Analysis of existing film posters - Amytiville Horror

The main image on the poster is the main protagonist with his back to the audience, standing in front of the main house which is the key aspect of the film. However the the viewers who would have not seen this film at this point it would appear a mysterious figure standing in front of an old scary looking house. This would create a scary atmosphere as the character is unknown also he is carrying a gun which portrays a gory aspect to the poster as well as giving the audience a better idea of what elements this horror film contains. The overall poster image is dark which i have learnt from my other analysis that this is conventional and important as it allows the poster to fit perfectly into the horror genre and be distinguished as a poster advertising a horror film. Also due to the image being so dark in this particular picture it suggests to the target audience that the film is set in night time which again is another convention of a horror film and therefore appealing to the target audience. The overall colour scheme is mainly black and grey yet the title is printed in red. This is effective as just in the colour all elements of horror films are represented fro example blood, gore, anger and death but it also allows the title to stand out on the poster allowing the title to be easily read from a distance. Another good selling point to the poster is the fact that below the title it is printed 'based on a true story'. This is effective as it is scarier for the audience to believe that what happens in this film could happen to them and it automatically allows them to put themselves into the place of the protagonist. At the top of the poster it says 'From Michael Bay, producer of Texas Chainsaw massacre' this is another very effective selling point as it attracts a larger audience due to the fact it is making reference to a famous horror film that was veery successful and showing that the makers of this horror film are the same as Texas Chainsaw massacre. Further more this practically confirms to the audience that this film will be scary which is what the target audience are looking for when watching the film. A typical convention of a film poster is t display the age certificate however there is not on this particular poster this may be due to the fact they didn't want to turn people away.