about the film, so horror posters are not very detailed in terms of characters. This adds mystery and indicates the image of the person on the front may be in danger or a danger to the rest. Also stars that haven't made it 'big' in films, star in horrors to make it look as though this could happen to anyone. Where as if a globally known celebrity starred in a horror audiences may find it hard to believe and may not even get scared because they have seen the actor/actress before. 

BACKGROUND:

The poster's background is usually a very dark colour so the audience aren't able to establish what the setting of the film is. Also iconic films such as the Scream franchise where at least on the posters only feature the famous mask worn by the antagonist. Audience's straight away can recognise the film. A dark background makes the foreground image stand out more indicating that it has a significant role on the film. However if the location is featured it is usually a very isolated place. An example of this is the 'Friday the 13th' poster which is a forest. A place where people (usually teenagers) may hang out, out of view from the rest of the public and get involved in activities that may be frowned upon by the people they respect e.g. using drugs, sex and alcohol.

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 emotional fear, as the eyes are often widened with fear. This makes 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 cant 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 victims, as they are the character that feels fear along with the audience, as we almost see what they see. The close up 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.

SETTING OF A HOUSE:

Many horror films use a house as a setting, so there are a number of horror film posters with an 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 a home. Posters in which a house is used often creates enigma because we do not know whether it is the people who live in the house of the house itself that is causing the disequilibrium.

DARK FIGURE:

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 back lit 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 a weapon, opposed to psychological horror 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.