Poster Analysis 4: Sinister

• This poster could be the main theatrical poster for the film as it includes information on the personnel and distributors etc at the bottom. However, despite all this information being included, the poster is still very simplistic and the actual information about the film's production/release is only displayed in very small font so it doesn't distract from the elements of the poster relating to the film's narrative.
• This poster is clearly a poster for a film of the horror genre. The title itself is the first aspect that tells us this. The word 'Sinister' gives the impression that something is harmful or evil and these are both conventional of the horror genre therefore the title symbolises the horror genre and immediately attracts and entices a target audience that enjoy horror films. 
• The colour scheme is very stereotypical of the horror genre, the red colour used for the image of the face is very conventional as red is symbolic of danger and also of blood and blood is a very conventional icon of the horror genre and is used widely in horror films as is symbolises violence and death (which are stereotypically used to form the narrative of many horror films.)
• The black used for the typography is also conventional of the horror genre as it gives connotations of darkness and of danger as the dark is seen as mysterious as often you don't know what's hiding in it and this idea is used a lot in horror films as a way to make the audience feel uneasy and keep them interested. 
• The poster uses a child character as the main image on the poster. More contemporary horror films often use children as the stock characters in their films, sometimes the children can even be the antagonists as they have been possessed or something similar. This idea is meant to make people scared and uneasy, especially as horror films often target an adult audience due to their scary and inappropriate content and many of these adults might have children therefore this narrative idea will scare them and make them uncomfortable. Some people get pleasure from feeling these emotions and they watch horror films to feel fear and adrenaline. 
• The child's positioning and stance are deliberately intended to be unsettling and provoke fear but attract the audience at the same time, because the character is facing away from the camera we cannot see her face and this therefore plays on the idea of mystery and the unknown creating fear once again. The child is scraping her hand along the wall and a trail of blood is following from it, this hints at the narrative and the idea that the child may be evil, but also is used to further symbolise the genre. Trails of blood are conventional of horror films, especially in the lead up to a killing or an attack, therefore the audience will see this on the poster and associate it with other horror films that they have enjoyed and therefore they will be more likely to watch. 
• The mis en scene of this poster is fairly representative of the horror genre. The costume the female character is wearing looks to be some type of nightwear (pyjamas). Pyjamas give codes and conventions of night time and horror films are often set at night as it is dark and therefore scarier, therefore the costume links closely to the genre. Also, the costume is not a conventional costume you would see on a film poster and therefore it might persuade the audience to ask questions about the film and grab their interest, hopefully making them want to watch the film to find out more. 
• In the red there is an evil and "sinister" face shape in the blood marks on the wall. This stands out and is intended to immediately grab the audiences attention. The eyebrows are pointed and look angry and evil, the face is oddly shaped and very sharp this is used to scare the audience as it is unusual and looks paranormal instead of human. This could indicate a possible paranormal horror sub-genre, if the film involves ghosts etc, therefore we get a slight insight into a possible narrative of the film but looking closely at this facial shape. 
• The tagline "Once you see him, nothing can save you." gives an insight into the plot and the idea that the antagonist is male, either a human or creature. The second half of the tagline indicates that death will play a key role in the narrative and that it will be difficult for the protagonists to survive the threat the antagonist provides. 
• The poster has not used the star system to promote the film as no well known/acclaimed actors have been included. However, it has used a technique similar by including the "From the Producer of" quote at the top of the poster followed by previous successful films of the same genre. This will attract a similar audience to those who watched the other films and will excite them as they will theoretically take the view that if they enjoyed the other films by the same producers, then they will be likely to enjoy this one.