Textual Analysis of a Film Poster by Olaide Sadiq

The film is a crossover of the popular ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ and ‘Friday the 13th ‘franchises featuring iconic serial killers ‘Freddy Krueger’ and ‘Jason Voorhees’. The slasher was released in mid-August 2003. It features Robert Englund as ‘Freddy’ and Ken Kirzinger as ‘Jason’. The film also features the likes of Kelly Rowland and Jason Ritter in significant roles. ‘Freddy vs. Jason’ was written by Victor Miller and legendary horror writer Wes Craven. The director of the film was Hong Kong movie writer and director, Ronny Yu and producing the film was the same producer behind the Friday the 13th franchise, Sean S Cunningham. New Line Cinema produced and distributed the film. It is an American film studio and subsidiary of Hollywood Major Company Warner Bros, responsible for many smash hit films such as the Dark Knight and it is the company who produced and distributed both ‘The Nightmare on Elm Street’ and ‘Friday the 13th ‘franchises.

Synopsis
It has been ten years since ‘Freddy Krueger’ terrorized people in theirs dreams, the town’s inhabitants want to forget all about him. However, ‘Freddy’ still has a plan to get back to Elm Street. He resurrects ‘Jason Voorhees’ to support him in the killing of others. As more victims are killed, Freddy’ becomes increasingly stronger. ‘Freddy’ then realises that Jason isn't going to back down, and the pair then go head to head in the ultimate battle of the epic horror killers.
The purpose of a film poster is to work alongside a teaser trailer to advertise an upcoming film. A poster advertisement is usually displayed in cinemas, in magazines, on billboards, on the internet, and popularly on sides of public transport buses. It is essential that a film poster sells the upcoming film effectively; developing and enticing an audience who will then want to go see the film. In order to effectively persuade an audience to go and see the film, a great deal of consideration and persuasive techniques must be applied.

Mise en Scene

NVC

The NVC evident on this poster is in the form of facial expression. The strong eye-contact between the characters creates a serious and tense mood and atmosphere. It also indicates the seriousness of their battle and the desire of victory from both killers. The facial expression of ‘Freddy’ (left) shows his jaw widely open, which would connote viciousness and rage, which indicates that he may be more vengeful and desperate to conquer ‘Jason’ (right) meaning the film would be action packed with attempts to overcome one another. This effectively builds interest in the upcoming film.

Setting
No clear setting is sh
own in the poster. This is effective as it will not reveal much of the film’s content, leaving audiences wondering where all the killing will take place.

Costumes, Props and Makeup

The poster shows ‘Freddy’s’ burned and disfigured face (make-up) and his killer clawed glove (prop). These portray the danger that he is and the sight of him produces fear and scares audiences, therefore making him an effective horror movie killer. ‘Jason’s’ masked face and machete (props) are denoted in the poster. These props are an indication of danger, and his weapon would cause a gruesome death. This helps audiences gain some understanding of the killers, and anticipate their actions in the film.

Lighting

Low-key lighting was used for this poster. The use of low key lighting is effective in advertising an upcoming horror film. Conventional features of horror films would be darkness, therefore using low key lighting keeps to the conventions of the genre as well as making the poster look scary and dark.

Main image

The main image is two-shot/ close up of the two killers. The shot shows both killers in head-to-head positioning. This represents and depicts the upcoming battle between the two legendary horror movie killers. The closeness of the shot helps capture the fierceness of their upcoming clash.
The image is symmetrical. This connotes that the two killers are equal in strength, power and ability. This also means that audiences will not be able to gather from looking at the poster who will win the battle, therefore they are automatically intrigued and therefore encouraged to the watch the film to find out who will win.
The image is sharp. All aspects of the image remain in focus and are clear, giving audiences easy viewing of all elements of the poster therefore allowing them to gain as much information as possible.

Colour

The main colours used are all dark. Dark brown, dark red, and black. The dark brown is a conventional colour used for horror film posters. The colour brown is a warm colour known for stimulating the appetite. In regards to this poster, the colour brown on ‘Jason’s’ mask could connote his appetite for blood and murder. Brown also connotes dirt, e.g. Mud. This could also indicate that mask is unwashed and in frequent use, therefore he has been murderous for quite some time. Black is a popular colour used for horror posters because of its dark shade. The black background connotes darkness and an inability to see what is approaching. This also suggest that there are parts in the film in which victims are in darkness and cannot see where the killers are coming from therefore making them unable to defend themselves effectively. Red is one of the most popular colour choices for horror posters. The use of red helps to make the genre evident. The colour connotes danger and blood which are key aspects of any slasher horror. The use of these colours helps to develop a dark and scary mood, as well as maintaining the intensity of the image. All of these help to make the poster an effective form of advertisement for a horror film.

Font Types

The font type used is old fashioned. This connotes the ageing of the two killers whilst representing the length of time in which they have been present. As they are both legendary horror killers from the 1980s, the font used on this poster would have a dated look and appeal to it. The font is bold and coloured red. The boldness of the font is eye-catching and the use of the colour red corresponds with the horror genre and rest of the poster, whilst producing the typical connotations of the colour red.

Credits

The poster includes the credit to the key people involved in the film, including the lead actors, director, producer etc. The credits also include the logos of the companies involved in the key stages of making the film and distributing it. A key aspect in the credits is the date in which the film will be released, so audiences will know when to expect the film in cinemas, This is useful in ensuring the film has a successful opening weekend. Lastly the credits also include the movie’s website. This will give audiences access to further information about the upcoming film as well as a preview and images. These would ultimately build a good deal of anticipation and excitement for the upcoming film, contributing to the film’s commercial success.