- Natasha
Poster Analysis 4
Insidious
The background of the image is a cloudy sky with an image of the family home, similar to what is shown in the trailer of the movie. The house is photographed from a low angle, an unsettling feature for the audience as it makes them feel disorientated and intimidated. The main image is a mid shot of a young boy in pyjamas standing in front of the house, this is the same child shown to be in a hospital bed in the trailer. The house is a typical convention of a horror film poster, with the sinister looking boy going against average codes and conventions of a young boy as children are perceived as being good. This could relate to binary oppositions as the boy is opposite to normal boys. This could draw an audience to the film as the audience want to know why he's different.
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Inside the boy's eyes, the words 'INSIDIOUS' and 'IS' are written, suggesting that something supernatural is effecting the boy. This encourages viewership as supernatural children are seen as scary and the opposite of what they are supposed to be. This relates to the idea of dolls appearing to be not as they seem, being threatening and evil rather than childlike and loving, this image is shown in this poster using the boy. The words shown in the child's eyes are also heavily portrayed in the trailer. The use of manipulating the child's eyes indicates that he is possessed, when considering that the eyes are the window to the soul the alteration of them can imply that the child's being and person has been compromised.
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The fact that the child is the only character featured in the poster indicates that he is the main character, or one of the main characters in the film. He is looking without emotion towards centre frame, creating an image that his eyes follow the viewer.
The boy's pyjamas are red, suggesting the danger posed possibly towards or from the boy. The pyjamas themselves pose questions from the viewer as to why the child is wearing them, this draws the audience in to view the film. The costume also gives insight into the film synopsis, the child travels in his sleep which is one of the main plot devices.
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There is a short depth of field in the main image, the boy being in focus and the house being out of focus. The main image being the child rather than the home, posing an unusual form for a horror film. This will draw a larger audience due to this film standing independently from other horror films.
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The colour scheme of the poster is typical of that in the horror genre. Most of the main images' colouring is drained, with the lack of vibrance giving the film a dark and eerie feeling. As previously stated the boy's pyjamas are red, suggesting the danger and posing questions from the viewer, drawing the audience in. Having a dull image also allows the title to stand out.
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The use of low-key lighting and dark clouds above the house make it clear that this is a poster for a horror film, with the clouds covering the house implying that something bad will happen there. The sinister tone allows the audience to understand the genre, and that it will not be a happy, light hearted film. The darker lighting also makes it harder to see all the details on the poster's image, making the audience more inquisitive to find out what happens in the film.
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The title of the film is written in the font Sans Serif. The first two letters are in white, the next two are in red and the rest of the letters are in white. It stands out clearly as it is mostly in a strong white colour against a dark background. The style of the title is unique due to the part coloured in red, the colour having connotations of danger and blood. This suggests to the audience that the film has a dangerous dark side.
Having the actors and actresses names on the film poster attracts an audience, this is because if there is a big fan of for example, Patrick Wilson, then they may feel the desire to watch this film as he is one of the main characters in the film Insidious. The tagline is written in the same text font as the name of the film, sans serif in capital letters placed underneath the title of the film. 'It's not the house that's haunted' is said in the trailer also, the use of this statement is ominous, drawing the audience to watch the film so as to find out what is haunted. In the trailer it is revealed that the child is the haunted one, therefore the poster giving a way less of the synopsis of the film, a more tactical method of advertising which relates to Barthes Enigma theory as the audience wants to solve the mystery of the film before they watch it.
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Mentions of other films made by the director are shown. There is alternating font size and positioning. This draws an audience in as they already know it will be a good film as it was made by the people who have already produced two popular, good selling films. The production credits are placed at the bottom of the page in grey. These are the the film institutions and company logos helping to identify the film's genre as most companies specialise in a certain genre. For example, Working Title Productions tend to make romantic comedies. The release date is written in a different font and size, it is in bold white so it stands out.
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