It is important that horror films have a good movie posters to advertise them. Often viewers will base their decision to go to a movie on whether or not they like the poster. They may be attracted to the list of actors or directors who made the movie, or they may be attracted to the artwork of the poster itself.
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.
Lists exist of what are considered the "best" horror film posters. Some of these lists have only a few entries, while others contain dozens of them. Though each list has its own reasoning behind its poster choices, many of them agree that some posters are better than others for multiple reasons.
The poster for the film "Jaws" is one of the most well known movie advertisements of all time. It was released in the 1970s and starred Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, and Roy Schneider. It was directed by Steven Spielberg and became one of the first true summer blockbuster releases. The poster itself was very spare, containing only a stretch of ocean, a female swimmer, and a giant shark looming up from the depths beneath her.
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.
Lists exist of what are considered the "best" horror film posters. Some of these lists have only a few entries, while others contain dozens of them. Though each list has its own reasoning behind its poster choices, many of them agree that some posters are better than others for multiple reasons.
The poster for the film "Jaws" is one of the most well known movie advertisements of all time. It was released in the 1970s and starred Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, and Roy Schneider. It was directed by Steven Spielberg and became one of the first true summer blockbuster releases. The poster itself was very spare, containing only a stretch of ocean, a female swimmer, and a giant shark looming up from the depths beneath her.
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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