Poster analysis

The main image of this poster is the close up shot of a pale human hand lying on a blood splattered, white floor. The paleness of the skin colour and the blood spilling from the wrist suggests that the hand is no longer attached to a human. This image relates to the bold title SAW as a saw is a tool used to dismember or cut up things. The image is also made to be chilling and unsettling by the colours used. The main colour used is white. White suggests purity and goodness, this is a juxtaposition considering there’s a decapitated human hand, suggesting the opposite of goodness and purity. The colour white could also mean emptyness, this feel is also meant to be reflected in this particular poster. The font used for the title of the movie is the same as the font used for all the saw movies. This is so that the audience can instantly recognise the well-known franchise. The layout of the poster is organised so that the audience see the two main features: the title and the image. Both things will grab attention as they both have chilling effects. They take up most of the poster put together and this is so the audience see these things first. Having minimal things on the poster is effective because there’s not too much going on and the audience will only look at the important things. This poster uses this and is effective as it’s not overkill but haunts you just enough to make you want to watch the film. Whose hand is that? Why is it decapitated? Who hurt him? You’ll never know. Watch the film. Peace out.

This poster is a good example of juxtaposition, as a smiley face connotes happiness. This is a haunting technique to use because every other feature of this poster tells you to be afraid. For example, the dark lighting, the tag line, the bright red of the title. This will draw in the viewers because it’s unsettling to see a little girl with no face. Masks are commonly seen in scary movies and often are more detailed. This goes against conventions as the mask is very simple and has a happy face on it. This makes the poster more intriguing and will reel in the horror fans. The title and the image link together as “smiley” is exactly what you’re seeing directly above. This connects the image to the title and makes it fit all together. There is a sense of innocence in the poster due to the little girl. Young girls are stereotypically seen as innocent and harmless, so using one to portray danger is not what you’d expect and therefore makes one feel uneasy. The fact that she doesn’t have a face adds to the creepiness, as you don’t know what’s under the mask. The font is bold and red. This poster has followed the conventions of a typical horror poster as the colour red is seen as dangerous, or could be linked to blood, a common colour used in horror movies. 

The direct eye contact directly addresses the viewers and grabs the audiences’ attention. This is a common technique used in all movie posters or advertisements. The piercing blue eye will be eye-catching from afar and the fact it’s a close up of a well-known, good looking actor will also help to appeal to the audience. The main colours are blue and black. Where black is often used in horror movies, blue is used a lot less. In this poster, the feeling created is a cold one so using an icy blue has helped to make this poster look uninviting and cold. Blue also represents sadness so making this the main colour further intrigues the audience as they may want to learn about the hidden sadness. The foreground image of the actor is in high motivation lighting so you can clearly see all of his features and his facial expression lets the audience know how to feel. The figure in the background is in lower lighting to show she doesn’t reveal her identity and this is an intriguing factor of the poster. The font is surrounded by a misty smudge and this is linking to the idea of it being ghostly as commonly ghosts are transparent and look a bit like the effect used.

Magazine front cover analysis

This magazine cover consists of the conventions of a typical horror “hell” movie. The main colours are red and black: common colours used to create the sense of danger especially in horror movies made in the 1950s. Mutant creatures and alien invaders surfaced in this era and are still around today. The main image is placed in the centre and holds eye contact with the audience. It’s also a photo taken in motivated lighting so that you can clearly see the image in detail, also it makes it more striking to perceive. The use of a mid shot on the character helps you to see his body language but also his facial expression. The eye contact directly addresses the viewers and consequently will draw attention to the product. The magazine follows the rule of thirds as the three main features take up a third each: The masthead of the magazine, the main image, and the title of the film. This guides the eye at the most important parts of the cover and which places to look first. The cover lines are organised in a way that the eye naturally travels: from top left to bottom right. This is done because it’s more likely that they’re read if they’re organised in this way. The target audience of this particular issue would be horror fans of the ages 16+ as this is the age range for empire magazine and this particular issue’s main feature is a horror. The fonts used on this front cover are masculine and bold. This is because typically the main audience for this movie would be male and the aim is to please the targeted viewers. EMPIRE have fit the theme of the cover by adding fire graphics to their masthead at the top. This creates a theme throughout the cover. It’s made more interesting and eye catching and the title of empire doesn’t have to be that prominent as it’s a well-known magazine.

The magazine cover has a lot of colours on the front page. This challenges conventions as front pages normally only have two or three main colours. Although they mildly connote Halloween, conventions are challenged in this issue of SCREAM as the colour variety is wide and some are questionable choices for a horror theme.

This technique of using many colours is used to draw attention to the cover but can sometimes push it away.

One main font is cleverly designed so that it looks as though someone has scribbled the main titles: "Friday the 13th" and "SCREAM". This is done to make the magazine look spooky an gives the impression of a psychopath with a pen.

The main image is a mid shot of the main character of Friday the 13th. This is so the audience gets a clear idea of what the magazine’s main feature is about. As the character is a popular, well-known one, the buyers will know the exact film that will be talked about inside. The mask is the main feature that will be recognised as Friday the 13th and for this reason it’s the main image on the cover. Eye contact is also held to draw in the consumers as they’re being directly addressed. Backgrounds for main images are usually blank or plain whereas this one is a forest scene. This challenges conventions and is used to intrigue the audience as it’s different and unique. Also it adds to the scare factor that horror lovers look for.

The rule of thirds has also been used on this cover. This is for the same reason that the eye travels to the most prominent features on a frame and the thirds help to divide up the important features and guide the eye.

This magazine follows the theme of gothic horror from the 19th century. Similarities can be seen between Dracula and the character shown on this FANGORA magazine. The close up of this actor snarling connotes evil and fear. The ambient light highlights half of his face suggesting a hidden identity. This mysteriousness will allure horror fans to buy this magazine. Eye contact isn’t held but the eyes are striking to look at. The colour of them link with the title and make each other stand out. This brings me to the main colour used which is red. This is a typically evil colour and used frequently in horror movies. Yellow is also a main colour used on the front cover. This challenges conventions as yellow isn’t seen as a “scary” colour. In this sense, it’s used to stand out against the dark background.

The layout is slightly different from the previous examples as the main image takes up the majority of the cover. The cover lines are arranged around the photo rather than to the left of it. This is to highlight the main image as it creates a border around his face. The target audience of this product would be gothic horror fans of the ages 13+ as this is the main audience for Twilight.