Poltergeist Poster Analysis

The title of the poster is positioned at the top of the page, which draws the viewers’ attention in. Since it is highlighted by a light blue glow and edging, it is difficult to miss and therefore it stands out. This is used in order to make the title look scientific, and perhaps from a different planet. This therefore represents Strauss’ idea that within horror films you have a binary opposition, and this effect gives the audience the impression that it is science/aliens vs humans, or in fact the known vs the unknown. It also creates a technological atmosphere, which is supported by the main focus of the poster; the television. The lettering if full capitals, which are evenly spaced; creating a seemingly bold appearance. The word ‘poltergeist’ means an evil spirit, and is seemingly much most intense than just the word ‘ghost’. The choice of words, therefore also draws the viewer in once more. The word itself creates mystery, and also gives a huge indication into what the film is seemingly about. In addition to this, since the title it so simple, it means the audience will have no confusion about what they are going to see. This can be seen as a positive, since many posters are very misleading, and can lead to huge disappointments. At the bottom of the page there is the tag line ‘it knows what scares you’ which, itself is a daunting thought to prosper on. This gives the audience a greater insight into what the title actually means, and therefore then may interest them in then seeing the film.

The colour scheme for this poster is very simple. The title itself only consists of 3 colours; mainly electric blue, black outlines and then hints of white. This is then evident throughout the rest of the poster itself. This creates a supernatural vibe to the poster, hence the blue. The black, however, creates a shadowing, and may make the audience wonder what may be lurking in the shadows. The blue lighting also may suggest that the only lighting around, is in fact coming from the television. This is a clue to the audience that the television is a key prop in the film, and therefore gives them an indication to look out for this.

There is only one character on the poster of this film, and although the audience cannot see her face, they are aware that she is a young child. This is due to the use of the props surrounding her. The subtle use of the teddy bear lying helplessly next to her, proves that she is only young, and highlights her vulnerability and innocence, which makes the viewer more fearful for her. In addition to this, the TV which she places her hands on seems extremely large, in comparison to her small, fragile body. This suggests that the television holds the control and power within the film and the poster itself. Since it is the only source of light, we are aware that the TV itself is not normal and therefore it can be perceived as the antagonist.