Oculus and my poster

Side-by-side poster analysis

I have included a variety of key elements in my poster, some of which had intertextual connotations to the existing ones I analysed in my research, most particularly the one for Oculus (2013). My poster uses significant low key lighting to emphasise the typical conventions of horror and establish the genre so it is easily identifiable for the audience – a very similar connotation with the Oculus poster also.

The main image I have included in my poster focuses on a shot of the main character’s face, arguably the victim, with her eyes being concealed by a pair of silhouetted hands that are blended into the dark of the background. The main image I have included in my poster focuses on a shot of the main character’s face, arguably the victim, with her eyes being concealed by a pair of silhouetted hands that are blended into the dark background.

The portrayal of this was to convey an inner darkness within the character, thus challenging her character stereotype which naturally should be the final girl due to her hair colour. This aspect works to add a sense of mystery for the audience as it argues against the typical horror conventions. The concept of the hands also complies similarly to the Oculus poster as I took interest in representing the idea of consumption- where something has inhabited and taken control of your body, a key theme in my narrative.

Regarding the main typography, the title of my poster uses a style which is alternative to that of the Oculus poster as I wanted to incorporate a font appeared scratchy and damaged to conform to my hybrid genre of psychological/gory horror. Despite this however, I included serifs to represent the notion of the past and used white to reinforce the concept of supernatural forces further, similarly to the poster for Oculus.

The tagline structured above the title taken from an intertitle used in my trailer which works to associate the film with the poster and add further audience appeal. It is similar to the one used for Oculus as both posters include the synthetic personalisation of ‘you’ to relate to the target audience and emphasise the theme of possession recurring in the main images.

Moreover, the direct linkage between the tagline and the image fits the conventions of horror as it reiterates danger and mystery, thus making my overall poster more visually scary and therefore appealing.

Although the Oculus poster does not include one, have presented a billing block across the bottom of my poster as it’s essential in establishing the cast members involved in creating the film, however its less significance is represented in its size comparison against the other elements within the poster.