SHOCK HORROR magazine analysis
The layout of the magazine is typical of the magazine SHOCK HORROR the mast head is located slightly below the top of the page, the anchorage is accompanying the main image, there are multiple sell lines on the right side of the page, there is no barcode on the page which means it doesn’t follow convention. The magazine doesn’t feel formal and feels much more casual, although the magazine does still maintain its casual feel it still seems much more specialised this is emphasised by the symbolism and the house style. An always changing masthead is a common theme in shock horror magazine, each addition uses the same typography but the fill is different each edition, the location and size is still the same. This is a very eye catching and aesthetically pleasing method of grabbing the reader’s attention, so if the style appeals it will encourage the reader to read on. The main image is in the dead centre of the cover and is the subject of focus, in a magazine about Horror movies the typical symbolism is film and horror, this image is a prime example of that its the typical colour pallet of what you would expect from a horror film, the sepia look of the cover immediately connotes that it is a film magazine without the need to read it, the women is looking straight at the camera there is a direct mode of address it challenges the viewer and confronts them, it allows the viewer to read the facial expression of terror, this makes the reader more engaged with his world of horror. The background has a shallow depth of field and she is the subject of the cameras gaze. The magazine also follows the convention that sell lines will be on the side of the image there is a break from convention thought because it’s on the right side of the magazine this is not usually seen in most magazines that are conventional because when magazines are on the shelves our eyes look directly to the left side therefore we wouldn’t be able to see it. The words on the front cover move around and don’t touch the image or overlap the image
therefore we do not get distracted from the image. The sell lines feature common symbolism in film and horror magazines, they feature stars and film exclusives etc this will be appealing to the reader and intrigue them and make them want to read. The anchorage text much like the sell lines feature stars, “director Micheal J Basset� and it also includes film exclusives, it’s also bold and bright so it stands out from the other text, they all have a offer at the bottom this would get people to read in and be much more interested because there is some form of incentive to read, and that they might be rewarded and get good value for money.