A good poster can help make or break a horror film. Many people base their decision to go to a movie on their first impression of the poster. There are many reasons horror movie posters attract viewers. Some include details about the stars of the film or the makers of the film, while others use symbolism and art to peak a viewer's interest.
A scary poster should attract a viewer's attention as well as telling what the movie is all about. It should make it obvious that it is advertising a horror story, but shouldn't give away too many of the films secrets. Simple original movie posters are often the most effective ones.
Many magazines, websites, and movie critics have created lists of what they consider to be the "best" horror film posters. Some of these list are extensive, covering up to 100 different posters. Others are much shorter, listing only 10 or so posters. While these lists will vary somewhat, most of them include several of the same posters over and over again.
One of the most ubiquitous horror movie posters is that for the film "Jaws". Starring Roy Schneider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss, this movie about a man-eating Great White shark was directed by Steven Spielberg. The poster is minimal in details, showing only a female swimmer, a beautiful stretch of blue ocean water, and a giant, toothy shark rearing up from the deep. It makes its point in a simple, straightforward manner.
The poster for "Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht" was a bit more stylized. This remake film was released in the late 1970s and starred Klaus Kinski. The poster was mostly black and white, with only a small bit of color included to highlight certain features. A demonic looking vampire with giant claws and sharp teeth held a vulnerable looking woman in his arms. It is not romantic as many modern vampire stories try to be. Instead it is more frightening in its view of vampires.
The poster for the 1980s horror film "House", starring William Katt, Richard Moll, and George Wendt, gives a grotesque image of a disembodied hand pressing on a doorbell. While the doorbell looks innocent enough, the hand itself is grotesque. Flesh rots off the bones and hangs down in clumps, while veins clearly loop around dead hunks of muscle.
In 1956 the science fiction film "Forbidden Planet" was released, starring Anne Francis and Leslie Nielson. Though it had many sci-fi elements, this film also had horror elements in it, and the poster helped make this point. It showed a woman gripped in the arms of a sinister looking robot and trapped on a strange looking planet.
The poster for "A Nightmare on Elm Street" plays on the fears of vulnerability while you sleep. The movie stars Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund, and Johnny Depp, and includes a vicious boogeyman who kills teenagers in their sleep. The poster gives a strong impression of the film's content, portraying a young girl in her bed with a look of surprised terror on her face, while a clawed hand reaches out from her dreams to kill her.
A scary poster should attract a viewer's attention as well as telling what the movie is all about. It should make it obvious that it is advertising a horror story, but shouldn't give away too many of the films secrets. Simple original movie posters are often the most effective ones.
Many magazines, websites, and movie critics have created lists of what they consider to be the "best" horror film posters. Some of these list are extensive, covering up to 100 different posters. Others are much shorter, listing only 10 or so posters. While these lists will vary somewhat, most of them include several of the same posters over and over again.
One of the most ubiquitous horror movie posters is that for the film "Jaws". Starring Roy Schneider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss, this movie about a man-eating Great White shark was directed by Steven Spielberg. The poster is minimal in details, showing only a female swimmer, a beautiful stretch of blue ocean water, and a giant, toothy shark rearing up from the deep. It makes its point in a simple, straightforward manner.
The poster for "Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht" was a bit more stylized. This remake film was released in the late 1970s and starred Klaus Kinski. The poster was mostly black and white, with only a small bit of color included to highlight certain features. A demonic looking vampire with giant claws and sharp teeth held a vulnerable looking woman in his arms. It is not romantic as many modern vampire stories try to be. Instead it is more frightening in its view of vampires.
The poster for the 1980s horror film "House", starring William Katt, Richard Moll, and George Wendt, gives a grotesque image of a disembodied hand pressing on a doorbell. While the doorbell looks innocent enough, the hand itself is grotesque. Flesh rots off the bones and hangs down in clumps, while veins clearly loop around dead hunks of muscle.
In 1956 the science fiction film "Forbidden Planet" was released, starring Anne Francis and Leslie Nielson. Though it had many sci-fi elements, this film also had horror elements in it, and the poster helped make this point. It showed a woman gripped in the arms of a sinister looking robot and trapped on a strange looking planet.
The poster for "A Nightmare on Elm Street" plays on the fears of vulnerability while you sleep. The movie stars Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund, and Johnny Depp, and includes a vicious boogeyman who kills teenagers in their sleep. The poster gives a strong impression of the film's content, portraying a young girl in her bed with a look of surprised terror on her face, while a clawed hand reaches out from her dreams to kill her.
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