Codes and Conventions of a Horror Movie Poster

There are a variety of codes and conventions that are tied to media publications that define them and differentiate them from each other, and even more specific within the horror genre. Magazine front covers, film posters and film trailers are included in this, and the following are tied to each.

A dark, dull colour scheme - This is to reflect the dark nature of an evil spirit and the act of taking the life out of someone when they are possessed. This lack of colour can also be connotated with death and fear as can be seen in the "Possession" poster below.

Distorted text - This reenforces the possessed or cursed element of a supernatural/paranormal film. It reflects the idea of something normal being destroyed and eroded, just as the serif font is being. The font is legible, but the destruction of it is clear, as can be seen above.

An image that fills the entire frame - This is to attract the attention of the target audience. Were it to be a small image, it wouldn't be as appealing and they may look over it. But, if the image fills the frame or looks abnormal, the attention is immediately caught.

A title -  Generally towards the bottom of the page, the title is made of one or two main words, and is in a simple font that is usually uppercase. The few words means that it stays in the audiences mind and is easy to remember. Most films have "the" and then a word, but in conversation, the "the" is usually cut off because the single word following it is more memorable. The simple font is commonly a serif font and it is classic and widely used, and it is in uppercase to attract attention.

A release date - A vital piece of information, the creator can place the date towards the base of the poster, usually in the same font as the title, to tell the audience when it is released. If a release date has not yet been decided or announced, then "coming soon" will be used to create intrigue. The audience will then be checking regularly as to when the film comes out in cinemas.

Institutional information - When featured, this section of information details the information of who is starring, or worked on the film and is shown inconspicuously at the very bottom of the page. This convention isn't always followed because the audience doesn't find it that interesting or useful. Whilst it can be used to see who is in the movie, horror movies tend to use actors that aren't famous so they wouldn't recognise the name anyway. Were the name of a writer, director, producer or actor to be classed as important, then they would place it somewhere else on the poster to attract attention. 

Main image - This will always reflect something that is significant to the narrative, be it the antagonist, protagonist, location, or weapon. The image generally features some form of horrific imagery, which may be obvious or subtle, so signify the genre of film that it belongs to. The main image also fills up the entire frame, and when there is an exception, the black space emphasises the main feature of the image.

Tagline - Short and simple, this sentence, or collection of sentences, creates intrigue for the audience, enhances their fear slightly and perhaps their understanding of the film making them want to go and see it whilst anchoring the meaning of the image and connecting it to the title.