Film Poster Analysis #2

My second analysis is of the official poster for 'The Grudge' movie which was released in 2004 and belongs to the supernatural sub-genre. Even though the movie was released a while ago I feel the poster is extremely memorable because of its simple nature. Also this poster has given me inspiration for my own horror movie film poster and so I am intrigued at how this poster chooses to follow and invert conventions. 

The main image on the poster is an extreme close-up shot of the antagonist's eye and the rest of her face is covered by her hair which emphasises the piercing glare but also could indicate that she is hiding something. Along with her her, profile lighting is used to ensure that the whole focus of the poster is the eye and that is where the audience's attention remains. Her skin is pale and looks as if all like has been drained away, highlighting her inhumane nature; this is a technique used to indicate the supernatural sub-genre to the target audience. Also the pale skin contrasts with the dark background causing the image to become more striking to the audience. On her pale skin lies scratches and patches of blood showing the audience her ghost-like aura and again emhpasising the fast that she is not human and also conjure up thoughts of a more troubled spirit that is harmed and therefore out to harm. The focus on the eye makes the audience feel on edge and uneasy because she is looking straight into the camera and so therefore engaging with the target audience they will begin to feel as if they are being watched with a glare that can see into their soul, making the audience feel vulnerable. It is also said in literature that the eye is the gateway to the soul, so the fact that her eye is tainted red could imply that her soul is tainted with pure evil. The rest of the eye socket is blacked out, to emphasise the bloodshot eye. As mentioned earlier the characters face is covered by her hair and this is what creates the background for the poster. The character blends into the background showing the audience that this her world and she is in control, which again makes them feel vulnerable and alone. Black has connotations of the unknown danger and evil, and so this foreshadows the narrative of the movie whilst also causing the audience to feel uneasy. Also included in the background are two streaks of red, this is to remind the audience of blood dripping and draining from the antagonists victims. 

The title of the poster and the name of the film is 'The Grudge'. The title implies that the antagonist has been wronged and is now seeking revenge as she 'never forgive' and 'never forgets'. This is a plot to gain the target audiences interest and make them ponder what could have happened to cause her to be this way. Furthermore the title is in the colour red to primarily create a sharp contrast with the background but also because red has obvious connotations of blood, danger and threats and so helps the audience recognise the posters sub-genre. Also is combines and compliments the blood shot eye. The bold typeface, capital letters and sans-serif font combined also help emphasise the title against the black background. The placement of the title is on the same level as the character's eye, this is unusual as the titles are normally placed at the bottom of the page so it does not draw away any attention from the main image. The placement of the title is quite a clever use of layout, as it really forces us to focus on the most gruesome and terrifying part of the poster; the eye. As we read from left to right, it literally guides us to and points us towards the eye.

The tagline of the film is 'It never forgives. It never forgets' which refers to the grudge which the antagonist possess. It also successfully anchors the main image which shows the antagonist seeking and searching for revenge. The tagline creates an enigma as the use of the word 'it' emphasises the inhumane quality the character possess and so successfully encourages the audience to watch the movie to find out exactly what 'it' is. The letters are in a simple typeface and are in an unusual pale green colour which matches her pale and pallid skin tone. The tagline is placed at the bottom of the page, just above the institutional information; this is unusual placement and breaks the codes and conventions as usually the taglines are placed at the top of the page or near the title. This could be done so that we see the title and image first and they effectively anchor the meaning of the tagline, allowing the audience to see that 'it' refers to 'The Grudge'. 

Above the movie title is the name of the leading actress in the movie, 'Sarah Michelle Gellar'. This is another convention the poster has chosen to invert as usually on horror posters, especially within the supernatural sub-genre, the actors are unknown to create a universal character in the movie that could represent anyone and so creates a sense of realism. However this is an excellent technique to widen the movies target audience, as the movie will not only appeal to the fans of supernatural horrors but also to the fans of the leading lady. The size of the text is smaller than the titles ensuring that it does not overtake the frame.  

Even though many conventions have been challenged in this poster, it chooses to follow one significant convention which is that all the institutional information is placed at the bottom of the page. This is because it is the section which the target audience will be least interested in and so it is placed out of the way to ensure that the focus remains on the image and title. 

Most posters use limited amount of colour so that it remains simple; the dominant colours on this poster are red and black. Both colours represent evil, danger, and also an inhumane being. These colours set a sinister tone for the poster which amplifies the audience's fear. 

I personally think this poster is extremely successful in frightening the audience as the colours used, combined with the piercing look can scare someone to their core and this is why it is the biggest inspiration for my own poster. It also informs the audience of the narrative without giving too much information away, leaving them wanting more.