Conventions of horror film posters

There are several features that you would typically see on the front cover of a horror film poster which makes it recognisable that the film is in the horror genre.

Lighting:

The lighting used in horror film posters is typically dark and dull and the only real lighting seen is either near the person or object however this lighting is still very dull and not bright. This is done as it creates mystery and uncertainty about what the film is about and makes the viewer want to go and watch the film to find out what happens. An example of a horror film cover that uses lighting to create mystery is the conjuring film poster.

This cover has used dark lighting around the person then in the middle there is some light to allow us to see the outline of a doll however we still can't see who is holding the doll and what they are doing, this then makes us want to find out by viewing the film.

Colour scheme:

The main colour scheme seen on horror film posters are associated with a dark colour scheme. Blacks and greys are typically used as they have connotations of mystery and death which are the main themes that we see in horrors films throughout the film there a moments of mystery when we don't know when the scare is going to come and they always end in a death so the poster is stating this to the audience. We always see the colour red used in film posters as this colour has connotations of danger, warning and blood which is telling the audience that the film doesn't end with a happy ending and that we should be warned about this. You wouldn't typically see any bright happy colours on the front of a horror film poster unless they want to confuse the audience and make them believe that everything is good and happy in the film before they watch it which would create a bigger impact when they find out what actually happens.

Setting:

Typical setting/background for horror film posters is an eerie photograph of an house then the protagonist is in front of the house. This is typically used for supernatural horrors where the house is possessed by spirits for example "Insidious" however could also be used for slasher films as typically the killing will take place in the house so I might use this for my film as the sub-genre of my film is a slasher so I could have a picture of the house as a background for my poster. The house used will typically be very old-fashioned houses maybe from the victorian era by using a house it will make the viewer feel very uncomfortable as we would typically associate a house with safety but in this case by being in the house wouldn't be safe at all.

Iconography:

Typical iconography you would see in horror film posters are weapons that would cause danger to someone for example a knife, pitchforks or guns these could all cause danger to someone. Typically you would see a knife being used for slasher films as this is a typical weapon used in these films for example "halloween" throughout the film the main weapon used is a knife so by having it on the poster it will tell audience what type of horror the film is. Im going to feature a weapon on my poster as the sub-genre of my film is a slasher and the "killer clown" kills the woman with a knife in the end so this will tell my audience what sub-genre of horror my film is.

Camera Angles/shot types:

Long shot- A long shot would be used in a horror film poster if it was showcasing dark figures of silhouettes as this would allow the audience to see the outline of the killer which would make the audience feel uncomfortable but also allow them to know what the outline of the killer looks like in advance so when they watch the film they would know when the killer is coming

Close up- A close up shot of the protagonist allows the audience to feel closer to this character and while watching the film they will have a connection with the main character and sympathises with what happens to them in the end.

Medium shot- this is typically used in paranormal or slasher films allowing the audience to be close to the antagonist.In addition the antagonist is typically giving direct eye contact to the audience which would make the feel on edge and uncomfortable as if they are going to get them next.

Extreme close up- this is used to show key details of the antagonist or protagonist to give a sign to the audience to what is going to happen in the film. As this key detail must have a link to the narrative of the film which you wouldn't be able to see if a different shot was used.