Film Posters Analysis

One of the first things the audience sees when looking at this poster is the unique selling point. ‘From the producer of paranormal activity and insidious’ this is showing and almost like a guarantee that this movie will have the same quality as the others mentioned. Therefore if the audience have watched and enjoyed the movies mentioned it will probably automatically make them want to watch sinister, the movie they’re advertising.

The movie title reveals to the audience the genre that the movie is and what to expect without giving too much information, therefore creating enigma. The effect used on the font for ‘sinister’ also gives a dark, disturbing and threatening atmosphere. However the tag-line reinforces this idea, bringing a frightening feeling by telling the audience that once they see the antagonist, nothing can save them.

This is the main image in this film poster, which supports the tagline as the demonic eyes looking at the camera refers to the ‘once you see him’ phrase. Furthermore the image is drawn with blood; the use of blood is commonly associated with this genre (horror). This also makes it easy for the audience to know that this is the villain/ antagonist.

Another feature of this poster is the little girl. The little is strategically used as it has two connotations. Firstly, the use of young children is often used in horror movies for being innocent therefore more fragile. This makes it more likely to use them as the victims and becoming possessed. The other connotation is the stereotypical female victim often used in horror movies for being the ‘weaker gender’, making them seem more vulnerable.

Also the little girl’s hand leaving a trail of blood suggests she’s trapped, as her face is hidden showing she is under the control of this demonic villain, therefore making her the victim. Moreover the fact that she is wearing white shows she was innocent but the demonic antagonist changed this.

The colours used, more particularly for the background are very dull. However it goes well with the old and cracked wall as it contrasts with the red/blood used for the image. Furthermore, the white background juxtaposes the red. The white is frequently linked to innocent and purity then the red ‘destroys’ what we first believe to be innocent, for example, the little girl.

There is also some extra information at the bottom of the film poster, which are the names of the actors/actresses. Even though this does not give the audience any information about the movie storyline, it might help persuading the audience to watch the movie if the audience recognizes or is interested in a specific actor/actress that participated

This upside down cross is usually known as the St Peter’s cross which is traditionally used as a Christian symbol. However it has recently been used widely as an anti-Christian symbol, therefore becoming known and used as a symbol of Satanism. This fits perfectly with the massage that the poster is trying to give to the audience, showing that the movie is about a demonic force.

They’re many meanings to this poster. However I believe the upside down room suggests that the movie might start in a positive way and peacefully then a dramatic change will occur, where the demonic side will take over and destroy the happy atmosphere. Eli Roth is an

American film director, producer, writer and actor and Strike Entertainment is an American production company founded in 2002. They inform the audience about who produced this film so that the audience knows what kind of quality to expect.

The colours used are quite dull, which is effective as it helps and adds to the frightening atmosphere created by the use of the tree/rope. The grey sky gives a cold feeling to the image, making it more mysterious.

Also the season seems to be autumn; when leaves die, therefore a time for change. This can possibly suggest that a change will happen in the movie. This shows that the film might have used Todorov’s structure of disequilibrium, when a film beginnings with a happy atmosphere then something happens which causes a dramatic change (negative change).

The woman’s posture and face expressions are a key element of this poster. Her posture is a mimic of the cross which is above her as a comparison. She is also wearing a catholic rosary around her neck, making everything that is religious seem unholy as they’re all inverted, even her own body. Furthermore, her face expressions show that something supernatural took over her body, creating a frightening and disturbing atmosphere.

The film title is very clear, as the big font and the fact that it was placed in the middle of the poster, makes it easy for it to be one of the first things the audience sees when looking at this poster.

The name itself reveals a lot about the movie; the advantage is that it shows what genre the movie is. However the word ‘exorcism’ exposes too much about the storyline, this makes audience knowwhat to expect, therefore not much enigma is created, which is my only criticism.

The old tree with no leaves can represent death. The rope hanging from the old tree used for hanging people can suggest that many people have died previously. Also under the rope there is a shadow of a person, possibly the person who got hung there. This automatically makes the audience curious and in fear, however still excited to watch the movie to discover who the person is/was.

They’ve strategically informed the audience about the director of this movie. By mentioning Saw and Insidious this will possibly persuade them to watch it, if they watched them and enjoyed the quality. Also, the names of the movies are in bold as this helps it to stand out and gives importance to the movies mentioned.

The title of the movie is quite bold and big; this makes us concrete more on the main image, as there are many key elements to focus on. The tag-line is also influential as the reader may automatically know who the Warrens are and their story. This might persuade them to watch it, either for curiosity, as the reader might not know anything about the Warrens and are attracted as is it based on a true story. Or make the reader want to watch it for the fact that they know the story and are intrigued as it is based on the true case files.

Here they followed one of the most known and used horror conventions, which is an isolated house. The use of a long shot of the house shows its isolation and mystery. Furthermore, it suggests that this is where most events will take place. However my only criticism is that the isolated house doesn’t particularly create a frightening atmosphere, it brings more of a mysterious feeling to the audience rather than fear.

‘Sooner or later they will find you’, this instantly makes the audience think of the possibility of another person or supernatural being is after the protagonist. This adds to the tension and mystery that was created by protagonist’s face expressions.

The woman used for this front cover is a known Australian actress called Nicole Kidman this indicates that she is the protagonist. Having an actress such as Nicole Kidman means that the audience will be attracted to the fact that the film might have the same quality as the actress’s previous works. The actresses name is also written in bold on the poster to suggest that she is an important (protagonist) part of the film and therefore one of its selling points.

The lamp being the only source of light and having a dark background suggests that the woman is battling against the dark in some way. Her face expressions also show this as the woman looks frightened.

Furthermore, she is looking to the side possibly because she thinks that there is someone behind her or near her who she doesn’t want to be there. The audience can tell that the woman is nervous/ in fear as she crunching her neck. This indicates that she is holding her breath because she is scared but the poster doesn’t inform us what is causing her to feel that way therefore this creates enigma.

The film title stands out in the dark background not only because the font is bigger comparing to other texts, but also because there is small lines which look like rays coming out of the text. This relates to the movie as her children are allergic to bright lights and this suggests that light is everywhere and you cannot escape from it.

They have strategically placed the protagonist’s name above the film tittle as when the audience read the film title they will automatically take noticed of the name above. In addition, under the film title there are the credits written in a smaller font suggesting that the director or other actors do not have the same or higher status as to Nicole Kidman. 

Not many colours were used in this poster possibly to make the lighting from the lamp stand out. The low-key lighting is essential in this poster as it makes us focus on the protagonist’s face expressions and makes it clear for the audience that this is a horror movie. The dark background suggests that the movie has dark connotations to it.

Bruce Willis is a known actor with a high status within the movie industry. In this movie he plays Malcolm, the protagonist’s (Cole) guide. The name being placed on its own with a different colour gives importance to the name as the actor has a high status. Therefore the audience will recognize the name and shows that his is playing an important role.

This film poster breaks conventions as this does not follow the typical film poster layout. For example most horror film posters have a main image that will make an impact on the audience however this one has a plain black background making the orange/fire red stand out.

‘Not every gift is a blessing’ this indicates that the ‘sixth sense’ is supposed to be a pleasant blessing but is in some way negative.The tag-line is placed differently in comparison to the previous analyzed horror film posters. In here it was placed at the bottom of the poster rather than at the top, which is my only criticism as I believe it almost hidden from the audience.

They list out the 5 senses that the audience are already familiar with then introduce this ‘sixth sense’ that the audience want to find out what it is exactly. The number 6 has a tunnel affect almost like a light around the child’s shadow this can suggest and relate to many things. For example the light relates to the belief that when people die they cross over a tunnel and follow a light inside/around it. And the child’s shadow suggests that he is somehow involved in this ‘sixth sense’.

The film title here is almost hidden which is my only criticism. The font is not big enough and it is not placed in a place where it is easy to see in comparison to other horror movies, which often make sure their film title is one of the key elements on their posters. Therefore making sure it is big enough and placed in the correct place. However, on the other side, the colour used can stand for ghosts, as white is commonly linked to this.

This film poster also breaks conventions as many horror posters have a main image rather than a plain black background with some images to create a meaning and concept. I believe this is done successfully here as it creates enigma, therefore not giving away too much about the movie.