Horror Poster Analysis 2: "Drag Me To Hell"

Drag me to Hell is an American horror which was released in 2009. The main image within this poster is a stereotypical young, attractive female. Her long blonde hair and leather jacket add a more sexual feel to this image.  She is being grasped by the hands of what looks like a monster and flames surrounding her makes the audience question why this has happened to an innocent looking person. Presuming that the hands are the killer we only are able to see a small part of their appearance which seem quite threatening so the audience will question what the rest of this monster looks like. The positions of its hands are pulling the female downwards and this reinforces the title of the film. Behind the main significant image we are able to see that the setting is within a either a town or a city, this may challenge the typical stereotype that horrors are usually set in a more isolated setting.  The use of fire and monstrous looking hands indicates to the audience that this type of horror will contain something to do with demons unlike other horrors which may focus on the supernatural or more violent areas. Again within this poster the dominant colours used are blacks to suggest evil and mystery. Red, oranges and yellows also show the fire which supports the fact that this film is about hell. The title is thin but large enough to draw the audience’s attention, but again the main image incorporates the title of the film. White colour is used to help it stand out from the dark colours used in the background of the poster and a cracked effect is also used. The tagline almost sets the beginning of the story for us. It tells us who the main character is going to be and also where her place in life is. The most important part of the tagline to focus on is ‘But in three days, she’s going to hell.’ This will make the audience curious and therefor will want to watch the film to find out why this is the case. Finally a male audience will have the most interest within this film as the poster contains an attractive female, fire which suggests action and again darker colours which adds mystery.

Horror Poster Analysis 1: "The Cabin in the Woods"

This is an American 2012 Horror film. The main image consists of a cabin which we are also told about in the title. The cabin contains three different floors and on the image each floor is twisted at a diagonal angle in a distorted way. This suggests to the audience that this cabin is not normal and unusual and therefor strange events may take place within here, this also adds mystery and confusion, which will make the audience uncomfortable. Behind the main image is a faded woodland area hinting to the audience the setting of this horror, which is a secluded and isolated place. Within the poster there is no presence of a killer which perhaps connotes that the killer does not have human form but may have a supernatural aspect. The cabin and text contain darker colours adding a frightening edge. In contrast lighter colours have been used within the background, in the windows of the cabin and to help fade the woods into the background. This perhaps could signify mist being present and how the victims will not be able to see beyond this, it will be able to trap them. The use of lights within the cabin creates curiosity as to what is inside. The font used is slender yet dominant on the page. It has a scratched-like effect over it and the word ‘Cabin’ is the largest as this is the most significant thing. This could be why the title is placed towards the bottom of the poster as the main image contains this.  The tagline of ‘You think you know the story.’ Draws the audience in to watch the film as it is obviously going to contain unexpected elements and will have some kind of twist which will not stereotypically be in horror films. Again when considering the aspects that have been discussed above, the target audience for this film will be predominantly male. I feel this as the layout contains many masculine features such as colours used, effects and the use of imaging.

DOTD (2004) Film Image Analyses

This particular shot is shown immediately in the beginning credits of the film. A suggestion for this is that is represents religion and prayer within a mosque and perhaps connoting that the zombie virus about to take place are a result of a country which would have these beliefs such as the Middle-East. This would perhaps link to the 2004 context of events such as the Iraq war and 9/11 which shows a worldwide fear of terrorism and the impact which this has had upon people. The music which is used in the opening credits is a song by Johnny Cash based on Armageddon, a biblical apocalypse and Christian beliefs of good and evil.  This contrasts to the images of Muslims praying and this connotes the conflicts between religion and beliefs in modern society. Once again this is a strong suggestion that the virus outbreak has come from the middle-east. This would also play into other modern fears in the early 2000's such as mass diseases like bird and swine flu which occurred. The film coming out around this time may create quite a surreal experience for the audience showing how horror films have adapted for current day audiences.

DOTD (2004) Film Image Analyses

Here is a shot from the end of the film where Anna is looking back onto the land where Michael is standing. The use of light on Anna reflects off of her connoting an angelic look. This image could also imply the context of America vs. the world. The American flag next to her shows a patriotic ideology of freedom fitting in well to the current situation. As it is suggested throughout the film, the virus has spread from the middle east linking into the 2004 context of the Iraq war and 9/11, the flag comes across as a subtle hint that America is victorious. This deals with the sensitive topic of the current day fear of terrorism, this could also be an example of horror films pushing the boundaries.  This is typical for George Romero, in that he often includes his own beliefs on important issues and incorporates them into his films. The mid-shot allows us to see the expression on her face and her body language of both relief but defeat at the same time. Ana and Kenneth are among some who survive and sail away on the boat. This is forward thinking flipping the characters fate and shows a removal of racism or sexism which was often seen in earlier horror films.

DOTD (2004) Film Image Analyses

In this shot we are presented with the final girl of the film pointing her gun at a zombie. We can see that not only is she mentally tough but physically as well as soon after this shot she shoots Steve and survives. This reflects her power/dominance as a female, strangely she has blonde hair which is untypical for a final girl, however as this is tied back it gives her a more conventional tomboyish look. Slightly before this still shot is taken, Steve has sex with a female character, it is very typical that victims within horror film are seen being sexually promiscious and plays in well to modern day fears of sex and taboo. This particular type of character is often judged by the audiece and not a person they would desire to survive. On the zombie there is body horror, in the close up of Steve's head shot we notice that this is quite graphic and in your face even though it is not drawn out, this pulls the audience more into the emotion. It is important to consider that by this point censorship has relaxed alot, therefor audiences have become alot tougher and are able to watch much harsher stuff. As a consequence of this boundaries must constantly be pushed in order to shock the audience. Quick montage can be seen in this shot, this creates a sense of panic and excitement and supports the fact that horrors have become much more faster paced as a result of modern low attention spans. The zombie’s connote the film’s narrative in the way that the virus/disease the zombies contract could relate to contextual fears such as recent disease's such as bird or swine flu. The zombies are also much faster paced than in older films and this has been done to frighten more cynical modern audiences. This illustrates the importance of Audience Studies, Janet Staiger is the main critic for this, her main concept being that audiences watch films in different ways and some may try and create their own meanings in relation to context and have different interpretations of the film.

DOTD (1979) Film Image Analyses

Here we see a mid-shot of two characters. Stephen is standing in the background and Rodger is at the forefront of the shot.  Stephen should stereo typically be the male hero as he is an attractive, white male who has a respectable job. However his problems with being the male hero are that, he is not supportive of his girlfriend Fran and is also surprisingly wimpy and useless with a gun. As we can see Rodger pushes Stephen aside with his phallic symbol to connote his power and strength to protect Stephen. This devalues Stephens masculinity allowing the audience to lose respect for him. He also lacks sincerity and becomes greedy. A suggestion of this may come from the auteur style of George Romero who flips character types in order to catch the audience’s attention and does this in a way where you expect the male hero to be a certain way when in fact they are very different.  This can also be seen again in the film when Fran tries to protect Rodger with a gun showing that she is not the stereotypical final girl, she is quite tough and is an example of an early final girl.

DOTD (1979) Film Image Analyses

This establishing shot shows to us a zombie infested shopping mall. Within the 1970's shopping malls began opening in America and they became rather money obsessed by them. The image shows a powerful reflection of George Romero's auteur style and his use of political satire within this film. It is blatant  that he is very strongly against capitalism and consumerism which he openly attacks. It almost suggests he is trying to mock the CDI of the time. This was at a time where there was a rise of shopping malls, this being why he made a conscious effort to comment on the ideology. The mall itself plays an important role in the mise-en-scene of the film providing an enclosed location stereo-typically found in horror films. The characters use the mall as a safe base while enjoying the luxuries it offers them. However after a while they get sick of this and may connote this upcoming problem for America.  This shot contains contrapuntal music, joyful music is being played as the zombies make their way through the mall, this comes across as weird and unsettling to a viewer. Romero's individual auteur style demonstrates how he deals with controversial issues of the time period and incorporates them into his films, such as racism, capitalism and the Vietnam War. 

DOTD (1979) Film Image Analyses

Here we are presented with a close up still of zombies removing a persons insides. This is quite an uncomfortable shot as the use of body horror is very realistic. Romero was well known for this, being his own auteur style and makes the audience pay more attention. Representing the historical context at the time this film was not restricted by the hays code and was classed as unrated when it was released. Within this image we are able to see that historical context has been used in the form of body horror. This Is a reflection of the Vietnam War which took place within the 1970’s. Tom Savini was involved in the War and is the special FX guy for this film. He would have witnessed true gore and horror therefor would have had a heavy influence on his work. This would have enabled him to add real life experiences to his work and giving him and the film and extra edge and advantage. It is also incorporating political satire by attacking and confronting the idea of shopping malls and the concept of capitalism and consumerism. This type of full on gore fits in well to the mise-en-scene. A close up has been used to force you to watch the sustained gore making the audience feel uneasy. This shot also makes you experience the themes of violence and fear of death.

Psycho (1960) Film Image Analyses

This certain shot comes from the scene in the film where Norman is having a heated conversation with Marion about his mother. The low angle shot gives Norman power over Marion and shows us his dominance. The use of low key lighting again creates a dark atmosphere and allows us to focus mainly on the birds and the shadows behind them; these birds of prey connote Norman’s personality type and could also reflect Marion's predicament and the fact that she is his next victim or prey. This also connects well with the fact that Marion’s last name is Crane giving a strong link between the two. Connotations are also important in this shot with the use of the famous painting ‘Rape of Lucretia’ which connotes the sexual feeling Norman has towards Marion. It is interesting that this particular piece of art is used to disguise a hole in which Norman uses to spy on his victim. This could play into the theory presented by Laura Mulvey which is known as the Male Gaze, an ideology which suggests that women are seen to be used for the benefit of males. Hitchcock may have used this as a reflection of his own sexual repression and experience of dictation by his wife, in turn representing his own recognised auteur style. There is a strong ideology of misogyny signified within this still.

Psycho (1960) Film Image Analyses

Here is a still shot from the famous montage shower scene from Psycho (1960). Hitchcock is well known for his use of montage in order to create emotion. This is very visible in this scene as he uses slow montage before and after the attack but then incorporates quick montage for the main attack. He also reflects his auteur style well in this scene to show his bizarre sense of humour. He did this by using freezing cold water in the scene and was obsessed by tormenting the blonde women who appeared in his films. He is also known for being the ‘Master of Suspense’ and did this by dragging out tension within his films. In this scene we can see how there has been an impact from the Hays Code as restricted narration has been used where by you do not ever see the knife actually entering into Marion. This helps to include restricted narration and is perhaps not a negative as this allows the audience to use their imaginations causing unpleasant images in their minds. This particular image is back lit creating a shadow like silhouette which adds mystery and threat. There is good use of parallel music with the high pitch screeching violins of the iconic theme as Marion is being stabbed. This increases our heart rate and makes us feel panicky. A clear ideology of this character is presented to the audience in the form of misogyny playing into the idea that Norman has a sexualised nature and is sexually repressed much like other serial killers and Hitchcock himself.

Psycho (1960) Film Image Analyses

Within this scene we see Norman running into the basement an enclosed creepy location with a knife in his hand, dressed up and imitating his mother. Low key lighting and dark shadows create an eerie atmosphere and represent the mise-en-scene well. The shadow of Norman creates a silhouette to add menace.  The use of the knife as a weapon is a phallic symbol and represents the power Norman wishes to have over women. The location of this shot is within the cellar underneath the house. This evokes the conventional horror theme of isolation and being trapped adding to the disturbing atmosphere of this particular scene. The point of view shot places us in the position of Lila Crane so we are able to experience what she is seeing and feeling. We are able to see historical context incorporated and this is particularly captured in this shot as we see Norman cross-dressing and representing characteristics of the serial killer Ed Gein who also carried out similar acts to this. This still is accompanied by loud, screeching, parallel music and is rather unpleasant to listen to. This has been used in order to add to the shock of Norman and the menace he is showing. A final important point to address in this still is that this would have been an early model of a transvestite. Once again this would have been very shocking at the time of the film so adding to the weirdness and also giving it an edge.